- Aging
- Anti-aging
- Beauty
Why You Should Forget Everything You Learned About Aging
From the minute we are born we start to age. Although aging looks different for everyone, we all go through it. As an esthetician of 25 years, I am confronted with concerns about the visible signs of aging on a daily basis.
Many people, especially women, have a real fear of aging - even in their twenties! I can definitely relate. When I was 18 years old, I saw the tiniest of creases underneath my eye and immediately told my mom to take me with her to the doctor to see what could be done about it. Today, however, I feel that I have a greater perspective about aging and less anxiety about the superficial aspects.
Why? First and foremost, true youthfulness lives in your mind, not in your body. If you embrace life and live it to the fullest, you will always feel 20 even when you’re in your 60s. Conversely, if you are 20 and focus exclusively on your physical appearance and neglect your soul, that void will show. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen flawless faces (at any age), but there’s emptiness behind the facade. If there’s no life behind the canvas, even with flawless skin, most people will most likely not find a person beautiful. While physical beauty is hard to ignore, it needs to have a few more elements in order to have that irresistible magical power of TRUE beauty.
The most beautiful humans I have encountered (and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of academy award-winning actresses, models, and iconic entertainers throughout the years) are the ones who have a deeper understanding of who they are, their purpose in life, and have fun while loving their every day - not focusing on looks or physical appearance. Does that mean they don’t care whatsoever what they look like? Not at all. You can have a very fulfilling and happy life yet not wanting to see sagging skin and lines on your face.
Here is what I’ve learned from the most beautiful people I’ve encountered in my lifetime:
Physical beauty
- Diet is everything - true beauty starts from the inside
- Exercise is so important - from yoga to running, to just taking a walk around your block. If you don’t like it, do it anyway :)
- Having a skin care coach is vital to healthy skin - do not waste your money buying random products just because you saw them in an ad. Random products won’t change your skin for the better; having an esthetician in your corner will.
- It’s OK to have botox, fillers, and surgery to touch up your face - but if you get anything done, go to the best or don’t go at all. This is NOT the place to cut corners.
Psychological Beauty
- Having a purpose and passions in life are irresistible traits that will make you psychologically more beautiful - no amount of filler can replace it.
- Find happiness in the little things even when life is hard.
- Laughing daily and enjoying other people will make you look and feel younger. I would even go as far as saying it’s as important as having an excellent esthetician!
- Be kind and generous - it will keep your face from becoming hard and static.
- If you become obsessed with your look or aging process, it’s time to dig deeper. Find out what is truly bothering you and making you unhappy. Having a facelift will not make you happy in the long run - you need a more permanent solution for the beauty to shine through.
- Aging is beautiful and can be sexy! Think Sophia Loren - she was way sexier in her fifties than most models are in their twenties!
But most importantly, do not be too hard on yourself and others. This especially applies to us women. Stop judging your friend that just had botox. Stop pointing out when someone got their face lifted. Stop thinking less of someone that just got a small procedure done. Women like to tear each other down when we should just focus on supporting and bringing each other up! I don’t want to hear “I would never do fillers or have a face surgery” anymore. “Never” is not a thing - the probability of you changing your mind in 20 years is very likely. So live your life to the fullest, take care of your health, and if you need a little help on the way that’s totally fine!
Oh, and never forget: If you are reading this and you’re in your 20s, remember that doing too much can actually make you look older - not better.