Guilty as charged! I
think every women is vain to some degree. Face
it, the face is the first mark of aging, as
aging is an irreversible process.I care what
I look like and how my skin looks. Like millions
of other women, when I was in my 20s and 30s, I
didn't really appreciate how beautiful my skin
was then. When I was in my 20s, forty seemed
ancient to me, and 65 was unthinkable! I
looked at my mother, and other older women, and
thought that I would never have wrinkles. Being
vain doesn't mean having a big ego. It just
means that I care what I look like to myself and
others.
I'm not vain because I'm beautiful - but
because I'm not beautiful! I'm pretty average
looking. However, I feel that since I
am
average-looking and 65 years of age, I need to
do whatever I can to keep those looks from
slipping away into old age. I know, I know - I
have to accept being a senior citizen! I must
graciously accept it! I'm working on this, but
I'm not going to go down easy! While some signs
of aging are inevitable, there’s a lot you can
do to look your best at any age.
I definitely realize that every time you
frown, smile, squint, or use any other common
facial expression, your muscles contract under
your skin. When you do it over and over again,
the result can be wrinkles. This can't be
avoided, but I do believe it is true that skin
care products are essential to having good skin.
Taking care of skin is important considering the
destruction one goes through during the long
aging process.
I was a very lucky teenager, as I had very
few pimples and had very clear skin. My hair was
thick and wavy, and I hardly had to curl it to
look great.
Every since I was in my 20s, I've been
conscience that I needed to take care of my
skin. I have very fair skin, and I have
always been very careful what I used on my face.
I was always getting compliments on my skin!
Into my 40s, other people were always saying I
looked younger than I was. Then came menopause
in my 50s! My doctor had me on hormones for
several years, and I didn't really notice much
change. But, five years ago, I was taken off of
hormones. Changes have occurred! I looked
into my mirror one day, and guess what - my neck
turned into an old ladies' neck! I can't believe
it - I am starting to look like my mother!
When I was a teenager, I actually tried to
get sun tans with my fair skin. All I did
was burn and peel! I finally realized, in my
20s, that this was impossible and bad for
me. I started using sunscreen when
outdoors. Sun plays a major role to
deteriorate your skin. You need to protect
your skin from the sun in order to prevent
the aging of your skin. The sun is largely
responsible for wrinkles, dry skin, blotchy pigmentation,
thinning of skin, skin
texture, skin dullness, and
some other sun related diseases that can
make your skin look older. When I'm
gardening, I wear a long-sleeved shirt,
gloves, and a hat - even on very hot days. I
also put sunscreen on my face. I look pretty
funny when gardening, but I am protecting
myself.
I have
never smoked! It seemed like every one I
knew in my 20s and 30s, did smoke. I was the odd
non-smoker. So, I was exposed to a lot of
secondhand smoke. Some researchers
believe that exposure to cigarette smoke
(whether you smoke or not) is as damaging to
skin as exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet
rays. Today, many
scientist have suggested that nicotine
present in the cigarette has the same
influence on elastin in the skin as
sunlight. So, my friends and family exposed
me to the effects of secondhand smoke.
About my hands - A lot of us take
care of our faces, but forget about our aging hands.
Next to your face, your hands are
probably the most visible parts of your body.
The earliest signs
of aging will show on your hands.
The skin on
the back of your hands is extremely
delicate. This skin is very, very thin, as
there is almost no fat under it at all,
which is why the veins are so visible. I've
always worn rubber gloves when washing
dishes and doing messy housework. I now have
added the routine of exfoliating and
moisturizing them every day. Read my article
on
Younger Looking Hands - Keeping Hands Beautiful As
We Age.
What surprises me is that I let myself get
overweight! According to the
Body Mass Index (BMI)
30 pound overweight is obese! At 65, I'm trying my best to fix
this, which is very hard! My husband and I
bought an elliptical and a treadmill that we
exercise on 30 minutes a day. I'm cutting back
on my food intake and watching calories. This
losing weight is so slow. My body doesn't
want to let the pounds go! Check out my
Dieting Hints & Tips.
SO - AM
I VAIN OR NOT?
Comments from
Readers:
Just thought I'd let you know I read your
article on being vain. Although I am two
years older than you, 67, I could have
written the same article there were so
many similarities; the fair skin, love of
sun, compliments on your skin and looking
younger than your years, taking care of your
skin (I use a night cream and moisturizer
under my daily makeup). Unfortunately, I
never thought about my hands. With the
bulging veins on them, I do look like a
senior citizen. My skin, however, is
flawless; I just have to deal with a few
little bags under my eyes as my
great-grandmother did. I have to remember
to keep my head back when pictures are being
taken so they don't show up so much.
You mentioned your desire to lose weight. I
too had put on the pounds and went from an
ideal 125 lbs. (5'-7-1/2" tall) at age 19,
to 193 lbs. several years ago and dieted
down to the low 180's where I stayed for
years. At the end of 2005, the docs
discovered I had a benign tumor on my
pituitary gland which required surgery. It
went well but I was slow to get back to my
old self. My appetite changed quite a bit.
I started longing for healthy foods; a
shocker for me. I gave up my daily 5 cans
of ginger ale and substituted water
instead. My sweet tooth was no where to be
seen. I ate smaller meals but I did eat
when I wanted and what I wanted. The weight
came off on its own, slowly. I was
thrilled. I was also dealing with a little
anxiety, which affects my appetite
immediately, so would barely eat a few days
in a row. I loved getting weighed every
day. I went from a size 16 pants to a size
12 and the 12's were really too big.
I've been on different meds for other non
threatening issues and everything seems to
be stabilized now. Unfortunately, my
appetite really came back a few weeks ago, a
year and a half after my surgery.
Yesterday, 4th of July, we went to a cookout
and I just ate all the wonderful foods
served including my own, homemade blueberry
pie with vanilla ice-cream. Last night when
I got on the scales, it was up! Now I have
to be careful again. I started today off,
and will keep working at getting off those
extra 14 lbs. to reach my 135 lbs. goal.
After all, we are having our 50th high
school reunion in October and I want to be
svelte. My high school sweetheart will be
there and we will probably never see each
other again so I want his lasting memory of
me to be as a "hot senior."
I am sending this to you because I know you
want to lose weight and you can do it if you
really set your mind to it and take it one
day at a time. Don't be afraid to skip
lunch and have a light dinner. We too have
a treadmill but I don't use it; I know I
should. You are smart to keep your ticker
moving in a healthful manner. If you are a
soda drinker, cut it out completely except
maybe a treat occasionally when you go out
to dinner. If you love desserts, either
forget about it, or have a small portion to
tide you over. Don't give into those late
night hunger pains. You'll fall asleep and
will feel much better about it in the
morning. Keep your digestive system working
nicely by drinking lots of water and have
fruit daily. I like the stewed prunes or
dried (the soft kind) apricots which keep
things moving great. Set a goal for
yourself. Don't tell anyone you are
dieting. Your little secret will come out
when people start to notice you are
thinner. I really enjoyed that. I started
to enjoy looking in the full length mirror.
Losing the weight is great for your
self-esteem.
My guess is you were and still are a
beautiful girl/woman. You will get a kick
out of being thin, trust me. - Phyl
(7/05/07)