4 Simple Tips for Beauty Maintenance without Cosmetic Surgery

All patients want to look and feel their personal best as they age, which explains the continuous search for the next development in body-shaping and age-defying products and procedures. That being said, there are many easy things your patients can do to reverse the hands of time.

The following simple solutions will help your patients maintain their appearance and keep them feeling and looking great from the inside out for years to come.

Sweet Dreams

Sleep is one of the most important gifts your patient can give to his or her body. With today’s hectic lifestyles and demands from work and family, sleep is often the first thing neglected. Getting 8 hours of rest regularly and pairing it with a healthy diet and exercise routine can help patients lose weight faster. This amount of rest also promotes increases in muscle mass, which comes with a bonus of faster fat burning. Being fully rested also decreases stress-related hunger and cuts down on the need to snack on sweets throughout the day for energy. Prescribing a regular bedtime and sleep schedule will help your patients maintain a healthy and attractive waistline.

Proper Hydration

The human body is made up of 70% water, and it cannot go 3 days without it. Drinking plenty of water flushes impurities out of the system and removes toxins, which improves the quality and elasticity of skin, aids in proper digestion, and maintains mental clarity. Proper hydration is also important to dieting, as it suppresses hunger, helps maintain healthy muscle tone, and increases energy. Water also has zero calories, so your patients can drink as much as they want. Getting an appropriate daily intake of water is one of the most important things to do for the body.

Wear Sunscreen

An excessive amount of harmful UVA/UVB rays from the sun is one of the most common factors associated with skin damage. Sun exposure can cause wrinkling and age spots; even worse, it can also cause cancer over time. Using the correct sunscreen prior to sun exposure will keep the patient’s skin looking young and healthy while providing protection from harmful side effects that can occur with prolonged exposure.

Work with What You’ve Got

It is common for people to look through fashion or celebrity magazines for the hottest new fashion trend, but just because it looks good on some people doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for your patient. It is important for patients to understand their body type and choose items that accent their best assets. For instance, skinny jeans may work for some but not for others. For those who can’t pull off the skinny jean trend, choosing a wide-leg pant can elongate and trim un-proportionate areas, which will make their legs look amazing. Advise your patients that being realistic and working with what they have are effective ways to look great year-round.

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Implementing these changes in your patients’ daily routines not only improves their outward appearance, but also improves how they feel, both physically and mentally. While these tips can help slow the aging process and, in some cases, reverse the signs of aging, nothing completely stops the hands of time from moving forward. When the time comes for a more proactive solution, we can suggest appropriate cosmetic treatment solutions for our patients to ensure they are looking and feeling their best at any age.

Robert T. Grant, MD, MSc, FACS, is Chief of the combined Divisions of Plastic Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is also Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and Adjunct Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. For more information about Dr. Grant or to contact him, visit his website at www.robertgrantmd.com.