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Hollywood Secrets for Looking Younger

 

Two words: Injectable fillers:  To treat deep smile lines, forehead wrinkles, and crow’s feet, celebrities are not bashful on employing hyaluronic fillers, such as Restylane, Juvederm, or Juvederm Plus

 

Botox is still king: Botox is certainly not a secret, but it remains the undisputed gold standard for treating wrinkles.  Botox works by paralyzing the muscles beneath wrinkles. If used too much, Botox use can be obvious, as witnessed by several actresses including Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman and Marcia Cross who’ve fallen victim to “unmoveable forehead” jokes. Botox costs about $300-$500 per treated area. Results last three to six months.

 

They undergo laser treatment: As we age, our collage production slows down significantly making our faces appear thinner, and more gaunt (on the plus side, collagen depletion shows off great bone structure). Boosting collagen production is big business in Hollywood and more and more celebs are turning to fractional laser skin resurfacing to boost theirs.  Lasers, such as Fraxel, are able to penetrate deep within the skin to treat damaged skin. According to Fraxel’s official Website, the laser creates microscopic tears deep within the skin which trigger the body to naturally produce more collagen in the repairing process.

 

They get chemical peels: Yes, yes, yes, of course celebrities, including the males, are constantly getting eye lifts and face lifts and the bags removed from under their eyes, but what so many of them are doing that you and I aren’t is exfoliating, chemically. Ever notice how your foundation looks when it’s applied to scaly, dry skin? You look older and ashier. The celebrities sheer a few years off their faces in under an hour with a professional chemical peel. Chemical peels work by removing the damaged top layers of skin, such as a mild glycolic peel.

 

Professional makeup artists do the big events.  Celebrities don’t have a makeup artist on hand every morning before heading out, but for the big events, they call in the talent.  For non-celebrities, they can look red carpet perfect before events by hitting the makeup counters at department stores or beauty salons. Usually it’s proper etiquette to buy a few products when you get your makeup done at a beauty counter, but for a fee you can have your makeup done professionally. If there’s no charge, at least tip well.

 

They are filmed in layers of makeup.  One of the most popular papparazi shots is Heidi Klum, who without makeup, really isn’t all that.  Heidi is still pretty, of course, but she has the normal flaws of under-the-eye circles and pasty skin.  Even Tyra Banks admits, without professional assistance, she doesn’t even impress herself sometimes.  A little bit of the right makeup can go a long way.

 

They religiously stay out of the sun.  Nicole Kidman is famously afraid of the sun. She stays out of it at all costs. In fact, many celebrities simply avoid that sun by wearing hats and slathering on sunscreen. They know the sun is the No. 1 cause of prematurely aging skin.  You and I can avoid the sun by not only wearing hats, but getting in the habit of wearing sunscreen every day, no matter the weather.

 

They are wild about retinols: To keep fine lines from becoming wrinkles, actresses in their 20s turn to retinol creams.  Dermatologists swear of all the antioxidants, peels, scrubs and injections, retinoids are the best way to wipe years off your face. Prescription retinoids like Renova, Tazorac and Retin-A are popular, but if you prefer over-the-counter, consider Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Intensive Face Lotion SPF 20.

 

Their worst flaws are airbrushed. Not all celebrities have perfect skin. In fact, so much of skincare is about genetics. If you have bad skin genes, then chances are no amount of lotions and potions and peels and lasers are going to help your skin look like bone china. The fact is Britney Spears has horrible skin. So does Cameron Diaz. Jennifer Lopez supposedly has pimples (so say those in the know). Just like magazine pros can sculpt Mariah Carey into a Giselle look-alike, they can airbrush Cameron’s erupting face into Nicole Kidman perfection. What this classic Dove commercial on the dramatic effects of airbrushing.

 

Celebrities don’t fall for fads: There’s a lot of trendy products, like goji berry creams. They have sex appeal, but they’re not clinically proven, and simply fail to work.  Don’t focus on what’s new, but what’s time tested.  Don’t jump onto new products until they’ve been proven, that the “magical ingredient” really works as promised.