Saving Face
The quick answer: Your skin can’t stay young forever—time will have its way. But there’s no hurry to get old either.
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The Last Reunion
I recently escorted the beautiful wife to her 50th high school reunion. She had been the senior class treasurer, winning with the unbeatable slogan: “Don’t be square. Vote for Clare”. There was a memorial of yearbook photos of those who had died—a surprising number. Those who attended looked pretty good—but people whose life has gone poorly don’t attend reunions, do they? These smiling faces were life’s survivors. There was a ritual to meeting one from so long ago: first they would look at each other’s face, wondering if they had been friends; then they would check the name badge, but still not be sure; finally, one would begin to speak and the old personality would emerge, not so much changed by the years, and they would laugh and hug each other. You couldn’t watch without smiling.
The outward signs of aging intrigued me. From a distance the stooped posture caused by osteoporosis was the first sign. For the guys, the ability to grow hair was the next tip. Close up, the evidence was right there in the face. The healthiest had just a few lines around the eyes, but others had the deep grooves and pale sagging skin that comes with years of wrong living. If you never write a memoir, leave a picture—the face will tell your story. The beautiful wife, I should note, looked radiant. On the way home she was pensive, sad for those who had died, yes, but more for those whose dreams had died. All in all, glad to have come, but ready to call it the last reunion.
Skin
Your skin is not just your largest organ, weighing around 8 lbs., it provides all these functions, and more:
- Protects against the bangs and bumps of life,
- Is a barrier against invading pathogens,
- Insulates (with the help of a fat layer) against the cold,
- Keeps moisture in, but sweats a little out when you need cooling,
- Is self-renewing; the outermost cell layer changes monthly,
- Changes color, by producing melanin, to protect against summer sun,
- Acts as a solar battery, receiving radiant energy from the sun to make vitamin D and other products.
Extrinsic Choices
Skin health reflects two forms of aging: intrinsic, fixed by our birth heritage, and extrinsic, the result of lifestyle choices. There’s a cycle at work: health typically peaks in our late 20s and then begins the inevitable decline. Because few work on their health before 30, our focus is to slow the decline after we’ve peaked.
Skin ages as collagen (the main protein in our connective tissue; the source of gelatin when you make stock) output slows, and elastin (the elastic, fibrous glycoprotein in connective tissue) degenerates with time. In this way the skin grows thinner and loses its youthful color, wrinkles form and deepen, and gravity has its inevitable way.
Shakespeare made a word picture of this process when he observed how, “rosy lips and cheeks within [Time’s] bending sickle’s compass come . . . .” But it’s not necessarily bad; Shakespeare was praising the love that grows with time. A new form of beauty is found in the weathered face of those who've lived well—when comeliness matures into character. The pictures above are of my Father; they're bookends, taken at the edges of his manhood. Handsome in the beginning; at the end his face oozed character. And those wrinkles—they’re packed with wisdom.
Slowing Time’s sickle
Still, despite the benefits of old age, there’s no need to rush. The aging of skin is hurried along by excess sun exposure, the use of alcohol or tobacco, overuse of harsh soaps, the modern diet of processed foods, lack of exercise, excessive stress, and too little sleep. Here are ways to slow down Father Time:
- No toxins: Avoid the use of tobacco, and don’t drink alcohol. In different ways, they’re both bad for your skin. Ditto for trans fats.
- Exercise: Aerobic exercise increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients, while stretching exercises tone the peripheral muscles.
- Reduce stress: We talked about managing excessive stress here. Happiness is the antidote to stress. A smile lifts the muscles of your face; laugh away your cares.
- Get adequate sleep: Discussed here.
- Eat a varied diet of whole foods: The key here is to eat natural foods rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Include sources of omega-3 fat as discussed here.
Yes, I know, I didn’t mention avoiding sunshine, or the use of sunscreens. It’s critical to avoid sunburns as well as excessive unprotected exposure. But as noted here and here, we also need natural vitamin D and full spectrum light.
Healthy Change: I had a backpacking buddy when I was a bit younger; a person I admired, so comfortable in his own skin. I have great memories of our ascents on Sierra peaks. But he was taken from us too soon, by melanoma cancer. So this Healthy Change is dedicated to his memory:
Please comment. Got a secret lotion? Share what works for you to protect your skin.
Need a reminder? Download our Healthy Change reminder card. Print and fold, then place in your kitchen or on your bathroom mirror to help you remember the Healthy Change of the week.
Monday, October 17, 2011 at 8:39PM
Reader Comments (8)
When we are going to be out the sun we will use coconut oil, as it is SPF 10 naturally. We really only need it at the beginning of summer and combine it with limiting our time in the sun until we are not going to burn anymore.
I am capable of burning at any time. It's a skill. Don't be jealous.
Honestly, I take care of my skin the same way my grandmother did. When she died she had beautiful skin, so just like cooking and foods, I do what she did. I wash twice daily, once with water, once with Dove soap. I wear a light lotion with 15 SPF on my face. I'll put on an inexpensive cream at night (but this is all because I have dry skin.) I drink mostly water. It's as simple as that. I stopped trying to tan years ago because one patch of freckles melding with another is not a tan. I respect the skin I have and don't try to make it do what it won't do naturally.
I don't use an all over sunscreen during regular days, got to absorb my Vitamin D! I will use sunscreen when at the pool or beach because I will burn otherwise. Similarly, I don't bother sunscreening my kids for regular outdoor play, unless we hit the pool.
Here's a tip for everyone: You know that moisturizer or sunscreen that you have left over after tending to your face? Rub it into the backs of you hands. The skin on you face might not tell the full story of your age, but your hands sure will!
As someone once pointed out--- you can get a face lift, you can't get an Old Man Hands lift.
I had a dermatologist tell me to use sunscreen with parsol 1789 (Avobenzone) so I always check for that. I like a neutrogena face lotion that has 45 spf in it.
We are huge fans of the skin products developed by Remedy.. They initially explored preventative skincare when Medicare and many insurances stopped paying for treatment of bedsores, saying they were a preventable condition. Full of pretty accessible antioxidants, they have been a miracle salve for my son's eczema and for my dad, who was severely burned about 15 years ago and has extremely problematic skin. I recommend them whole-heartedly. http://www.remedyadvancedskincare.com/
COCONUT OIL is our family fave!! I don't even buy lotion anymore.
My sister, in her late 40's, uses liquid vitamin E JASON brand from the health food store--doesn't even have to wear make-up and looks fantastic. She also avoids processed foods, which must help.
This might sound funny, but I've started using olive oil as a moisturizer for my face. I live in a humid climate, but it still absorbs beautifully and doesn't make my skin feel greasy. It actually seems to have improved the quality of my skin (I've used it for over a year now)! I love it and it's so natural and easy. I've also used it as an eye makeup remover in a pinch. Coconut oil seems to work for some people, but I found that it irritates my skin (although I love to use it in cooking.)
Thanks for your wonderful posts, skip, and happy late birthday!
One thing that I always do, is to dry scrub my skin before a shower as it enhanced the blood flow and helps getting rid of dead skin cells (which is very helpful if you, like me, have very dry and itchy skin). I might also try olive oil (thanks for the tip Stephanie!) for my sensitive skin, I have always had problems finding moisturizers since even the ones marked sensitive tend to irritate my skin.