It’s been said that our society worships youth and beauty, and not buying into this fountain of youth can be pretty hard. After all, when was the last time you saw a model over the age of 40 who wasn’t a movie star on the cover of a magazine? When you’re bombarded with reminders every day that your face doesn’t look like the airbrushed perfection seen in glossy advertisements, feeling positive about growing older becomes something of a challenge. The truth is, though, that getting older is not only perfectly natural, but can be beautiful too—when the right steps are taken.
Moving Into a New Role with Age
Growing older isn’t just about grey hair and wrinkles. In many cultures, the elders of society are highly revered for the knowledge and wisdom that they can pass down to younger generations. Respect for elders is a central part of family structure in countries like Greece, China and Japan. In India, elders are the head of the family, while Koreans have a special birthday party at age 60, called the hwan-gap, for adult children to celebrate their parents’ official passage into old age. Growing older also means you’re moving into a new role in life, and one that should be embraced instead of treated as irrelevant or outdated. Whether it’s sending kids off to college and reveling in your newly empty next, or planning ahead for your retirement, the second half of life can bring a slower, more appreciative pace to life that lets you stop and smell the roses.
Facial Lines Tell Your Story
Regardless of how age is viewed in other cultures, though, American society as a whole still feels nervous about all the physical changes that are undeniable indicators of chronological age. As evidenced by various celebrities’ too-tight facelifts and midlife crisis marriages to partners half their age, the fear of growing older can wreak havoc on even the most sensible personality.
Instead of thinking about signs of aging as a betrayal of our misspent youth, though, what if we instead thought of them as visual aids that help tell our life story? Dynamic wrinkles, like crow’s feet and frown lines, develop in response to the continual movement of your facial muscles as you make normal expressions. Maybe deep smile creases reflect the joy you find in everyday life with a spouse who keeps you laughing, while frown lines could represent the intense commitment and concentration you’ve devoted toward your career over the years.
How to Age Gracefully
Instead of erasing all traces of age (and your life’s history) completely from your face, you have the option to slow and control the appearance of lines and wrinkles in a way that’s flattering, yet still honors your current stage of life.
Dermal fillers can improve your laugh lines without leaving you looking like a teenager, while BOTOX® can minimize the number of crow’s feet that spring up the next time you’re smiling. Laser resurfacing treatments can heal sun-damaged skin and fade age spots, and microneedling with the SkinPen™ can restore a youthful radiance to your entire complexion. The aging process really isn’t the problem, unless feeling self-conscious about looking older than you feel is preventing you from living as vibrantly as you deserve. Nonsurgical med spa treatments can help you age beautifully and gracefully, embracing all that the next stage of your life has to offer.