Raise your hand if life has gone by really fast and suddenly you consider yourself old.  Maybe you think you look old, or maybe you just feel old.  Or maybe your friends look younger than you and it’s making you wonder what they are doing differently from you.  It could be any number of things.  For me, sometimes I feel old.  I didn’t take the paths I thought I would and now I wonder where all my time went.  But what I did do was start to take good care of my skin.  Because of this I can at least claim to look younger than my age, which I consistently do when I meet people who don’t know my true age.  Why not?  It’s fun!

If I could go back in time I would have started taking better care of my skin at a much younger age.  I grew up in the 80’s so it was not uncommon for me to be baking on my back porch with baby oil slathered all over my body and face.  I have very white skin so of course I would burn, peel, and turn white again.  It was a vicious cycle that took me years to understand.  Back then we had no idea that we were damaging our skin and that all the sun damage wouldn’t appear until many years later.  And did it ever!!  I suddenly had melasma (brown patches) all over my face and had no idea where it came from or what to do with it.

In my 30’s I met an amazing team of nurses and aestheticians and I finally started getting treatments to help repair my skin.  Peels, laser treatments, and skin care products helped me reverse the melasma and I have learned to embrace sunscreen.  I’m also that person at the beach in a hat, under an umbrella, avoiding the sun.  It’s quite a sight.  I spent too much time reversing the damage and I’m trying to save my skin!!  So far I think it’s working.

The other part of my aging process involves Botox and fillers.  The sun also contributes to all those lines and wrinkles on the face. I’m not afraid to admit that I get Botox regularly and fillers in areas that are starting to sag.  By the time I first tried Botox the lines between my brows were so deep that it took a long time to soften them.  I wish I had known about Botox long before I tried it! Imagine all the years I walked around looking angry when I didn’t have to!  If I had started younger the lines never would have gotten so deep and I wouldn’t need so much to keep the lines at bay.  I also wish I had tried lip fillers long before I did.  I have always had thin lips, including an almost non-existent upper lip.  Imagine my delight to discover that a little filler can give you natural looking lips!!  It’s funny to look back at old photos and see the difference, something you might not notice if you look at my photos, but I certainly do!  Fillers are amazing and there are so many different types that are used in different areas to give you subtle changes.  No one needs to know if you prefer to keep your treatments a secret.  No judgement here!  Everyone has to do what makes them happy!

So here’s my unsolicited advice to all of you: if you’re young, I suggest you get a consultation with an aesthetician and with an injector (like Jessica St. Jean, RN of Beauty On the Go By Jessica) and ask them what you can do to halt the aging process.  If you’re older, like me, I suggest you get to someone STAT and book some treatments.  They work and they are worth every penny.  It is not too late to start the age reversal process, but it certainly is easier if you start young!  Prevention is key!