As the founder of a fashion eyewear company, Alena Lehrer wants to keep up her youthful image.
"Everyone has small wrinkles I guess. And I'm trying to maintain my skin," said Lehrer.
Facing her 40s, Lehrer is doing everything she can to help her skin age gracefully. She said, "I exfoliate my skin, I use a moisturizer, I put on sun protection. It helps."
Besides protecting against the sun, which dermatologist Lisa Chipps, M.D., says is key, there are a few more tricks.
"And then topical retinoids, which are things like Retin A or Retin All, that help to thicken the skin. And in addition, you can use DNA repair enzyme creams and growth factor serums to help improve the complexion," said Chipps.
She also says to avoid sleeping face down if you can.
"We can tell. When they come in for a consultation, they'll have deeper folds on one side of the face, they might have lines up here on the forehead," said Chipps.
Central heating and air conditioning can also dry skin. Chips recommends a humidifier. Other tips are: avoid using straws too often, which can deepen lines on the upper lip, clean items like glass and cellphones to avoid reactions from bacteria, and exercise regularly, since weight gain can trigger hormone reactions that weaken collagen.
"Maintaining a healthy body in general reflects on your skin. The skin is sort of a mirror that reflects what's going on, on the inside," said Chipps.
Following those tips, is helping Lehrer put her best face forward. One other note on diet. Doctors say gaining and losing weight too often, known as yo-yo dieting can also age skin prematurely because of the cyclical stretching and sagging of the skin.
