It seemed so far off for so long, but your 50s are here. This is something to celebrate! You have a lifetime of experiences that have shaped you into the amazing person you are today.
Part of your maturity and understanding is that change is a constant in life. It comes as no surprise that what was true in your 20s and 30s is a little different now. Back then, you just showered, put on a little lip gloss, and headed out the door. If you exercised fine, if not you still maintained your weight.
Thinking of self care as a well-deserved investment in yourself will have you looking and feeling your best. After all, who doesn’t want to look as good on the outside as they feel on the inside? Here are my tips to make your 50s fabulous!
How To Look Good In Your Fifties & Beyond!
1. Let your fork lead you to fabulous
You may have gotten away with it at 22, but bingeing on sweets and junk food simply doesn’t fly in your 50s. Your metabolism, hormones, and perhaps your activity level have all evolved. Ignoring this and carrying on business as usual can have undesirable effects.
I offer this simple trick: stick with food that looks like food. Seek out unprocessed, clean food in its natural state such as fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean meats, fish, beans, and nuts. Avoiding foods in packaging helps you avoid unwanted ingredients. If you just can’t help yourself, check the label. Avoid foods with more than 4 or 5 ingredients and make sure you can pronounce them!
2. Moderation is key
There is a Japanese practice called "hara hachi bu.” It is eating until you are 80% full. Since it takes a while for the stomach to communicate with the brain that it’s full, if you eat fast and furiously you are likely to miss the cue that you’ve had enough. It may take a while to reset your system, but starting by eating only half your normal portion can help you ease into this. This allows you to take a moment to really check-in with your body. You may find that you don’t need or want to eat anymore. Chewing your food really well and eliminating distractions like TV can also help.
The worst thing you can do when trying to maintain a steady body weight and preserve your skin is to yo-yo diet. Doing this devastates your metabolism and also puts your skin through the wringer forcing it to stretch and contract as the scale moves up and down. This is extremely aging making it better to stay steadily a few pounds overweight than to go up and down.
Tip: use your mind to create the image of how you DO want to look instead of ruminating on negativity and what you DON’T want. When weight becomes a battle you are miserable, which makes it all the harder. Visualize the look or the weight you DO want and use it as inspiration.
3. Get serious skin care
If you don't have a comprehensive skin-care regimen that you’ve been following, get a complimentary skin-care consultation with one of our aestheticians and get your glow back! And please don't be overwhelmed by so many suggestions. Begin with a few things that resonate most with you and add on as you're ready.
I recommend the following at-home products:
An exfoliating, but gentle cleanser like our very own Glycolic Cream Wash.
Forget the toners. They are too drying for mature skin.
An anti-aging serum or cream to apply to the entire face both morning and evening. Look for those that contain vitamin C, tretinoin, and growth factors. I recommend SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum.
An eye cream. SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair is great!
Use a moisturizer in the morning with sun protection. Try EltaMD UV Facial.
Use a rich moisturizer to hydrate at night. I love Meg 21 face treatment.
And take our SoCo Skin Vite as your daily multivitamin for skin, hair, and nails. It provides antioxidant protection, gives you vitamin D, and contains omega-3-rich fish oil.
Try some superficial peels. Start slowly with a low-level SkinMedica peel and advance as your skin tolerates it to give you some light exfoliation and skin blending. (SkinMedica peels are only available as an in-office service.)
If you don't do facials, now is the time to start! HydraFacials are the newest form of microdermabrasion, but differ in that they hydrate the skin by infusing different anti-aging serums. Doing HydraFacials monthly should feel like going to the gym. They are like a wonderful workout for your skin because they maintain skin health, texture, and tone.
If you haven't started using Botox and fillers, it's not too late. Botox will soften the lines on the forehead, around the eyes, and around the mouth.
Fillers add volume to cheeks, the chin, or around the mouth depending on the individual characteristics of your face.
If you have a lot of sun damage such as sunspots or red spots, lasers will help even that out. Think of our IPL—Vbeam and gentlemax lasers—as real-world photoshop. This treatment will give you an "airbrushed” look that’s real and lasts much longer than a photo. You’ll need less makeup to give your skin that even, uniform tone you see on models in magazines.
If you have a double chin, this ages the face as well. I highly recommend the latest advance in fat-melting technology: Kybella. I love this injectable because it’s so effective AND is a noninvasive, nonsurgical treatment with no incisions, no general or deep anesthesia, no leaking wounds, and little downtime.
4. Do up your hairdo
While it’s not our department, consider dying the gray or brightening up your hair. Getting a more youthful cut and color can easily take ten years off!
The 50s are an exciting time for many. I'm here to help you make the most of it on every level!
Set up an appointment for a cosmetic consultation with me,
Dr. Robin Evans, or Ellie Christiansen (our Nurse Practitioner) and come in for a complimentary skin-care consultation with our aesthetician. CALL (203) 323-5660