Ageless Skin - Turning Back the Clock

By Jessica Brooks

There is something about A-list living and Ageless Skin, the fifth book of a twenty-one book series (The Insiders' Lifestyle Guides), is the next step to achieving a youthful look. Ninety percent of aging is genetic; ten percent we can control with sun avoidance, sunscreen, and not smoking. Optimism is the best tool for staying fresh and youthful.

Look Inside: Natural vs. Plastic Surgery; Slow Down Your Aging Clock; Ageless Skin - Boost Dull, Dry Skin; Ageless Face - Gorgeous Face; Ageless Eyes - Circles, Bags, Lines; Ageless Mouth - Inviting Lips; Ageless Body - Sexy Body; Self-Tanning - Rested and Radiant from Head to Toe; Refresh Your Makeup; and Lose Weight - Weight Gain Ages You.

Ageless Skin - Turning Back the Clock by Jessica Brooks is a fun and entertaining short read. Since jet setting is part of such a grand lifestyle, the Insiders' Lifestyle Guide series theme includes a cultural or travel experience with every book.

Information is Timeless: Everyone holds a secret desire to be part of the A-list seeking a confident, fashionable, and extraordinary life. These series guides make transformation routine to which all men and women will relate - The Complete Makeover Series.

Actionable Strategies: The Insiders' Lifestyle Guide series contains specific strategies in each book and edition that can transform lives. It details social skills of boosting confidence, replacing bad habits, and reinventing one's self. This book will appeal to professionals, parents, and generations of young adults.

Appeal of the Authors: The Insiders' Lifestyle Guides are written by a team of contributing authors, all with a witty, quirky, slapstick appeal.

Series Overview: The Insiders' Lifestyle Guides is a first, of a twenty-one book series, that will be revised and re-launched periodically with all new material. Each book features famous themed cities represented of the book covers and includes an introduction comprising a short story about its featured city.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aauvi House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301213757

Jessica Brooks

Jessica Brooks is one of the contributing writers for the several Insiders' Lifestyle Guides book series (A Complete Makeover Series). See the several press releases below to learn more about each book. Author Backstory: Jessica specializes in enhancing the visual appearance of men and women. Feeling good about the way you look helps give you both the assurance and the poise needed to achieve your personal and professional goals. Therefore, you will learn how to make suitable color selections and flattering style choices for your frame, your personality, your career and your lifestyle. The end result is an authentic reflection of who you truly are. Whether you want to build your image from the ground up or learn a few tricks of the trade, Jessica offers all the tools to assist you. Smashwords Titles by Jessica Brooks: Backstage Hair - Is it Pleasant to Touch? Ageless Skin - Turning Back the Clock Press Releases at AauviHouse.com Press & Media: San Jose, CA (April 9, 2012) - Aauvi House Publishing Group, Rags to Riches Entertainment Division, Announces New Book Release - Ageless Skin - Turning Back the Clock by Jessica Brooks San Jose, CA (March 24, 2012) - Aauvi House Publishing Group, Rags to Riches Entertainment Division, Announces New Book Release - Backstage Hair - Is it Pleasant to Touch? by Jessica Brooks

Book preview

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Ageless Skin

Turning Back the Clock

JESSICA BROOKS

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Rags to Riches Entertainment Group

An imprint of Aauvi House Publishing Group

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Published by Aauvi House Publishing Group at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Jessica Brooks

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

E-ISBN: Smashwords Edition

Aauvi House Publishing Group, the portrayal of double-A’s formed in a broken circle, and the Aauvi name are registered trademarks of Aauvi Group, Inc.

Aauvi House books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also available. For more information, contact us at [e-mail].

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

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Titles by Jessica Brooks

Backstage Hair – Is it Pleasant to Touch?

Ageless Skin – Turning Back the Clock

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Contents

Book Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

1 – Natural vs. Plastic Surgery

2 – Slow Down Your Aging Clock

3 – Ageless Skin

4 – Ageless Face

5 – Ageless Eyes

6 – Ageless Mouth

7 – Ageless Body

8 – Self-Tanning

9 – Refresh Your Makeup

10 – Lose Weight

Closing Remarks

End of Book

About the Author

About the Publisher

Books by Aauvi House

Excerpts by Aauvi House

Credits

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Introduction

In its brief history, Aauvi House Publishing Group has become the new it marketers of information-based lifestyle solutions in the self-help and how-to markets for all age groups. Reinforcing a belief that living a planned extraordinarily fulfilled lifestyle is of paramount importance to its readers.

The Insiders’ Lifestyle Guides series is a first, of a twenty-one book series, that will be revised and re-launched periodically with all new material. These books feature famous themed cities represented of the book covers and include an introduction comprising a short story about its featured city. Annually, the series guides will be rolled up as chapter inserts into a single book and sold during the holiday seasons.

Anyone who desires the secrets to A-list living, values their appearance, is concerned about lifestyle or just needs more information can benefit from reading and continually referring back to the Insiders’ Lifestyle Guides series. Each book – practical in its approach – is full of facts that teach you how to make the most of your life, how to achieve peak performance, and how to maintain general health. In short, the Aauvi House Publishing Group, Rags to Riches Entertainment imprint’s ability to offer its readers a more complete and concise migration path to an extraordinary red carpet lifestyle, just got better.

Information Is Timeless

Everyone holds a secret desire to be part of the A-list seeking a confident, fashionable, and extraordinary life. These series guides make transformation routine to which all men and women will relate.

Actionable Strategies

The Insiders’ Lifestyle Guides series contains specific strategies in each book and edition that can transform lives. It details social skills of boosting confidence, replacing bad habits, and re-inventing one’s self. These books will appeal to professionals, parents, and generations of young adults.

About the Authors

The Insiders’ Lifestyle Guides series are written by a team of contributing authors, all whom have a witty, quirky, slapstick appeal.

About Our Cover Story – Boston, Massachusetts

Since jet setting is part of such a grand lifestyle, the Insiders’ Lifestyle Guides series theme includes a cultural or travel experience with every book. That is, between promotional junkets, film festivals and red carpet appearances, celebrities can rack up as many frequent-flyer miles as they do trips to rehab. And so can you, once you have an insider bird’s eye view of the possibilities.

Whether traveling by plane or virtually by way of these pages, our cover story is Boston Massachusetts; its skyline, the John Hancock Tower and Prudential Building viewed shortly after dusk from the B.U. Bridge, highlights it. This vibrant, thriving city is renowned for its cultural facilities, world-class educational institutions, and champion sports franchises. Tourism is one of New England’s larges industries.

Famous for everything from the Red Sox and Paul Revere to Cheers and clam chowder, Boston is a popular destination for so many reasons. Part history lesson, part modern metropolis, the Hub offers attractions to suit every taste and interest. Plus, its incredibly easy to get around, either on foot or by a user-friendly public transportation system, called the T. Hop on the Freedom Trail – a well-preserved pedestrian path that weaves in and out of historic neighborhoods, from the lively Boston Common and Public Garden to the gold-domed State and House and Fenway Park.

Between landmarks, you can shop the fabulous stores on Newbury Street, have a delicious authentic Italian meal in the North End or browse the antique shops and distinctive red-brick buildings of Beacon Hill. The more culturally inclined will not want to miss the city’s world-class museums, theater and music venues. Family friendly to the core, Boston also boasts a renowned aquarium, children’s museum and science museum, making it a great getaway for all.

About Ageless Skin

There is something great about A-list living and Ageless Skin, the fifth book of a twenty-one book series, is the timeless step to achieving a youthful look. Ninety percent of aging is genetic; ten percent we can control with sun avoidance, sunscreen, and not smoking. Optimism is the best tool for staying fresh and youthful.

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Natural vs. Plastic Surgery

Amid the filler frenzy, does anyone get face-lifts anymore? We live in a culture of excess, and before, it was surgery, surgery, and surgery. Then it was all the non-invasives, and now there’s a backlash. There’s also the realization that there are a great many things, like gravity, that only surgery can address.

A lot of the new technology is great – Botox and the assortment of lasers and fillers – but people need to realize that it’s not going to solve everything. A lot of bizarre-looking people are being created with these limited tools.

Making the Cut

The inclination toward youth in a bottle – or, in this case, a syringe – is natural. Why go under the knife (not to mention general anesthesia) for a forehead lift if you can freeze those wrinkles with Botox? Why have a face-lift if you can inject sagging lines with filler and hoist your cheeks a little higher by adding some there, too?

The answer is that after a while you can start to look like a paralyzed puff adder or, when addressing the nasolabial folds (those increasingly droopy smile lines from nose to mouth), like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. When the fold is overfilled, it pushes on the cheek and the dynamics get distorted. Then there are the eyes. You can lessen the crow’s-feet around them with Botox, but you cannot fill the hanging skin of the upper lid. You still have to excise and tighten the skin. Same thing with a sagging neck; you cannot fix your neck with fillers.

The good news is that the knife has not only gotten kinder (shorter incisions, less bruising and bleeding), it has gotten smarter and more individualized. Endoscopic brow lifts, for example, went out of vogue for a while because people were pulling too high. Now most surgeons are mindful that with the bone and hairline changes in older people, brows look ridiculous yanked up to where they are on the face of a 20-year-old.

Similarly, while an eyelift remains a tried-and-true procedure, surgeons are not removing as much fat from beneath the eye as before. They’ve learned to dial it better. You have to take a little fat if you’re going to get the best contouring, but nobody takes as much as they used to. Today, more emphasis than ever is being put on what is aesthetically appropriate for each patient. The techniques haven’t changed, what’s changed is the judgment call.

In addition to being more aesthetically aware, doctors can draw on an increasing amount of evidence that shows what procedures stand the test of time, and a face-lift involving the SMAS (superficial musculo-aponeurotic system) is a clear winner. The SMAS, a gliding membrane composed of connective tissue and muscle, lies just beneath the epidermis and the subcutaneous layer of fat. When it is cut and lifted and sutured underneath, the effects last longer and look more natural, since the epidermis is not the only layer responsible for keeping things secure. By contrast, the skin face-lift, in which only the skin is lifted and stretched, can result in the dreaded taut, windblown look. It’s a shorter procedure, but it also has a short shelf life – not more than five years.

Doctors say, still fewer women are going under the scalpel these days. Women no longer want face-lifts; instead, they’re seeking non-surgical options. Those options exist at every price, and many focus on preventing skin troubles before they happen.

Youth and Beauty Tug-of-War

Thirty is usually the tipping point of aging. You don’t look much different than you did seven years ago, but the next three to five years are critical.

At 30, things are usually not as good as they appear. What lies beneath – cumulative sun damage, crumbling collagen and elastin (the support beams of still-plump skin), and disappearing blood vessels – is about to emerge as brown spots, wrinkles, and sallow and sagging skin if you don’t take care of it.

The solutions include the many topical and minimally invasive cosmetic treatments that have been embraced by 20- and 50-something women alike. From glycolic peels and non-ablative lasers like VBeam and Mixto SX CO2 to injectables such as Restylane, Juvederm, and the ever-popular Botox (despite its FDA controversy).

And it’s no wonder women account for 92 percent of that aesthetic tweaking. For us, there’s a physiological tug-of-war between youth and beauty. The same delicate skin that allows women to be more characteristically feminine and expressive is the reason that we crease earlier than men. How that plays out for an individual depends on your genetics – how dense and resilient your collagen is – how you’ve protected your skin from sun and pollution, and your habits with facial expressions.

Invasive Cosmetic Treatments

These days, rather than growing old gracefully or going under the knife, many women are choosing something in between the two. It’s no surprise, considering the tremendous range of quick fix options available, that in the past decade, the total number of cosmetic procedures has jumped 446 percent, while the number of surgical cosmetic procedures (face lifts, eyelid surgery, and liposuction among them) is actually on the decline.

Whether it’s fear or finances preventing women from succumbing to the scalpel, fillers, peels, and light therapies are having a heyday. With so many injectables on the market, you need a doctor who will consider your budget, pain threshold, and whether you need an instant fix or a long-term solution before choosing a treatment.

Botox Fillers

Botox is still the gold standard for smoothing expression lines instantly. Injections cost about $500 per area of the face and paralyze muscles beneath lines. Botox works especially well on the forehead and crow’s-feet; results last about four months.

Over time, fillers end up making a natural face look much fuller and increasingly round.

Collagen Fillers

Collagen injections add to the skin’s natural collagen and are used on lines in the lip area, the nasolabial folds, and around the eyes. Marketed under the name Cosmo-Derm, CosmoPlast, Zyderm, and Zyplast, collagen is injected with a small needle, so there’s not much bruising or swelling. CosmoDerm is the best for filling very superficial lines. The effects last three to six months, and the cost is about $500 to $600 per syringe.

Hyaluronic Acid Fillers

Juvederm and Restylane, hyaluronic acid fillers that bind to water in the skin to instantly plump wrinkles, continue to be popular fixes for lines around the mouth, eyes, and cheeks and last four to nine months. They can fill deeper lines than most collagen fillers can, but there’s more swelling and inflammation with hyaluronic acid than with collagen. It’s an acid, so never do it the day before a big event, as there’s usually some redness and swelling. Both brands cost $600 to $1,000 per syringe.

Thick Fillers

Thicker fillers can correct deeper lines. Newer, more viscous hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvederm Ultra Plus and Perlane (a denser form of Restylane) have even greater wrinkle-smoothing and volumizing properties than their predecessors. They’re used around the jawline to lift the neck area or at the cheekbones to fill hollows. Because the particle size is bigger, injections can be more painful, with more redness and swelling.

Note, it is more important who injects you than which injectable is used, so go to a doctor who has experience with thicker fillers. Cost is about $600 to $1,000 per syringe; results last six months to a year.

Radiesse, a calcium-based thick filler, is great for deep laugh lines and lasts longer than hyaluronic acid fillers. Cost is around $800 to $1,200.

Thicker fillers are also used for hollowing and sagging around the eyes, cheeks, and mouth. All injectable fillers help sagging to an extent, because they plump out loose skin. Viscous fillers along the jawline combined with Botox in the neck will minimize jowls.

Longer Lasting Fillers

Sculptra, a form of lactic acid, stimulates production of the body’s own collagen, replacing volume gradually, with results that can last two or three years. Unlike the fillers mentioned above, it is not a good option for someone who wants immediate results. It’s commonly used to replace volume around the eyes, in the temples, and at the corners of the mouth. And new collagen formation means that it makes your skin look younger rather than just filling up lines, which is something not many fillers do. If you’re willing to wait a few months to see results but want a longer-lasting, more natural look, Sculptra is an ideal choice. Cost is $800 to $1,500.

Lasers

Dermatologists use more than 40 types of lasers to treat skin aging, enlarged blood vessels, surgical and acne scars, excess fat, sagging skin, and more.

For example, Affirm and Fraxel, fractionated lasers treat fine lines and sun damage by making tiny injuries to the skin to trigger collagen production. They’re perfect for people who want to improve skin texture and very fine lines rather than deep wrinkles. One session for either laser costs $600 to $1,000, can be painful, and leaves skin looking sunburned for 24 to 72 hours. Because Fraxel penetrates deeper, it results in more pain and downtime.

Laser Vacuum Combinations

Isolaz combines a painless laser to kill bacteria and a vacuum that extracts oil and dirt from pores. With Isolaz, patients actually leave the office looking better than when they came in. And there is none of the pain, peeling, and light sensitivity that photodynamic therapy (another leading in-office treatment) causes. The cost is $500 per session, and you’ll need four or five 20-minute treatments spaced a month apart, with a touch-up every six months thereafter.

Radio-Frequency Energy

Thermage and Aluma are non-ablative devices (which means they don’t injure the skin like Fraxel or Affirm) that treat sagging. They heat the skin with radio-frequency energy to stimulate collagen and elastin. Aluma transfers heat only through deep layers, where it’s most effective. Because there’s no damage to the outer layer, there’s no pain or downtime. (Note, not everyone is a fan of these technologies. Some dermatologist’s won’t use them because it’s too hard to predict whether they will work.)

Aluma is $1,000 to $2,500 per session, while Thermage is $1,500 to $5,000, with the cost largely dependent on the area being treated. Neither requires downtime, though results are not immediate. One to three treatments are recommended for Thermage, four or five for Aluma.

LED Light

The GentleWaves LED machine uses energy delivered through pulsating light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to stimulate cells so they multiply or produce collagen without pain or side effects. Try two 45-second sessions per week for a month. It immediately reduces redness and inflammation. The cost is $150 per session.

Chemical Peels

A chemical peel will leave you feeling cleaner and better. The treatment, a skin-sloughing cocktail of retinoic, salicylic, and lactic acids, will burn mightily, and the surface of your face will peel off in white, fragmented sheets over a long weekend. A few days later, your skin should feel incredibly soft and look less freckled, more luminous.

Liposuction and Fat Blasters

For women considering fat removal, here are the key differences between liposuction and newcomer fat blasters.

Liposuction can remove large amounts of fat (with anesthesia); pain typically lasts for two to three weeks, and swelling can last months. Nonetheless, it can’t make a fat person thin; can’t increase muscle tone; and it can’t eliminate cellulite. But for those who want the procedure anyway, it will cost $5,000 and up.

Fat blasters can remove small amounts of fat painlessly and with no recovery; works best on bulges in the stomach area, saddlebags, and knees; can’t remove as much fat as liposuction; can’t increase muscle tone; and can’t eliminate cellulite. Cost is about $2,500.

Bleaching Creams

Melasma is characterized by dark, irregular patches of discoloration. It has a great memory and will come back again and again with sun exposure, even if you keep treating it. Don’t waste money trying to get rid of it unless you’re committed to staying out of the sun. Most dermatologists recommend bleaching creams with hydroquinone, retinol, kojic acid, or