On average, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February. If this adage holds true, it means that you may be close to abandoning the good habits you vowed to keep in 2021 — even the most impressive skincare regimens adopted during quarantine. Self-care should remain a top priority year-round, year after year.
With an unprecedented amount of time spent at home in 2020, for many of us, it was a wake up call to take better care of our body’s largest organ — our skin. I noticed my patients pivoting the dialogue from…“How can I cover up discoloration, scarring, sallow skin, fine lines?,” to “How can I actually correct this so that my natural skin looks and feels its best?” People began wearing less makeup, which put a spotlight on skin issues — both in the mirror and on Zoom.
I personally love that there’s a movement towards allowing natural beauty to radiate. Our philosophy at The Few Institute has always been centered around a Four Dimensional Beauty™ approach, which helps to enhance natural beauty. We strive for something that is truly dynamic, something that will allow the skin to change with us as we evolve in life, the definition of graceful aging. We can’t stop the clock, but we can take the best care of the skin we have at every stage.
Heading into a fresh year, here’s how to keep skin looking its best while embracing (and enhancing) the most vital version of you:
Twenties
You may not see the damage yet, but treating your skin well during this decade will slow down the aging process down the road. If you take good care of your skin in your twenties, you can help forestall the need for more invasive procedures down the road. I preach prevention over correction as the first line of defense.
After the age of 21, a person produces about one percent less collagen in the skin each year. As a result, skin becomes thinner and fine lines become more visible. Incorporating a solid, yet simple skin care regimen from an early age sets skin up to age well. We created our skincare line, Aforé, with this in mind. Literally translated to “Beginning” or “Before,” Aforé aims to restore and maintain your skin in a state of before—before sun damage, before exposure to pollution, and before signs of aging.
In our 20s, our skin has already been exposed to 80% of the sun rays that will show up as wrinkles and other signs of aging in later years. A daily SPF like Afore Smooth Shade Tint Sunscreen is absolutely essential. Add in a hyaluronic acid product such as Afore HP Peptide Gel to help replace lost collagen in skin. This product uses matrixyl, a peptide that supports the building of new collagen in the skin to firm, hydrate, and restructure skin.
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For my younger patients, I also recommend an Oxygenating Facial to keep skin in optimal condition.
Thirties
This is the decade when cellular turnover really slows down and discoloration from years of sun exposure starts to add up. We use dermaplaning to exfoliate and treat rough, dry skin, superficial hyperpigmentation, mild acne scars, and wrinkles.
A new technology called BBL HERO has also been popular with this age group. BBL, which stands for BroadBand Light, is next generation of IPL (intense pulse light) device that uses light energy to address early signs of skin aging, sun and age spots, skin laxity and redness from broken capillaries, acne and rosacea. BBL HERO quickly and efficiently treats large areas, and addresses discoloration with very little downtime. My patients love it for the decolletage and hands — two areas known to age more quickly due to lack of SPF attention and thinner skin.
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Topicals like retinols with new delivery systems help maintain results at home, tackling everything from acne to aging. It’s one of the best things you can do for skin.
Forties
The use of multimodality non surgical treatments that were developed through pioneering research, what I coined Stackable Treatments™, can be very effective in producing a natural yet age defying appearance. The combination of Ultherapy, injectables and laser resurfacing to address the three aspects of the aging face by lifting, filling and resurfacing the skin and tissue in one treatment session is highly effective at producing a natural-looking, refreshed result. CoolSculpting to get rid of stubborn fat and conservative volumizing filler to restore volume to cheeks are also popular at this age.
The idea is to maintain your youthfulness without appearing over done. As a skin care advocate and plastic surgeon, my main goal is to make you look like the best version of yourself, which is why I love these treatments.
Fifties and Beyond
The emphasis is on reducing excessive facial movement that can prematurely make the face look older than the true age. We can track and balance out predictable volume losses in the face while anticipating facial and neck sagging to intervene before really considering a facelift.
The Inverso Suspension technique is a non-surgical treatment that I developed to incorporate non-surgical thread lifting with restoration of lost volume in the jawline with Micro BotoxⓇ (or Xeomin) to the frown muscles of the mouth to create a graceful appearance that is not “done” or unnatural in nature. The results of this approach may last two years or more.
At every age, the importance of getting enough sleep and hydrating cannot be overstated. Sometimes you have to respect the simplicity of what really works best to restore our body, and that is rest plus water… and an eye cream for good measure!
Let’s commit to a year of amazing skin (and no skimping on self-care) together.
An exclusive giveaway for our readers:
Win an Aforé bundle that includes the below products ($295 value):
Afore Lactic Acid Pumpkin Face Mask
Afore Hand 2.0
Afore C-Scrub Lemon Body Scrub
Afore Hydrating Facial Oil
Ready to treat yourself? There are two ways to enter — below, or on our Instagram page.
Giveaway runs Wednesday, February 3 through Saturday, February 6 at midnight CST. Winner will be emailed and announced on Sunday, February 7. Giveaway has no monetary value.
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Beauty. Skill. Sophistication. Expertise. Results. Safety. Julius Few M.D. is a board-certified plastic surgeon who is recognized as a world leader in aesthetic plastic surgery and pioneer in minimally invasive aesthetics. Dr. Few is the Founder of The Few Institute with locations in Chicago and Los Angeles. Dr. Few has developed several cutting-edge facelifting techniques and performs advanced treatments that blend less invasive surgical and non-surgical techniques for better results with less downtime. The distinction of Dr. Few is in every detail to safely achieve natural-looking results that preserve identity and enhance personal youth and beauty.
