Ageless (poem) #ForeverYoung

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

Ageless

Time passes and everything changes.

But my mind is still as young as before.

Time moves forward and my body ages.

But my heart remains the same as ever.

You look at me and you see the years

Written into my skin forever more.

You see this aged body and whitened hair

But inside I haven’t changed, no, never.

Time sweeps us through the days

And what you see alters as it passes

But the part your eyes can’t see

Is the me inside who never changes.

You see the wrinkles on my skin

And you see my now-needed glasses

You don’t see my heart full of love

Or my inner thoughts and my thoughts’ ranges.

Inside, I’m still young and full of hope.

Inside, I still have dreams for tomorrow.

The inner me still feels its youth

I still feel the same joy and the same sorrow.

I’m still full of passion and believe in romance.

I still laugh, and cry, and sing and dance.

You see my appearance

But I am changeless.

You see my age 

But I am ageless.

The Costs for Cosmetic Procedures & Plastic Surgery #ForeverYoung

Image by kai kalhh from Pixabay

Unlike the picture above, money doesn't grow on trees. And many of the procedures I've discussed on this blog for regaining your youthful looks are expensive procedures. I've been watching videos of people who have gone to their cosmetic surgeons for repeated Botox injections, fillers, laser skin treatments and even plastic surgery (or surgeries, in some cases), and one question continually pops into my mind as I watch these videos. How do they pay for all of this?

There are a lot of procedures I would love to get or try in order to look and feel younger. But I don't make a lot of money. What this means is that it will probably be a very long wait until I get to do any of these procedures, if ever.

If you are wondering what these procedures cost, here's a brief run-down of what they cost at some clinics. (I emphasise that these are the prices at some clinics because prices will vary, sometimes widely, at different medical practices and clinics and in different parts of the country or within different countries.) I live in the UK, so I will be using prices from here.

Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) - A blepharoplasty may cost anywhere between £2,000 and £6,000. 

Dermal fillers - Facial fillers cost about £150 to £300 per session, depending on the amount of product used. 

Botox injections - Botox costs about £10-£20 per unit. While some offices and clinics charge a flat rate depending on the area being injected, you'll usually find that you are charged based on how many units of Botox are used.  Botulinum toxin injections usually cost £150-£350 per session, depending on the amount of product used.

Laser skin resurfacing treatment - In the UK, depending on how many sessions are needed and what size of area is being treated, price tends to start at £500 a session with three to five sessions.

Laser skin tightening treatment - Laser skin tightening cost swill differ based on the size of the area to be treated and the number of treatments necessary. In general, laser skin tightening costs range from £300 and go higher depending on the amount of area needed to be treated and the number of sessions needed for the desired result.

Apronectomy/abdominoplasty/tummy tuck - It costs about £4,500 to £6,000 to have an abdominoplasty, plus the cost of any consultations or follow-up care that may not be included in the price.

Breast lift/mastopexy - Depending on the type of lift, how much needs lifting and whether or not implants are used, breast lift surgery cost ranges from £3,495 to £6,495.

Fat melting injections - Fat melting injections cost from £300 per treatment and two to three sessions are recommended for maximum results.

Hair removal laser treatment - In the UK, laser hair removal costs between £40 and £400, depending on the area of skin and number of sessions included.

Electrolysis - Costs for electrolysis sessions start at from £40 per session and can take from 15 to 35 sessions to achieve the desired result.

Chemical peel - Chemical peels cost about £60-£100 for mild peels. It may cost over £500 for deeper peels. 

I know that I listed even more treatments and procedures in my previous post about the ones that interested me, and some of the ones listed both there and here would not suit my skin type anyway, but this is just a brief run-down of the prices of some possible procedures and treatments.

The high cost of all of these should help explain to you my curiousity about how so many YouTube vloggers are able to get various and frequent treatments.

Beauty Mishaps #ForeverYoung #beautytreatmentfails

Image by monicore from Pixabay

About a couple of weeks ago, three of us were using beauty sheet masks. We had two of one type of beauty mask and one of another type. The one who used the different beauty mask complained that it felt like it was burning so she had to take it off her face almost immediately. None of the ingredients should have been a problem, so we decided that maybe she was allergic to something in the mask? We still don't know which ingredient caused the burning sensation for her, but fortunately there were no lasting effects from it on her skin.

Today, I was making sandwiches for others, sandwiches which included cucumber, onion, lettuce and tomato. I wasn't eating, so I decided to try putting slices of cucumber on my eyes as it is supposed to help with puffiness.

It wasn't until my eyes started to burn that I realised I had forgotten to wash off the knife between cutting the onion and cutting the cucumber. So now, in addition to still being puffy, my eyes are red too.

What beauty treatment mishaps have you encountered? Let me know in the comments. I want to know.

Vitamins For Healthy Skin, Hair and Nails #ForeverYoung

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images on Pixabay

Several things happen to your hair, skin and nails as you age.

Your skin:

•  Loses elasticity.
•  Develops fine lines and wrinkles.
•  Can develop age spots.
•  Loses brightness and vitality.

Your hair:

•  Becomes more brittle. 
•  Can lose lustre and gloss.
•  Loses volume and thins over time.

Your nails:

•  Become brittle.
•  Become discoloured and dull.
•  Grow more slowly.

There are certain vitamins and nutrients that are important in keeping these signs of ageing from developing and in treating some of these signs of ageing that are already present. Some experts claim that there is no clear evidence that, unless you already have a deficiency in any of these vitamins and minerals, taking supplements will be of any use. But as you age, it is more and more common to become deficient in one or more of these vitamins and minerals.

For skin:

•  Vitamin C - Vitamin C boosts your skin's collagen production to give you firmer, more plump skin and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. The antioxidant properties of vitamin C help fight free radicals and damage caused by UV radiation. It can help to lighten and brighten the skin.
• Glutathione - Glutathione is a highly synergistic ingredient with Vitamin C. For best skin whitening take Vitamin C with Glutathione to effectively promote skin lightening by inhibition of skin pigment (melanin) production.
•  Vitamin A/Retinol - Vitamin A can help treat skin disorders like acne and psoriasis while reducing brown spots and wrinkles and smoothing out rough patches by increasing cell turnover. 
•  Collagen - Collagen is a structural protein that holds cells together, strengthens skin, and gives it elasticity.
•  Vitamin B7/Biotin - Biotin helps with the metabolism of fatty acids, glucose, and amino acids in your body. Biotin helps turn the carbs, fats, and proteins in the food you eat into energy. It also plays a role in gene regulation and cell signalling. A biotin deficiency can cause a skin rash around your eyes, nose, and mouth, as well as seizures, brittle nails, and thinning hair.
•  Vitamin D - Vitamin D is thought to help with fine lines and wrinkles through its ability to act as an antioxidant. This helps your body to fight off free-radicals which are thought to cause lines on our skin and the general deterioration that comes as we get older.
•  Vitamin E - Vitamin E is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant that protects lipids from oxidising, which helps skin retain its natural moisturisers.
•  Hyaluronic Acid - Hyaluronic acid is well known for its skin benefits, especially alleviating dry skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and speeding up wound healing. 
•  Coenzyme Q10 - Coenzyme Q10 vital for energy production to fulfil the skin's basic functions such as regeneration and repair. As we age, the levels of natural Coenzyme Q10 in our skin decrease. This makes it more susceptible to fine lines and wrinkles. Coenzyme Q10 helps the skin by acting as a strong antioxidant. It helps to neutralise the harmful free radicals that are one of the major causes of ageing. Coenzyme q10 is a naturally occurring molecule, found in large quantities in our mitochondria that protects elastin and collagen from free radicals.
•  Zinc - Zinc aids in healing the skin and prevents acne by regulating the activity of the oil glands. Zinc promotes a healthy immune system and the healing of tissues. It is also an antioxidant which helps to fight and prevent the formation of free radicals. 
•  Copper - Copper helps to develop collagen and elastin, which maintain the strength of the skin, and it promotes the production of skin-plumping hyaluronic acid.
•  Iron - Hair, skin, and nails require iron to retain their natural lustre, shine, and moisture. Iron is crucial for the structural stability of collagen. Pale, dull, and lifeless skin is a common symptom of anaemia. Iron-deficient skin often appears to be pale, yellow, or sallow in colour.
•  Selenium - Selenium has multiple functions. It reduces inflammation, boosts thyroid hormone production, and is also an antioxidant. It is a mineral known to help the body's immune system function properly, and also works to prevent damage to cells and tissue. Too much selenium can be toxic though, so check with your doctor on the right dosage, if you decide to take this mineral.
•  Silica - Silica is an essential beauty mineral that helps heal brittle bones, teeth, hair, and nails. It is also well known for its anti-ageing, anti-wrinkle properties due to its ability to help form collagen and repair damaged or loose skin. Whenever collagen is damaged in skin, silica is required to take care of this by rebuilding and regenerating this connective tissue. 
•  Vitamin B3/Niacin - Niacin can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles and other issues with skin elasticity concerned with ageing. Niacin has been identified to have preventive effects against skin cancer. Niacin is a major component of NAP and NADP, which are two coenzymes involved in cellular metabolism. Niacin also prepares and repairs DNA and even works as an antioxidant. It has the ability to speed up cell metabolism and cell turnover (a process that slows down with age), revealing younger skin. It also helps heal wounds, repair sun damage and hyperpigmentation, and strengthen the skin barrier, making skin better able to retain moisture.
•  Vitamin K/K2 - Fat-soluble vitamin K plays an important role in how the kidneys function and helping to aid in proper bone growth and repair. It can minimise dark circles.
•  Vitamin B5/Pantothenic Acid - People need B5 to synthesise and metabolise fats, proteins, and coenzyme A.
•  Alpha-Lipoic Acid - Alpha-lipoic acid seems to help prevent certain kinds of cell damage in the body, and also restores vitamin levels such as vitamin E and vitamin C. 
•  Folic Acid/Vitamin B9 - Folic acid helps your body produce and maintain new cells.
•  Creatine - Creatine has shown effects on the repair of cutaneous ageing and the protection of the skin from UV exposure.
• Magnesium - Magnesium deficiency can accelerate ageing of the skin by resulting in lower levels of fatty acids on the skin. This reduces elasticity and moisture and creates the perfect condition for dryness, lack of tone and more wrinkles. 
•  Manganese - Manganese is required for collagen synthesis, and deficiency can cause slow hair and nail growth and a reddening of the skin.
•  Potassium - Potassium helps control the volume of cells and helps the skin stay  moisturised. Deficiency in potassium can lead to dry skin and hair loss.
•  Protein - Protein supplies the body with the amino acids it requires to make keratin – one of the structural proteins in our skin, hair and nails. Protein is one of the building blocks of skin tissue. Protein also contains two amino acids, namely L-Lysine and L-proline, that support the body's production of collagen.
• Niacin/Vitamin B3 - Vitamin B3 helps the skin retain moisture by boosting the production of fatty acids and ceramides.

For hair:

•  Biotin/Vitamin B7 - Biotin is a B-complex vitamin. Biotin deficiency can lead to thinning of the hair as well as premature greying of the hair. It is thought that taking Biotin supplements can thicken hair and stimulate hair and nail growth. Biotin encourages elasticity within the hair’s cortex while thickening cuticles to eliminate breakage. Biotin promotes growth of existing hair, produces keratin, and works to increase hair's elasticity.
•  Niacin/Vitamin B3 - Niacin helps improve the health of the hair follicles. Niacin/Vitamin B3 promotes blood circulation to the scalp.
• Pantothenic Acid/Vitamin B5 - Pantothenic acid is important for our bodies to properly use carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids and for healthy skin.Vitamin B5 supports the adrenal glands, which helps stimulate hair growth. Pantothenic Acid/Vitamin B5 strengthens and nourishes the hair follicle.
•  Vitamin C - Vitamin C helps the body produce sebum, the natural oil that protects your hair and keeps it strong. It assists in the production of collagen, a connective tissue responsible for keeping your body’s tissues and organs together. When deficient in vitamin C, your hair may feel weak. Breakage and split ends can also occur. 
•  Zinc - Zinc is an important mineral that keeps your body and nails healthy. It helps in the healing of wounds, increasing immunity, and improving nail and hair growth. Extreme zinc deficiency can cause hair loss. Zinc is also a potent inhibitor of hair follicle regression, and it accelerates hair follicle recovery.
•  Iron - Hair, skin, and nails require iron to retain their natural lustre, shine, and moisture. When you don't have enough iron, your body can't produce enough hemoglobin in your blood. Hemoglobin carries oxygen for the growth and repair of cells in your body, including the cells that stimulate hair growth.
•  Vitamin A/Retinol - All cells need vitamin A for growth. Vitamin A helps the body produce sebum, the natural oil that protects your hair and keeps it strong. It assists bone growth and helps the body process myelin, a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres.
• Vitamin D - Vitamin D is a hormone that plays an important role in calcium homeostasis, immune regulation and cell growth differentiation. Hair follicles are highly sensitive to hormones.
•  Folic Acid/Vitamin B9 - Folic acid helps your body produce and maintain new cells.
•  Omega 3 Fatty Acids - Omega-3 fats nourish the hair, support hair thickening and reduce inflammation that can lead to hair loss.
•  Silica - Silica can help maintain the health of your hair and scalp. A deficiency of this mineral might lead to hair loss. Almost all of the trace minerals that silica helps balance are factors in treating hair loss. Ask your doctor about consuming silica to help with your thinning strands.
• Protein - Protein supplies the body with the amino acids it requires to make keratin – one of the structural proteins in our skin, hair and nails.
• Magnesium - Magnesium really is one of the most important nutrients for healthy hair growth. Without it, your hair follicles may not grow to their full potential because of calcification and poor protein synthesis.
• Manganese - Manganese is required for collagen synthesis, and deficiency can cause slow hair and nail growth and a reddening of the skin.

For nails:

•  Biotin/Vitamin B7 - Biotin is a B-complex vitamin that strengthens the protein infrastructure in hair, skin, and nails.
•  Pantothenic Acid/Vitamin B5 - People need B5 to synthesise and metabolise fats, proteins, and coenzyme A.
•  Iron - Hair, skin, and nails require iron to retain their natural lustre, shine, and moisture. Onychoschizia is the term for splitting, brittle, soft or thin nails. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of this, on the rare occasion when it is caused by a vitamin deficiency. Nails are comprised of keratin, which are hard layers of protein that form to keep soft tissues safe and protected. When there is not enough hemoglobin in the body, nails don’t get enough oxygen to stay healthy.
•  Magnesium - Magnesium is a mineral involved in hundreds of reactions in your body, including protein synthesis, which is required for nail growth. Vertical ridges in your nails may be a sign of a magnesium deficiency. This mineral also helps with protein synthesis and the formation of new nails.
•  Protein - Protein supplies the body with the amino acids it requires to make keratin – one of the structural proteins in our skin, hair and nails.
•  Omega 3 Fatty Acids - 
•  Vitamin C - The production of free radicals increases with age and the amount of antioxidative enzymes that defend the body decrease, leading to the damage of cellular structures and the ageing of hair. By working as an antioxidant, vitamin C fights oxidative stress that contributes to hair greying and hair loss. 
•  Zinc - Zinc is an important mineral that keeps your body and nails healthy. It helps in the healing of wounds, increasing immunity, and improving nail and hair growth. If you lack zinc, you will see more white spots on your nails, inflammation of the cuticles, and poor nail growth.
• Vitamin A/Retinol - All cells need Vitamin A for growth.
• Manganese - Manganese is required for collagen synthesis, and deficiency can cause slow hair and nail growth and a reddening of the skin.
• Silica - Silica takes all the nutrients to the nails helping not only to impart strength, but also feeds the nail bed with all the vital nutrients for encouraging healthy and strong nails.

Your best bet if you want to take vitamins that work for all three - skin, hair and nails - is to go with Biotin, Collagen, Niacin, Vitamin C, Zinc, Iron, Vitamin A, Folic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Zinc, Silica, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, and Vitamin D.

Your best source of these vitamins is in the food you eat. If you want to take supplements, please check in with your doctor first. As most of these are shown to only help if you are already deficient in them, it might be a good idea to have your doctor test your levels before trying to add a vitamin or mineral supplement to your daily regimen. Many of the skin and hair vitamins can be used safely topically in creams and lotions.

The Forever Young Experiment #ForeverYoung

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.