10 Tricks Your Middle Aged Body Plays on You
September 18, 2011
By Dr. Francesca Fusco
As Bette Davis said, ‘getting old ain’t for sissies.’ This is especially true when your body begins to play tricks on you in subtle, slightly disturbing ways that you begin to notice around middle age. I have listed the top 10 of these tricks and effective treatments for each:
1. Nails become ridgey. We don’t know why, but they just do. Answer: A buffing manicure should smooth out the wrinkles.
2. Dry eyes: Around 50, our eyes become dry which could have serious implications for contact lens wearers. Answer: Many women opt to go back to wearing glasses. They have many interesting and cool styles out now. There are also special extra hydrating contact lenses that you can wear. If you don’t wear contact lenses, periodically putting in drops for dry eyes (especially when you first wake up) should help.
3. You have more pimples now than when you were a teen. Nothing topical works because they are so deep. Hormonal acne occurs during perimenopause when testosterone, estrogen and other hormones are changing levels day to day. It results in deep, sometimes tender, palpable lumps and cysts. If you just have 1 or 2, a quick visit to a dermatologist for a dilute corticosteroid solution will shrink them down rapidly. If you have more than 1 or 2, systemic tetracycline may help. Many of us are health conscious and hesitant to add “chemicals” and “pharmaceuticals” to our body but there is an extremely effective low dose tetracycline (40 mg/day vs. 1000mg/day of the traditional one) called Oracea. In some instances, a mild diuretic spironolactone, which blocks excess testosterone, is helpful. Answer: See your dermatologist for the best treatment.
4. Your lips lose volume. Just as you lose cheek volume, some people lose lip volume. If you are thin lipped to begin with this can be a problem. Nobody wants a trout pout but artistically placed filler (hyaluronic acid) in the pulp or meat of the lip will replace lost volume. It can also soften “lipstick lines” which result from volume loss and/or smoking. Answer: Seek treatment from a dermatologist to carefully –and I mean carefully–place botox and filler in the area.
5. Your body grows things! Skin tags, cherry colored dots, benign keratoses. You feel like the bottom of a ship with barnacles. Answer: Book “search and destroy” visits 2x a year with a dermatologist to burn off these growths.
6. Your skin doesn’t shed and get new replacement cells regularly so your skin looks dull. Answer: Regular exfoliation and use of a retinoid will regulate this again. Exfoliation jump starts fresh cell production. This can be done with an at home granular exfoliant or at home chemical peel twice weekly. At the dermatologist’s office, a seasonal TCA or Salicylic acid peel will give an instant glow or, a resurfacing laser like Fraxel: Restore will exfoliate, plump and fade brown spots.
7. You thicken around the middle. Even if you are watching and exercising—and you never had kids–your metabolism changes and you get a belly. To prevent this you try to keep your weight down by exercising and can develop a gaunt face as a result. This does not look good and can age you also. Answer: Sometimes you just have to buy Spanx but another alternative is liposuction for the thickening middle. If you want to keep your weight down but your face looks thin, you can add filler in areas of the face to make it look fuller.
8. Some women as they age lose volume in the temple area which makes it appear indented. Answer: Like in #7, volume replacement with filler is the treatment. Volume replacement choices include hyaluronic acid (restylane/perlane). This lasts 4-6 months. For a longer correction, Sculptura, a biostimulator, plumps and stimulates your own production of collagen. For the naturalist–autologous fat is a natural way to fill, recycling your own extra fat.
9. Acne scars and chicken pox scars appear bigger. This is because as you lose elasticity the skin is less plumped up. Answer: laser resurfacing.
10. You start losing hair in all the places you want it and growing it in places you DON’T. Scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes and pubic hair become sparse and you start growing fuzz all over your face and also get those wild witch like hairs on your chin, toes or wherever. Your eyelashes can become straighter too. Answer: For thinning hair and your scalp, try Monoxidil. For thinning eyelashes, there are several lash lengthening products out that are effective. In addition consider eyelash extensions. For your eyebrows, consult a makeup artist to color in where your eye brows get sparse. As far as your pubic area…rejoice, less to wax!
Dr. Francesca Fusco has been practicing medical and cosmetic dermatology in New York since 1989. Espousing a philosophy that beautiful and healthy skin reflects one’s general well being. Dr. Fusco carefully examines each patient’s diet, exercise routine and lifestyle patterns before developing an individualized regimen for optimal skin health. An Associate Dermatologist at the Wexler Dermatology Group for nearly a decade, Dr. Fusco’s Manhattan-based practice not only treats the range of dermatological diseases and conditions but is also widely recognized for its emphasis on rejuvenation of the skin. With early intervention and non-invasive treatments, patients can now delay or even avoid plastic surgery. Currently, Dr. Fusco is among the leading experts in the application of fillers (collagen, hyaluronic acid, Sculptra, and lipotransfer), Botox, lasers, and phototherapy to rejuvenate aged skin and its associated conditions, such as brown spots, scars, and blood vessel abnormalities. She also performs liposuction and skin tightening modalities such as Thermage and Ulthera. Dr. Fusco continues to train medical students and dermatology residents in her specialty as both Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology and Assistant Attending Physician at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she also directs an outpatient clinic. Author of a chapter entitled, “Nonoperative Techniques for Facial Rejuvenation” in Clinics in Plastic Surgery and co-author of a variety of medical publications, Dr. Fusco is also an expert resource for the television media community and has been quoted extensively in high profile consumer magazines and in newspapers. She has served as a consulting dermatologist to Barrier Therapeutics. After receiving her medical degree from New York Medical College in 1985, Dr. Fusco completed an internship in pediatrics at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in New York City, followed by a three-year residency in dermatology in which she served as Chief Resident in her third year. Her professional affiliations include the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the American Chemical Society, the Women’s Medical Association of New York City and The Skin Cancer Foundation.