GRAND Magazine - January/February 2018 - 30

beauty
products are bleaching agents meant to reduce/eliminate
age spots, or darkened pigmentations of the skin (they will
not work on discoloration due to hormonal imbalances).
Hydroquinone in strong doses over a prolonged period has
been linked to a certain type of cancer, so use of this must be
monitored closely by your physician. Kojic Acid, however, is
another milder organic substance that can also be used. It is
sometimes preferred by physicians.

Another even more effective modality are facials. Again,
the strongest and most effective facials you can get are at
your doctor's or aesthetician' s office. There are a wide variety
of facials offered today which exceed the scope of this article.
But, getting facials on a semi-regular basis does many things.
They can: 1. Clean pores 2. Exfoliate dead skin, increasing cell
turnover. 3. Prevent pores from clogging which can lead to
those unsightly carbuncles you sometimes see in the movies.

#2 Exfoliation/Facials

#3 Fillers and Botox

Scientific evidence has proven the effectiveness of exfoliation on the production of collagen. Exfoliation can range from
using over the counter soaps containing abrasive products
to more aggressive procedures performed in your doctor's
office.
My personal favorite is using a simple washcloth and
scrubbing mildly. That way I can feel the amount of pressure,
which you don't want to do excessively.

30 GRAND

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2018

Hollywood has given a bad rap to both of these products
because we have seen actresses who have used them so
aggressively that their faces have become almost unrecognizable. However, done in moderation and in good taste,
they are very helpful, and should not be pooh-poohed.
Fillers do exactly that. They can fill in wrinkles, scarring, and
other abnormalities that may have occurred to the skin's
surface.
Personally, I have suffered from cystic acne since adolescence. At 64, I must be careful trying any new product, including moisturizers, or I will break out. As a result of the cysts, I
have many scars, mostly around my chin and mouth. Fillers
injected in to the scars have been very effective in diminishing
the cragginess in my skin from the scars.
Again, Botox has a bad rap. The one place I like to use it is
between my eyebrows, commonly known as the "11" lines. As
women over fifty, you may be reluctant to try it, but I can
tell you with first-hand knowledge that many women
in their 30's are using it to prevent wrinkles. Yes,
maybe our society is becoming overly obsessed
with looking young, but if you don't want
those "11" lines, it sure is effective.
In summary, these modalities are easy to
do on an occasional basis. However, if you do
them on a regular basis or as needed, your
skin will start to look better and better.

These photos are of author, Wendy Packer. Dr. McClane
injected the filler (Belotero) in to her acne scars which had
left craters in her skin.

WENDY PACKER - When I was 58, after raising
my kids and sending them off to college, I started
doing something I have been passionate about
since I was little. I started to blog about fashion.
My blog is FashionOverFifty.com. I have been
championing the cause of getting retailers,
designers, and advertisers to get over their "agism",
and start including us. I also have produced fashion
shows with women over 50 as models. Please
contact me at wendy.fashionoverfifty@gmail.com
or join me on my Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine/ https://www.twitter.com/grandMmagazine http://www.fashionoverfifty.com/ https://www.facebook.com/FashionOverFifty/

GRAND Magazine - January/February 2018

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