Tips to age-proof your skin

There’s no escaping wrinkles – those not-so-subtle reminders of time and youthful folly. Fortunately, there are skin-saving strategies to help ease the signs of past neglect and prevent further damage. We talked to three women who sought help for their skin problems.  Azonia Haney is 55 years old and was tired of her blotchy skin, rosacea, and acne.

“Before I started getting the treatments, I really didn’t look in the mirror,” she said. “I avoided it.”

Katherine Alicki is 49 and a sun worshiper. I was always dissatisfied with my age spots,” she said.

Emily Rossi is 25 and is looking to prevent wrinkles while battling acne and uneven skin tone. If you asked me two years ago to go outside, go to work or run to the grocery store without makeup on, I’d be like no way,” she said.

They turned to Dr. Julia Ho at the Kaiser Permanente Cosmetic Center for help. The center offers everything from lasers and microdermabrasions to Botox and chemical peels.

“They just want a more youthful appearance, get rid of their fine lines,” said Dr. Ho.

But it doesn’t have to come to these extremes.

Dr. Ho recommends that people in their 20s use:

* Sunscreen every day
* Products with glycolic acid
* Do light chemical peels.

For folks in their 30s and 40s, use products with:

* Retin-A – a derivative of vitamin A
* Skin lighteners such as hydroquinones

Also do medium-chemical peels.

If you’re in your 50s and 60s, deep laser treatments may be needed to reverse any damage. Once those frown lines set in, they’re actually very hard to get rid of,” Dr. Ho said.

The key is prevention.

Now these women limit their sun exposure, wear sunscreen every day, eat right and drink lots of water. I’ll look in the mirror when I’m passing like in a public restroom and oh … not bad,” Haney said.

“I used to be one of those people who thought I was invincible,” Rossi said. “But you can’t turn back the clock, unfortunately … You try to age gracefully.”  Dr. Ho said you should buy products from a doctor because they are proven to be safe and effective.

Products on the shelf are FDA-approved for safety but are not necessarily proven for effectiveness.

Dr. Ho said she’s seeing more and more men come to her office. She said some want to look younger to be more competitive in the job market while others are getting back in the dating scene.

source: http://www.katu.com/news/problemsolver/41028997.html