LOOK

Look Good Without Plastic Surgery

WRITER: RICHARD T. BOSSHARDT, M.D., FACS

Pssst. Over here. Don’t let this get out, but I am going to tell you a closely guarded secret. If you let it be known that I told you this, I will probably be permanently exiled to an island where plastic surgeons that break the “oath” go, never to be heard from again. No, it won’t cost you a cent. In fact, it may save you money — lots of money — in the long run. Ready? Here it is. I am going to tell you how to look great without plastic surgery. Shocking, I know.

Okay, here we go. First, get out of the sun! Much of what we call aging is nothing more than years of accumulated sun damage. Unnecessary sun exposure, especially chronic tanning, will age your appearance by years. Sun damage is the result of the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, and every exposure adds to the total. You cannot undo it, at least not without expensive procedures. Sun exposure also raises your risk of skin cancer, including deadly melanoma. Therefore, if you don’t want to spend your golden years undergoing multiple skin cancer surgeries, get out of the sun. Sunblock is fine but it doesn’t provide full protection and must be used diligently and properly. Cover up instead using a hat, sunglasses, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants and reserve the sunscreen for those areas you just can’t cover.

Second, drink! We live in a perpetual state of relative dehydration. If your urine is yellow, especially dark yellow, you are dry. Drink enough water or other fluids to keep your urine light yellow to clear. Hydration goes right to your cells, including those on your face and helps to plump them out. Between sun damage and dehydration, you may end up resembling a prune. Make sure to exercise caution with other fluids. Why? Well, those that contain sugar contain calories (more on those in a moment). Fluids with caffeine stimulate the kidneys to release water, further dehydrating you. Alcoholic fluids both dehydrate you and contain empty calories. Water is nature’s perfect answer to our fluid needs. Besides, it’s cheap. Also, avoid disposable water bottles. They are expensive and damaging to our environment. Get a good, plastic, BPA-free bottle or a stainless steel one and keep it filled with water. Tap is fine for most. A home water filter is a good investment, but be sure you purchase one that meets the National Sanitation Foundation standards No. 43 and No. 52. It should say so somewhere on the filter.

Third, eat! This may seem a silly thing to recommend because we all have to eat, but the secret here is what you eat and how much. There are many fad diets; some are fairly simple while some require an advance degree in nutrition to follow. Some are ridiculous. We are told to eat like cavemen, like Eskimos, like apes, like members of one social group or another… I like simplicity. Life is already too complicated and stressful for us to spend hours trying to figure out what to have for our next meal. I cannot improve on Michael Pollan’s summary of a healthy diet as stated in his book “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual.” In seven simple words, he says all one needs to know: eat food, not too much, mostly plants. By food, he means real food made with fresh, whole ingredients. He doesn’t mean processed, pre-packaged, pre-prepared food in which the ingredient list reads like a chemistry experiment. “Not too much” speaks for itself. We are a nation of super-sizers, and it shows. The “mostly plants” is important. This includes fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and beans. When did eating meat, poultry, or fish in two or more meals a day become the norm? Calories count, so count them. Pay attention and be mindful with your eating.

Fourth, move! If God had not meant for us to run, jump, throw, swing, swim, or dance, he would have made us more like Jabba the Hutt. Come to think of it, some of us are looking more and more like Jabba these days. There is nothing more attractive than a healthy glow in our appearance and nothing provides this better than regular, vigorous physical exercise. While some exercises and activities may be better than others, what you do is not as important as the fact that you are doing something First, check with your physician if you haven’t exercised in a while. Then, try to exercise for at least an hour three-to-five days per week. It should not only get you breathing hard, it will raise your pulse and make you break a sweat. Anything less and you are probably kidding yourself.

SOURCE: www.surgery.org/media/news-releases/

Fifth, sleep! It’s called “beauty sleep” for a reason. Seven-to-eight hours for most adults is about right. Reclaim the bedroom as a place of rest (and reconnect with the spouse) and leave work, stress, and the daily stream of bad news from the world out of it. Make it dark, cool, and quiet in your room and invest in a good mattress, pillows, and bed linens. You will look great.

Sixth — and this is mainly for women — makeup! I am amazed at how much well applied makeup contributes to looking good. I don’t mean pancake makeup with Cleopatra eyes. Subtle, well applied, quality makeup can take years off. In many of the popular extreme makeover shows, helping the participant with her makeup did as much for her appearance as all the plastic surgery combined — and sometimes more. I would include hairstyling here since a new hairstyle that suits one’s face and is in current fashion can work miracles.

You can sum it all up in two words: healthy lifestyle. If you do these things right, chances are good you will never need a plastic surgeon. If you ever decide to have something done, living healthily will greatly lower your risks for any procedure and increase your chances of a good outcome. However, no plastic surgeon, no matter how good, can erase the results of decades of neglect and/or bad choices.