I've been thinking a lot about ageing and how it influences the way others view us. I know that ageing is just another unavoidable part of life, and, intellectually, I believe that people should grow old gracefully, accepting what life is making of them as they age. But knowing that this is the right attitude to have and coming to terms with my ageing self are two different things. And I've come to a conclusion about my own ageing; I don't want to accept it gracefully; I want to fight it every step of the way.
Now, some of those ways of fighting the ageing process are to eat healthy, keep my weight at a healthy BMI, or, in my current case, getting my weight back into a healthy BMI, and getting plenty of exercise.
I also plan to take some vitamins that I might be lacking in and using creams and lotions, plus drinking plenty of water, to keep my skin hydrated. (Drinking water is difficult for me. I really don't like drinking water, but I will make an effort to do so.)
I already don't drink alcohol or smoke, which are two things that prematurely age people, so I have that going for me already.
I have some health issues that make getting plenty of sleep difficult for me, but I am seeing some doctors and hoping to get those health issues under control soon.
What's left to do are the things I am curious to try but have no money to do yet: things such as skin treatments and plastic surgery.
The beauty/skin treatments that interest me are:
chemical peels
Derma Pen
IPL
Sculptra
VBeam
Deese Mask (Phototherapy Mask)
SpectraLift
Ulthera
Fraxel Laser
Fat Dissolving Injections (for chin area)
Profhilo
Plasma IQ (for eyes)
The plastic surgery methods that interest me are:
blepharoplasty (for eyes)
Under-eye Fat Repositioning (for eyes)
Canthoplasty (for eyes)
AccuLift
V3 Lift
Non-incision SMAS Lift
Endotine Forehead Lift
Notice: I did not say I want all of these treatments, only that these treatments interest me. I want to learn more about them. Some of them would make others of them unnecessary, and it would be good if non-plastic-surgery methods worked without the need for any plastic surgery in maintaining a youthful appearance.
Another important thing about maintaining my youth, as I mentioned early on in this post, is health. I do have some chronic health issues, such as gastric esophageal reflux disease (GERD), chronic anaemia (caused by low iron) and cysts on my ovaries (recently found). I will be doing my best to get every health issue treated as they have symptoms that do not help with my attempts at looking and feeling younger.
I am waiting on a letter from the hospital with a date for the surgery to remove the cysts on my right ovary (they will remove the fallopian tube and ovary on that side as well, I am told). I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist in London in mid-March to see what can be done about my gastric reflux. And I am taking iron tablets, which have not improved my low-iron-induced anaemia, but I am hoping the removal of the ovarian cyst might help as I have read that it can help with menstruation irregularities which can also be a cause of low iron.
Make-up can also be a good way to look youthful. I have to admit, I am not very skilled at make-up application, I will try and learn some techniques though.
Another thing I associate with youthfulness is the ability and willingness to learn new things. I am currently trying to teach myself how to play the guitar and retraining my voice for singing (using YouTube until I can afford some actual lessons). I used to sing when I was younger, but gave it up when I developed allergies. My allergies never went away, but I think I can work around them to regain my voice. I'm also trying to teach myself Korean, and I am trying to refresh my Spanish skills. I've lived away from California for too long and the Spanish I learned when I lived there has grown very rusty.
I'd like to chronicle my efforts at remaining youthful and regaining my youthfulness here and let you know what works and what doesn't.
