Ultimate Skin Savers

Experts reveal how to maintain your youth.            

 

Face Time

Whether you're faced with wrinkles, spots, or the dreaded turkey neck, doctors agree that keeping a youthful appearance starts with sunscreen. "Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen year-round," says New York and Miami dermatologist Fredric Brandt. "If you're going to spend money improving your skin, guard your investment; the sun will only undo it," adds Santa Monica dermatologist Karyn Grossman. Try L'Oréal Paris Youth Code SPF 30 Day Cream (24.99).

 

 

 

Ultimate Skin Savers

For instant radiance at any age, pair Laura Mercier Foundation Primer ($30) and Chantecaille Nano Gold Energizing Eye Serum ($210).

 

 

 

Young-Looking Eyes

"This is the first area to show signs of aging," says Grossman. Dark circles, crow's-feet, and hollowing underneath eyes can add years to your face.

 

AT-HOME ADVICE: Using a mild retinoid in a moisturizing base (like prescription Renova) at night can boost collagen production and fight dark circles and crow's-feet, Brandt says. Plagued with puffiness? Try caffeine-containing eye creams with anti-inflammatory ingredients like green tea, chamomile, or aloe to decrease swelling. We like Giorgio Armani Multi-Firming Rejuvinatiing Eye Balm to depuff and lift the eye area and By Terry Hyaluronic Eye Primer ($47) to soften wrinkles and illuminate dark areas.

 

DERM SOLUTIONS: If topicals aren't enough to combat your crow's feet, see your doctor for Botox, Xeomin, or Dysport injections. If hollowing is your concern (this occurs when fat pads underneath the eyes begin to shift), fillers like Restylane can puff up deep-set areas; results last up to two years. For those suffering from severe wrinkles, a single treatment of the Lumenis ActiveFX fractional CO2 laser requires little downtime and yields a big payoff, Grossman says.

Ultimate Skin Savers

Giorgia Armani Mutli-Firming Rejuvenating Eye Balm ($100).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Invisible Pores

You wake up one morning and your pores are suddenly bigger. Wondering why? "As you age and lose collagen, the supporting structure around your pores diminishes, causing them to get larger," explains Grossman. "Increase collagen production and exfoliate daily to shrink the appearance size."

 

AT-HOME ADVICE: Clean pores equal tinier pores, so try Retin-A or products containing salicylic acid like Perricone MDIntensive Pore Minimizer ($55) to remove debris. To conceal pores in a pinch, apply a thin layer of Smashbox's pore-and-line-filling primer where needed.

 

DERM SOLUTIONS: Ask your doctor about "salicylic acid peels to cleanse yoru pores and fractional non-ablative lasers to help tighten them." Brandt suggests. Adds Grossman, "Pores are hard to treat, so I put patients on peptides in the morning and retinoids like prescription Tazorac at night, which help make them look smaller."

 

Ultimate Skin Savers

Smashbox Photo Finish Targeted Pore & Line Primer, $32

  

 

 

Soft Hands

Grossman calls the hands "the most overlooked and neglected area," which is why it's not uncommon to see women with flawless complexions and veiny, spotted hands and brittle nails.

 

AT-HOME ADVICE: Applying suncreen religiously and using topical bleaching agents like hydroquinone help ward off and reverese pigmentation, says Brandt. StriVectin-SD Voluminizing Hand Treatment ($29), which contains encapsulated sodium hyaluronate, plumps up sunken skin, and Ciaté Miss Rich Overnight Hand Repair Cream ($36) with Collagen uses shea butter and vitamin E to hydrate hands. Strengthen broken, peeling nails by popping a daily five-millgram dose of biotin, says Brandt. And keep in mind, high-shine manicures in neutral shades give the illusion of younger nails.

 

DERM SOLUTIONS: To restore volume and make the veins in your hands less noticeable, a filler like Restylane, Juvéderm, or Readiesse is your best bet. Concerned about brown spots? Brandt reccomends the Alexandrite laser, which selectively targets melanin and can show results in one treatment.

Ultimate Skin Savers

Nutra Nail Gel Perfect 5 Minute Gel-Color Manicure in Sheer Natrual, $12

 

 

 

 

Ultimate Skin Savers

Plump Lips

Your rosy pout has faded, wrinkled, and shrunk dramatically. Ack! "The first thing 35-to 45-year-old-women usually see are fine lines above their upper lip, " affirms Grossman.

 

AT-HOME SERVICE: "Patients in their late 30s and 40s often experience a loss notes Brandt, "due to the breakdown of collagen and elastin caused by sun exposure and repetitive motions" — think pursing, whistling, smoking, drinking with a straw. The easiest trick: start hydrating. Hyaluronic acids and glycerin will attract water to the upper-lip layers, while occlusive moisturizing agents like Vaseline help hold in moisture, Brandt says. "If you're afraid of needles, don't want bruising and want to look better instantly," adds Grossman, lip plumpers contain ingredients that "restore color and boost volum." Try Dior Lip Maximizer in Apricot or Lancome Color Fever Plumper glosses ($29 each).

 

DERM SOLUTIONS: To decrease fine lines and general movement, "a tiny bit of Botox around the upper lip can really help," says Grossman. For restoring volume, "the number-one treatment is Restylane or Juvéderm injected into the fine lines to plump the lip border and provide a slight lift," explains Brandt. For stubborn lines, derms agree that the go-to is fractional CO2 laser treatments, because they are highly effective with little downtime.

Firm Skin

You've lost some of the volume in your face. Now, your skin is sagging and droopy. "After 40, the thinner you are, the more hollow you tend to be, so gaining five to 10 pounds may not help your butt, but your face will look a lot better," says Grossman.

 

AT-HOME ADVICE: Puff up saggy skin with potent antioxidants found in RéVive Intensité Volumizing Serum, and tighten with Clinique Repairwear Uplifting Firming Cream ($56), which contains star ingredients to help prevent and reverse damage. Hyaluronic acid also helps fill out the skin. A good option is Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Fragrance-Free ($24.99).

 

DERM SOLUTIONS: "Sagging occurs as a result of volume loss," Brandt says, "similar to what happens when you remove the stuffing from a pillow." For a plumping effect, he recommends injecting a dermal filler like Restylane, Perlane, or Sculptra under the muscular layers of the skin for a lifted result. When combined with Ultherapy (a nonsurgical tightening treatment that uses ultrasound to produce new collagen), "it restructuralizes the face, which helps with volume," adds Brandt

Even Complexion

Your skin is blotchy with red and brown spots. "Uneven skin tone can be caused by vascular damage due to sun exposure, hormones, or freckles that form into larger spots," Brandt says.

 

AT-HOME ADVICE: If you're battling redness, look for calming ingredients like licorice root and niacin. To beat brown spots, kojic acid, soy, and vitamin C all help treat pigmentation. Elure Advanced Skin Lightening Lotion ($150) claims to reduce melanin production in four weeks. For overall radiance, we like Glow by Dr. Brandt Ruby Crystal Retinol Hydracrème ($65) and Chanel Le Blanc Brightening Concentrate ($195).

 

DERM SOLUTIONS: "Redness due to sun exposure is hard to treat at home, since products won't remove blood vessels," says Grossman. She recommends three to four intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments to decrease red and brown spots. For improved texture, ask your doctor about fractionated resurfacing lasers.

Smooth Neck

Your neck appears saggy with vertical and horizontal lines (called banding), and red spots that are most likely due to years of sun exposure, says Brandt.

 

AT-HOME ADVICE: There's not much you can do for banding, sagging, and redness caused by dilated blood vessels due to sun damage. Doctors advise using sunscreen and collagen-stimulating products. Try Guerlain Orchidée Impériale Neck and Décolleté Cream ($365) and Estée Lauder's Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age-Correcting Creme for Throat and Décolletage ($120).

 

DERM SOLUTIONS: To reduce deep lines that run from the jaw to the clavicle, Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin "all work equally well," says Grossman. For sagging, Brandt first paralyzes the neck muscles with Botox injections, followed by an Ulthera treatment one week later "to heat the deeper layers of skin," he says. "If you relax the muscles, you'll have less opposing movement while collagen is generating." To reverse pigment, Grossman likes combining IPL and Fraxel. "Two to three treatments yields the best results," she says.

Ultimate Skin Savers

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age-Correcting Creme for Throat and Decolletage, $120