Better Health & Living: Article: Look And Feel Younger

Issue: May 2008

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Look And Feel Younger

These websites are portals to important anti-aging information

by Eileen Buckholtz

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If you’re older and wiser, you probably have the laugh lines, age spots, wrinkles, dull skin, and a dozen other physical signs to prove it. Luckily, we live in a time when science has come to the rescue with a bunch of treatments and products to slow the signs of aging and, in some cases, erase those telltale sags and wrinkles—not to mention keep us healthier and living longer.

Skin care, diet, vitamins, exercise, and cosmetic procedures such as laser resurfacing and injections are just some of the nonsurgical options available to keep you looking younger. The trick is to do your homework and understand your options—the costs, benefits, and possible side effects—before starting any regimen.

www.smartskincare.com This independent skin-care portal is sponsored by an anti-aging researcher. The site contains articles about treatments plus product reviews; one recent piece was “What Green Tea Can and Cannot Do for Your Skin.” There’s also a section with how-to infopacks on skin rejuvenation and do-it-yourself skin care. You can get free copies by contributing your own review of a product or provider to the site.

www.realage.com If you’re a fan of Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, the YOU docs you’ve seen on Oprah, then follow the yellow brick link to their site. There you can take their free RealAge test to see if you’re biologically younger, older, or just about right for your calendar age and get a personalized plan. The site also has a library of articles, health tests, and tools on subjects from skin care and vitamins to aging issues such as keeping your teeth and gums healthy.

www.surgery.org If you’re thinking about having cosmetic surgery or skin treatments, check out the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s site, which offers descriptions of popular types of procedures such as injectables. You can read the details on hyaluronic acid, collagen, Botox, chemical peels, and lip augmentation. The site has a price guide for procedures so you can check average costs and offers tips for finding a certified doctor and making sure you’re getting safe, quality products.

www.worldhealth.net This is the official site of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), which is dedicated to sharing anti-aging medical information and knowledge on a wide range of subjects, including Alzheimer’s disease and skin cancer. There’s also a news section, where we recently learned that so-called instant face-lifts work by damaging your skin cells and that elderberry and brown algae can protect your skin.

www.aafprs.org The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery site offers an online magazine, Facial Plastic Surgery Today, which contains useful articles on everything from Botox to hair replacement. One article answers the most common beauty questions plastic surgeons hear, from how to reduce eye puffiness to what to do—minus surgery—to look younger. There’s also a surgeon locator if you decide to go that route.

www.neutrogena.com/antioxidant At this commercial site, you can watch an informative multimedia presentation on what ages your skin. Learn about free radicals and how they affect your skin as well as how antioxidants can fight the signs of aging.

Eileen Buckholtz is president of Technology Concepts, a Web design and e-marketing company; a professor of e-business for the University of Phoenix Online; and the author of more than a dozen computer books.

Checkout Lane

To read customer reviews or purchase many of the new OTC anti-aging products, try the following online stores.

http://skincarerx.com Shop by brand; skin condition, such as age spots, lip lines, or psoriasis; or treatment, including hyaluronic acid, peptides, and retinol. The site also provides an extensive dictionary of ingredients in skin-care products.

www.sephora.com Here you can find N.V. Perricone, Lumedia, Amatokin, major cosmetic lines, and even tooth whiteners. Search “anti-aging” to bring up a list of products.

www.drugstore.com This site is one of the popular online destinations for cosmetics and skin treatments. On the “skin care” tab, click on the anti-aging link to find over-the-counter brands such as L’Oreal, Olay, and StriVectin-SD. You can also search treatments such as facials and microdermabrasion.