Getting a Jump on Aging

Talk about perspective. Celebrities and wanna-be's in their early to mid-20's opting for cosmetic enhancement to fend off "aging"... C'mon, how bad can it be? As long as they're not spending bucks that would be better put toward their babies' well-being, what's wrong with plumping up your lips and poofing out those lines before anyone else even knows they're there? This is a bit different than procedural attempts at correcting what one thinks are congenital flaws like too small or too large breasts, crooked noses, and the like. The truth about those is that, yes, a lot of folks will look more attractive once fixed up. But forehead crevices at 23? Even those of us who lived out in the sun daily in a practically pre-sunscreen era weren't showing the effects until we were at least in our 30's. What good is youth if you can't stay up partying until the sun rises, catch a few winks out in the midday sun later, and still look plump and fresh for dinner? Plastic surgeons are seeing increasing numbers of very young women choosing techniques like Botox injections and lip fillers as a kind of unproven insurance against ever aging. Some experts say that there's a chance such enhancements might indeed keep the wrinkles at bay later. However, there's no scientific proof to the stance. So, many bona fide specialists in the art of looking beautiful are saying that the simple things -- healthy diet, plenty of good rest, not smoking, consistent use of sunscreen -- are still the best ways to promote your youthful good looks into middle age. That's not to say that all skin work is a bad thing for 20-somethings or teens. Some docs talk about "aging maintenance" with their patients, which includes the good sense stuff along with recommendations for starter treatments like retinoids or alpha hydroxy acid products. Acne scars and early sun damage can indeed be ameliorated with microdermabrasion. Some dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons do say that getting to work on aging's effects will likely result in making those effects less inevitable. The overall effect could be a whole lot fewer middle agers turning to the knife down the road. Still, even the most gung-ho docs shy away from saying that out and out avoidance of looking more mature is a good thing psychologically. After all, skin-deep appearance isn't the only thing that will transform over a person's lifetime. Chances are that a bit of wisdom comes with those wrinkles, and that's not something anyone wants to lop off.