Shaving Legs and Other Areas of the Body #ForeverYoung

Women have been shaving their legs since early in the 1900s. Some women have rebelled against the idea that they need to shave their legs in order to conform to selective societal customs, and, in truth, it was the fashion industry that started the trend of women needing to shave their legs in the first place. But these days, many women still like to have smooth legs when they bare their legs in public.

I must admit, if I know I won't be showing my legs because I'll be wearing trousers for several days in a row, I will often neglect to shave my legs for long periods of time. Why bother, when no one is going to see my unshaven legs anyway, right?

But I would love it if I could have smooth legs without all the effort of shaving them every day. That goes ditto for my armpits. Fortunately for most women, there are technologies available to them which can permanently remove their leg hair and armpit hair. Unfortunately for me, most of those technologies do not work on light hair. (or do not work as well).

The technology for permanent hair removal has to do with lasers. It is usually done in a dermatologists clinic or with a specialist, but nowadays, they have home laser and IPL devices for hair removal. Lasers use pulses of light, which the hair follicles absorb through the melanin in them and this weakens the hair follicle, which, over time, stops it growing.

IPL, or intense pulsed light, does not use light as a laser does, but instead emits a spectrum of colours and wavelengths that reduces hair growth which delivers one single wave of red light and permanently removes the hair follicle.

The drawbacks from these devices is that they don't work on dark skin or light hair. What can you do if you have dark skin or light hair?

Well, it's much more time-consuming, requires more sessions, and is not good for areas of high hair growth, but for spot areas such as small hair growth on chin or chest (for women), electrolysis can permanently remove hair. Electrolysis uses needles that are smaller than the size of your hair follicles to direct electric pulses into each hair follicle individually. It can sting a bit when being done; some areas of the body will hurt more than others, but the pain isn't horrible and doesn't last long. One serious draw-back for some women is that the first few sessions, while removing some hair follicles can also stimulate the growth of new hair follicles. And it takes many sessions to completely get rid of an area of hair.

This is why many people go for the none-permanent method of waxing. The removal of hair in this way leaves your skin smoother than shaving does, but it only last for between three to six weeks.

A Youthful Mind #ForeverYoung

Studies have shown that people who keep their minds active lower their risks of developing dementia in later life.

Some ways to keep you mind active at any age:

Take up a new hobby - Whether you take up gardening, playing an instrument, drawing or hiking, enjoying a new hobby has benefits on the connections within your brain. Gardening, music, art, yoga, languages - all of these and more can have a beneficial effect on your brain. The learning itself is beneficial to your brain, but also doing something you enjoy releases endorphins which have a positive effect on your overall health and circulation which creates a positive effect on your brain function.


Learn something new - Taking a class at your local university or community college or learning through a private instructor, whatever new thing you want to learn, whether you are learning a new language, learning about psychology or taking a class on modern art, this learning will keep your brain working and help keep it young. The white matter in your brain is called myelin, and it helps improve performance on many different tasks. The more you practice a new skill you are learning, the more dense the myelin in your brain becomes, which, in turn, helps you to learn better.

Start exercising - Exercise increases your heart rate, which, in turn, pumps more oxygen to your brain. It also aids in the release of many hormones within your body which can create a more nourishing environment for your brain cells to grow. Research suggests that aerobic exercise helps create brain cells and improves the way your brain works. Regular exercise changes your brain to improve memory and thinking skills.

I am learning four new things, or rather, taking up four new hobbies. One is singing and vocal training. The other is playing the guitar. The third is learning a new language: Korean, and the fourth is learning to compose music. A fifth thing, which I need to find a location for before I decide whether to take it up again or not is swimming.

What are some new things you are learning or new hobbies you have decided to take up?

TMJD - Temporomandibular Joint Disorder #ForeverYoung

This probably doesn't have much to do with signs of ageing so much as it can be a way of slimming your face, but I recently heard about a treatment for TMJD (temporomandibular joint disorder). This is a condition that I suffer with. It is caused by the fact that I grind my teeth at night, which is also slowly eroding my teeth by creating cracks in my molars (which eventually lead to breakage). (It also causes jaw pain, jaw clicking and popping and sometimes even a "locked" jaw.)

I was watching some YouTube vidoes where people were having various anti-ageing treatments and showing how successful or unsuccessful those treatments were in their anti-ageing efforts, when I came across a video where a young woman had treatments to slim her face. She had a very slim body but couldn't manage to get her face to slim down. She had TMJD as well and her dentist treated her with Botox injections into her jawline on both sides. Apparently, the muscles in her jaw were quite enlarged because of all the teeth grinding and jaw clenching she did in her sleep and the Botox injections helped stop her from doing that by weakening those muscles. It also, eventually, slimmed down her face somewhat by reducing the size of her jaw muscles. (she then went on to have some further, different, fat-melting injections in her face though, which had nothing to do with her TMJD.)

Now, my face, at my low weight, is almost too slim, so I'm not really worried about making my face less round. However, I am really upset about the damage my teeth-grinding is causing to my teeth, so I'm excited to hear about this possible treatment. I will be asking my dentist about this with my next visit.

The Decaying of Teeth #ForeverYoung

Let's talk about teeth and a person's smile. One thing that happens as we age is that our teeth start to deteriorate; this is especially true of women who have given birth. Pregnancy takes a toll on our teeth, because those little growing fetuses sap a pregnant mommy's nutrients, vitamins and minerals while growing inside her.

Another thing that is common but causes problems for our teeth is grinding of teeth. I grind my teeth in my sleep and, because of this, I have weakened, and in some cases broken, my molars. A mouth guard to wear to bed can prevent the damage caused by teeth grinding, but I have not been able to afford one yet, despite the fact that they are not overly expensive in relation to the cost of most dental procedures.

Our teeth are important because they are what makes up our smile. Our smile is what can make people feel comfortable around us, and if your smile becomes blackened and with gaps, it can damage the overall look you have achieved, not just making you look older but making you appear much less than attractive.

We also need our teeth for chewing our food. And tooth loss can result, eventually, in bone loss in the jaw area. According to the Facial & Oral Surgery Institute (in Los Angeles):

"Typically, healthy teeth transfer the forces of mastication (chewing) from the teeth and gums into the jaws via their roots. This stimulates the jaw bones letting your body know that it needs to maintain jaw strength to accommodate chewing, biting, and eating. When a tooth is missing, the stimulating forces are no longer transferred to the bone beneath the missing tooth. As a result, the bone begins to deteriorate and atrophy until there is only a minimal amount of bone remaining. This process is called resorption."

So, it is really important to look after your teeth, not just to prevent some of the signs of ageing but for practical purposes too.

I've been considering dental implants for my two missing molars. The cost of the procedure is the only thing that has kept me from having it done already. I'd also like veneers for a whiter smile.