5 Ways To Turn Back The Clock
And Look Younger In The New Year
It’s human nature that as people grow older, they want to look younger.
The tendencies of aging can make that desire an uphill climb for many. Even if they feel energetic and healthy, they may look old and tired.
“Women and men ages 45 to 65 really start to notice a difference in their skin when they look in the mirror,” says Dr. Dennis Schimpf, author of Finding Beauty: Think, See And Feel Beautiful, and founder of Sweetgrass Plastic Surgery. (www.sweetgrassplasticsurgery.com). “Healthy living makes them feel great on the inside, but on the outside, the years can take a toll.
“They look for ways to turn back the clock, for their face to more closely reflect what they feel like. And there are indeed minimally invasive ways to stave off some of the effects of aging.”
Schimpf suggests five ways to turn back the clock:
Skin-care products. Reversing the aging of the face starts by choosing good skin-care products. “Sunblock is one of the best defenses against the rays that can really age the skin,” Schimpf says. “Good skin care can build a solid foundation, so start it before spending money on other efforts. Having healthy skin to start with can optimize the outcomes for any procedure.”
Lasering. This is a more aggressive type of treatment. Micro-ablative is one of the most common types of laser treatment. “It uses fractional technology to basically punch micro holes in the skin, reducing pore sizes and allowing new skin and growth to occur,” Schimpf says. “It’s similar to aerating a lawn, where holes are punched in the grass and healthier grass grows. The treatment tightens and offers mild to moderate improvements in wrinkling.”
Dermabrasion, microdermabrasion and skin peels. Dermabrasion is a more aggressive type of skin peel involving removal of the upper layers of skin through surgical scraping of the skin. “This treatment is usually reserved for facial wrinkles or scars,” Schimpf says. “Microdermabrasion sands away the uneven outer layer of skin. It treats sun damage, stretch marks and small scars. Skin peels use a solution to remove the damaged outer layer of skin, improving texture and tone.”
Fillers. “There are dozens of fillers on the market for the soft-tissue changes, but the three main ones are hyaluronic acid, calcium hydroxyapatite-based, and autologous fat transfer, which harvests the patient’s own fat to be injected into the facial tissues,” Schimpf says. “In the forehead, injections reduce wrinkles. In the lips, injections make them plumper.”
Fat grafting. This is a minimally invasive procedure but usually more expensive up front. “Roughly half of patients require two sessions of fat grafting to get the graft to take,” Schimpf says, “because the procedure doesn’t just inject a large clump of fat. The fat tissue that’s being transferred has to be in touch with surrounding tissue that contains blood vessels. Otherwise the clump of fat doesn’t survive. Overall, fat grafting technology has really improved.”
“It happens to many people – they look in the mirror and don’t really like what they see,” Schimpf says. “But there are good, affordable options that have little or no downtime and counter some of the effects of aging.”
About Dennis Schimpf, MD, MBA, FACS
Dennis Schimpf is the author of Finding Beauty: Think, See and Feel Beautiful, and the founder of Sweetgrass Plastic Surgery (www.sweetgrassplasticsurgery.com), a multifaceted practice focusing almost exclusively on cosmetic plastic surgery of the face and body. He is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
and American Board of Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), as well as a member of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS).
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Dear Dave,
How do you feel about timeshares, and the free trips and dinners they offer as part of their sales pitches? Is it possible to win with these things?
Dan
Dear Dan,
In my opinion, timeshares are a complete waste of time and money. Lots of folks go into this kind of thing believing they’ll play the game and win. They think they’ll get a vacation weekend and other free stuff, then just say “no” when the time comes. The problem is, most people aren’t as tough a sell as they think. Besides, do you really want to waste a weekend of your life letting some pushy salesperson twist your arm? That’s not my idea of fun.
As a whole, timeshares have an incredibly high dissatisfaction rate. It’s almost impossible to find anyone who’s happy they bought into one, and there are good reasons for this. Why would you pay thousands of your hard-earned dollars for a tiny place you may or may not get a chance to visit once a year? Add to this the fact that you have no equity in the place, and you’re stuck paying ongoing maintenance fees.
My advice? Don’t take a chance playing the game, Dan. There are much better uses for your time and money!
—Dave
(Paid in full?)
word count: 224
Dear Dave,
I’ve been late on a credit card bill several times, and it was turned over to a collection agency. They have offered a couple of different payment options. If I agree to one of these, does that mean the original creditor gets paid, too?
Carter
Dear Carter,
A collection agency either owns the debt outright, or they’re directly representing the credit card company in these kinds of situations. It’s not unusual for things to be handled this way when someone has defaulted on a loan.
Unless you have the cash to make good on the debt outright, I’d go ahead and accept whichever deal makes the most sense for you and your current financial situation. You’ve already got a mark against you on your credit report for having this turned over to collections, so an indication of settlement on a credit card you defaulted on is really no big deal.
But here’s my best piece of advice—stop using credit cards!
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 14 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey.
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Dear Dave,
My husband and I have about $20,000 in credit card debt, plus payments on a new truck. We also have a camper he bought before we got married that we’re still making payments on. I recently received a $50,000 inheritance, and I’d like to use that money to help get us out of debt and open a savings account. My husband says he is onboard, but he keeps buying things we don’t have the money for. I don’t want the inheritance to go to waste, so what can I do?
Tessa
Dear Tessa,
I want you guys to get control of your finances and have a better life, too. But until your husband is willing to get rid of the camper and the truck, I’d hang on to the inheritance money.
Right now, you need more than his words—you need his actions. At this point, the real issue isn’t the debt or the idea of using the gift you received to pay off the debt. The issue is you can’t see a future where your husband isn’t going to repeat the same financial stupidity. You need to have that future cleared up, and it isn’t going to be cleared up until he proves he has changed his heart and his ways. In his case, that means showing he has become a grown-up and isn’t buying toys he can’t afford anymore.
I know where you are, and I know where he is right now. I’ve been there. Years ago, I was a “grown man” but I was still really a little boy buying things I couldn’t afford to impress people I didn’t even know. This guy likes stuff. He likes shiny trucks, shiny things to pull behind shiny trucks, and that sort of thing.
But it’s time for him to sell all the crap, grow up, and start putting you and your family first. Keep talking to him. Explain how important it is to you that you’re both on same page financially and in every other aspect of your marriage. Until he proves he’s ready to do that, though, I’d say just hold on to the inheritance money.
—Dave
* Dave Ramsey is CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 14 million listeners each week on 600 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on the web at daveramsey.com and on Twitter at @DaveRamsey
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