Aging Gracefully- Part 2:Don't Smile, It will Give You Wrinkles!!!! Preventing Wrinkles with Crazy Recommendations vs Realistic Recommendations

I recently was chatting with a client, who shared with me that years ago she had an esthetician tell her

"Don't use expressive facial reactions, it will give you wrinkles!" WHAT??!!!!! Are you kidding me?.... I mean, yes, having extreme reactive facial expressions, or making the same face will give you wrinkles, but will you really not laugh, smile or react to what is happening around you for fear of developing wrinkles???

It is one thing to be conscious of how facial expressions play a roll in the signs of aging. And being mindful of our facial expressions. But to live in fear of developing wrinkles, and to stop having facial reactions, is that realistic?

Can you imaging telling someone to stop using their facial muscles to make expressions because you will get wrinkles?! That just seems mad!!!!

I remember in my late 20's, while in esthetic school, I realized I furrowed my brow a lot, because I worked a rather stressful job, and perhaps took myself too seriously. The result caused the 11 lines between my brows to develop, you know, those two lines, just above your nose in line with your brows... in fact, I actually called mine Pi, because they really looked more like the mathematical symbol for Pi and boy, they had become pretty prominent!!!!

In becoming aware of my facial habits, I realized how often I furrowed and frowned, and it was a lot! So I made a conscious effort to not always furrow my brow. I realized I had a RFF (resting frown face) riding the subway, when focusing on a task, reading on a computer, entering orders at work, I definitely pushed those brows together. I also had a funny habit of raising one eyebrow, when trying to figure something out, or if someone said something weird that I needed to think about.... I think this habit made the weird lines over my 11 lines. So I decided to try not to frown as often as I was. It didn't mean I totally stopped frowning, lord knows, I still do that, I just became mindful of what or why I was making the grumpy face. When it wasn't necessary, I stopped.

Besides just avoiding facial expressions, I also have added several beneficial elements to my skin health and wellness habits, which I honestly believe are more powerful and beneficial than not having facial expressions. I use serums made of nourishing natural oils like sweet almond oil and olive oil with essential oils that boost my cellular and skin health, such as doTERRA's frankincense, blue tansy, lavender and myrrh, which I use daily. I make sure to use oils, serums and lotions to improve skin hydration and my skin barrier health. (I have always had sensitive, dry skin, and the dryer your skin is, the more prominent your wrinkles will be... so if you have oily skin, the benefit will be, as you age, it will take longer for wrinkles to become prominent!) I have added massage treatments to my skincare regime by using a gua sha stone, a massaging gold bar or just using my hands while I apply my lotions and serums. Just a few minutes a day boosts the skin circulation, facial muscle health, improves the complexion, reduced inflammation, boosts collagen and elastin. I also enjoying doing a few facial yoga moves that benefit specific elements of my face. I think of it as exercise for my face. Finally, I use LED Light therapy at least 1 time a week, if not more.

I addition, I boost my nutritional health. I am caring for my skin health from the inside out. I take the doTERRA collagen supplement MetaPWR Advantage which was designed to promote healthy aging, improve health span, improve cognitive function, support lean muscle and connective tissue and improve skin elasticity and firmness. I take doTERRA DDR Prime essential oil daily (4 drops in water or 1 softgel daily) which boosts cellular healing and renewal. I improved my gut health with supplements and foods by increasing my intake of pre & probiotics, vegetables and protein. Finally I make sure I drink enough water daily. Typically I drink about 60 oz of water, and when I feel I need an added boost I make myself an electrolyte drink with doTERRA's MetaPWR Recharge. Personally I love the lemon-lime flavor! By healing my body from the inside out, my skin is glowing and healthy on a cellular level.

All of this has played a big role in my 11 lines becoming barely visible!

Top Two Images of me - I am 38 years old

The Bottom Two Images of me - I am 45, nearly 46 years old... (the one by the waterfall was taken last week!)

You can see the changes in my face. The lines around my eyes have softened, the 11's are nearly gone. My smile lines are going nowhere, as I LOVE to smile! But also, look at my hair, it actually looks healthier, and definitely is thicker! (another benefit of caring for your skin from inside out!)

Finally, there is the mindset piece... Personally, I love all of the photos above. I feel that I look good in all of these photos, and some are amazing memories that make me happy. But beyond caring for our skin and whole body health, we need to be able to have self love, and to speak kindly to ourselves. Can you look in the mirror and tell me something you love about yourself? Many of my clients struggle with this. They see their flaws and cannot see their unique natural beauty. In working with me, they become empowered with knowledge on how to care for themselves. They start to practice gratitude, and they start to see their beauty. In addition we must be mindful that we all will age, our skin will develop wrinkles and fine lines... This is inevitable, its just a matter of how quickly. Learning what we can do to boost our skin and whole body health, and what we can avoid to improve our aging process is powerful.

If you are looking for customized guidance for yourself, I would love to do a skin consultation with you, so we can see if it is a good fit for you! Schedule your skin health and wellness consultation today!