We all want to look young, right? We have all wondered how those celebrities manage to look 10 years younger than they actually are. Do they just have good genes and look young naturally? For most, the answer is no. The average celebrity uses ways to look younger that are incredibly time-consuming and expensive. How can the average person stay young looking too? Here are a few celebrity secrets for you, plus some tips on how you too can get younger-looking skin.
The ever-popular Botox
According to dermatologist Tina Alster of Washington, D.C., in the April 2007 issue of Harper’s Bazaar, “Botox remains the gold standard for treating crow’s lines and wrinkles.” Botox literally paralyzes the muscles beneath wrinkles. If used too much, its use can become obvious – witness the “unmovable forehead” jokes aimed at actresses including Joan Rivers, Halle Berry, and Nicole Kidman.
Botox runs $300-$500 per treated area, with results lasting three to six months.
Injectable fillers
To treat crow’s feet, forehead wrinkles, and deep smile lines, celebrities inject hyaluronic-acid fillers such as Restylane, Juvederm or Juvederm Ultra Plus. Sounds painful to me.
This is a professionally-performed procedure with the cost running $600-$1,000/needle. Results can last up to six months (note the word “can”).
Chemical peels
Beyond face and eye lifts to remove bags and wrinkles lies the chemical peel. Celebrities remove several years off their faces in under an hour with a professional chemical peel. Chemical peels work by removing the damaged top layers of skin.
A mild, glycolic acid chemical peel runs $150-$300, however, similar results in one month can be achieved with MD Skincare Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel. On the average, it costs $68 for 30 daily applications.
The infamous laser
As we age, our collagen production slows down significantly, making our faces appear gaunt. Boosting collagen production is big business in Hollywood and more and more celebrities are turning to laser skin resurfacing to boost theirs. Lasers such as Fraxel – currently the most popular laser on the market – are used on the face to create microscopic tears deep within the skin, triggering the body to naturally produce more collagen to aid the healing process.
The cost is about $1,000/session. Three to five sessions are required, spaced about a month apart.
Stay out of the sun
The sun is the number one cause of prematurely aging skin. We all can avoid the sun by wearing hats and by wearing sunscreen every day, regardless of the weather.
Depending on your favorite sunscreen, this one is way cheap in comparison!
Back to that collagen again
Creams and lotions that either have collagen in them or a retinoid-base (stimulates the production of collagen) can be used to keep fine lines from becoming wrinkles. Many dermatologists have stated that of all the antioxidants, peels, scrubs and injections available, the stimulation of skin-saving collagen is the best way to help your skin to look younger.
In summary, we see the anti-aging, look 10 years younger market is HUGE, and people are willing to spend exorbitantly on its products and procedures. For us average folks who want to look young, staying out of the sun and using a good collagen or retinoid-based cream is the sensible way to go. From a business perspective, people will always want to look young, making this market recession proof. And with an aging population, the “I want to look younger” demographic will continue to expand.
