18 ways to live younger

Aging is an inevitable part of life that affects everyone. It’s a natural process we all go through, but it often impacts the confidence of both men and women who long to retain their youthful appearance.

As we age, there are a few key areas where signs of aging start to show:

• Face
• Body
• Mind

When aiming to appear younger, it's important to consider all of these areas in order to achieve the results you're seeking.

This guide offers 17 Tips for Looking Ten Years Younger, which you can begin incorporating into your daily routine. Regardless of whether you’re in your 40s, 50s, 60s, or beyond, these anti-aging strategies will help you maintain a youthful look and feel more vibrant than your actual age.

Let’s get started!

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I. How to Make Your Face Look 10 Years Younger

Your face is often the first thing people notice when they talk to you or even when they simply pass by. It's also the area where the signs of aging are most visible. These signs generally appear as:

• Loss of volume
• Wrinkles and fine lines
• Discoloration and scarring
• Sun damage
• Sagging skin

The following tips can help combat these signs of aging, allowing you to look younger.

Note: For more details about the aging face, check out our detailed guide.

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1. Flattering Your Hair - Bringing Vibrancy Back to Your Face

A flattering hairstyle involves cutting and styling your hair in a way that minimizes the signs of aging. If you continue to wear hairstyles that are too youthful for your age, they may actually detract from your attempts to look younger. For this reason, many women start opting for shorter hairstyles as they get older.

As your skin loses volume and wrinkles begin to form, these fine lines usually become most noticeable around the upper part of your face, sometimes extending to the lower part as well.

Changing the color and style of your hair can be a great way to take years off your appearance.

Here are some techniques to help:

• Camouflage forehead and eye wrinkles: Soft layers and bangs can be used to cover these areas.
• Hide skin sagging and fine lines: Pulling your hair back can tighten your skin and create a more youthful, plump look.
• Mask sagging jawlines: Longer hair lengths and layering techniques can help mask sagging around the lower face.

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2. Utilize the Power of Color

As we age, our hair color naturally changes. It may subtly lighten over time or, more dramatically, turn gray or white.

To combat this, avoid darkening your hair too much. Dark colors can accentuate wrinkles and lines on your face, making them more noticeable. Instead, opt for lighter shades that blend naturally with gray hair, giving it a highlights-like effect.

As you age, it’s better to lighten or enrich your hair color rather than try to maintain the same shade you've had for years. Doing so adds vibrance and a shine that complements your changing skin tone, helping to take years off your appearance.

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3. Refresh Your Wardrobe - Dress for Your Age

With a chic, classic wardrobe, you can accessorize to divert attention from signs of aging. For example:

• A silk scarf can hide sagging neck skin.
• A stylish sweater can camouflage upper-arm flab.
• Eye-catching jewelry can draw attention away from areas you’d rather hide.

When choosing necklaces, opt for longer ones to prevent them from being too tight around the neck, which can emphasize sagging skin.

Also, wear age-appropriate clothing. A dress you wore when you were younger might not have the same flattering effect as you get older, and could even accentuate signs of aging if it exposes certain areas of your body.

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4. Secrets for Younger-Looking Eyes

If you’re self-conscious about signs of aging on your face, you’re not alone! There are a few simple tricks you can use to make your eyes appear more youthful:

• Use Makeup to Conceal Crow’s Feet: Crow’s feet are those wrinkles that appear at the corners of the eyes as you age. A little makeup can go a long way in concealing these signs, especially if you apply concealer carefully and avoid using too much powder or foundation.

• Treat Dark Circles: For dark circles or discoloration around the eyes, use a flat makeup brush to gently apply concealer. Avoid rubbing the area, as this will stretch the skin, making wrinkles worse.

• Combat Droopy Eyes: With time, eyelids can sag, creating bags around your eyes. To make your eyes look bigger and more alert, try using a thick mascara to contrast with your lash line. Additionally, consider treatments like Botox or liquid facelifts to reduce sagging eyelids and brows.

For those who haven’t found relief from dark circles or droopy eyes through makeup or treatments, eyelid surgery might be a viable option. Check out our comprehensive guide on eyelid surgeries for more information.

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5. Take Care of Your Skin

As you age, skin care becomes even more important. Regular cleansing and exfoliating will promote the production of collagen, encouraging new cell growth. Exfoliating also removes dead skin cells, revealing fresher skin underneath and adding a natural glow to your complexion.

Additionally, staying hydrated helps your body flush out toxins and ensures that your skin receives essential nutrients. Exercise also boosts circulation, promoting healthy, radiant skin by increasing blood flow.

To maintain a youthful look:

• Moisturize daily.
• Use sunscreen when needed.
• Eat foods that promote healthy skin.

Later in this guide, we’ll discuss some foods that can help you maintain a youthful appearance. After all, what you eat plays a significant role in how you look!

6. Avoid Toxins in Your Diet and Environment
As part of your skin care routine, it's important to minimize exposure to harmful toxins in your diet and surroundings. While some factors are beyond your control—such as living in a city with higher pollution or working in an environment with elevated pollutant levels—there are still steps you can take to protect your skin and look younger by detoxifying your body.

One of the key ways to protect your skin is by avoiding excessive sun exposure, regardless of the weather. To help prevent sun damage, consider wearing hats and accessories that block sunlight, and always apply sunscreen to your face or use products with UV protection.

Toxins aren’t only found in the sun, so it’s essential to avoid smoking and secondhand smoke. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 harmful chemicals, many of which cling to water molecules in your skin, causing damage.

If you’re exposed to pollutants, such as while driving in heavy traffic, regular exfoliation can help cleanse your skin of these toxins. You should also be mindful of harmful substances in your diet that accelerate aging, such as:

• Alcohol
• Sweets
• Trans fats
• Caffeine

By reducing your exposure to these toxins, you’re increasing your chances of aging more gracefully and feeling rejuvenated.

7. Medications to Help You Look Younger
For a more advanced approach to skincare, consider incorporating prescription-strength treatments into your routine. Modern medicine is often derived from natural sources, so don’t shy away from using potent skincare prescriptions that can nourish and repair your skin.

Retinoids, a type of vitamin A, are found naturally in foods like beef, eggs, and dairy. These derivatives are vital for skin health and can help protect your skin from signs of aging.

Additionally, pigment controllers can address age spots and sun damage, while hydrators can restore moisture when natural methods fall short. Extra antioxidants can further enhance the benefits of your diet, and sunscreen will continue to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays, all while promoting healthy vitamin D levels.

8. Non-Surgical Procedures for Youthful Skin
If you’ve tried everything without success, non-surgical treatments might be the solution to rejuvenating your appearance and boosting your confidence. These affordable cosmetic procedures can help reverse aging signs without going under the knife.

a) Skin Brightening Treatments
Treatments like Microdermabrasion, Light Peels, Micro Laser Peels, and Clear & Brilliant Laser therapy can leave you looking a decade younger with just a few sessions. These procedures target wrinkles, age spots, and lines on the face, effectively addressing the visible signs of aging.

b) Repair Sun-Damaged Skin
Laser skin resurfacing or chemical peels are excellent options for repairing sun damage and deep wrinkles. These treatments can help remove discoloration, restore skin pigmentation, and heal medium to deep lines, offering a quick and nearly painless solution.

c) Restoring Facial Volume
As we age, we lose facial volume, leading to sagging and hollowed cheeks. Injectable dermal fillers, fat transfers, and other non-surgical procedures can add volume back into your face and restore a youthful contour.

d) Lift and Tighten Sagging Skin
For sagging skin, non-surgical liquid facelifts and dermal fillers can help restore volume and smoothness. While these results typically last around a year, they are a non-invasive alternative to traditional facelifts, neck lifts, eyelid surgery, or brow lifts.

II. How to Make Your Body Look Younger
While facial appearance often grabs attention, your body also plays a key role in how others perceive your age. Below are some tips to help you look and feel younger.

9. Stay Active – Exercise for a Healthy Body
Regular exercise, even in the form of simple stretches and activities like walking, can help reduce the signs of aging in your body. Aim for:

• 20 minutes of exercise daily
• Regular movement throughout the day
• 10,000 steps per day
• Standing rather than sitting at your desk

Exercise boosts circulation, provides nutrients to your body, helps maintain muscle mass, and promotes overall skin health. Staying active contributes to higher energy, increased confidence, and improved well-being.

10. Eat a Balanced Diet – You Are What You Eat!
The saying "you are what you eat" rings true, especially when it comes to your appearance. A poor diet—full of processed sugars, trans fats, and empty carbs—can age you faster. Instead, focus on a diet rich in key vitamins that promote youthful skin:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E

These vitamins can help maintain a youthful appearance. Choose foods like sweet potatoes, citrus fruits, leafy greens, and nuts to nourish your skin and look younger for longer.

11. Stay Hydrated – Our Bodies Are Over 70% Water

Maintaining proper hydration throughout the day helps to reduce fatigue, lower your heart rate, and enhance your physical performance.

In addition to these benefits, staying hydrated positively impacts your mood by reducing confusion, tiredness, and irritability. This, in turn, can increase feelings of calmness and positivity. Since stress is one of the major factors in aging, it is linked to issues such as:

• Graying hair
• Hair loss
• Forehead lines and wrinkles
• Increased cardiovascular problems

Chronic stress can make it harder to maintain a youthful appearance, and prolonged stress levels can cause hormonal imbalances that accelerate visible signs of aging.

Research also shows that hydration boosts brain function. Drinking water can improve cognitive performance during tasks, regardless of age.

Lastly, staying hydrated keeps water flowing to your cells, including your skin cells. By drinking more water, you help maintain your skin's brightness, volume, and repair its texture over time, contributing to younger-looking skin in the long run.

12. Get a Healthy Amount of Sunlight – But Be Careful of Burns

Sunlight is essential for the body because it stimulates the production of vitamin D, which supports healthy bones, skin, and hair. This vital anti-aging vitamin also helps with calcium absorption, crucial for bone growth.

Given the concerns surrounding osteoporosis in older adults, especially women, getting 30 minutes of sun exposure daily (with sunscreen) can help improve bone density and combat age-related changes.

Best of all, this method for looking younger is completely free—just step outside and enjoy some time in the sun.

13. Prioritize Sleep – 7 to 8 Hours a Night is Ideal

Adequate sleep is critical for both brain function and physical health. It supports development at any age and allows you to improve your mood and boost energy levels throughout the day. Proper rest helps you:

• Stay active and exercise
• Reduce stress
• Minimize aging signs

Most health professionals recommend 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night to support optimal bodily function. If you're getting less than that, you're missing out on your beauty sleep!

This simple practice can have a big impact on how youthful you look and feel as you age.

14. Balance Your Hormones – They Change Over Time

As we grow older, our bodies become less efficient at producing certain hormones. This process begins around age 30 and continues throughout our lives.

For women, this is most noticeable during menopause, when estrogen production significantly decreases. These changes can greatly affect both how women look and feel, sometimes causing significant discomfort.

For men, declining testosterone levels can lead to decreased energy, reduced libido, and difficulty maintaining muscle mass.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can help both men and women restore energy, confidence, and a youthful appearance. This treatment, offered by qualified professionals, is designed to counteract the effects of hormonal changes as we age.

III. How to Feel Younger as You Age – The Mind

It’s essential to focus not just on the physical aspects of aging, but also on our mental health. A youthful mindset can translate into a younger appearance and influence how others perceive us. Here are some strategies to help you feel younger mentally, which can, in turn, improve how you look and how you interact with others.

15. Manage Stress – It’s Not Worth It

Stress harms both the mind and body. Chronic stress can destroy brain cells and shrink the prefrontal cortex, which is critical for memory and learning.

To reduce stress levels, try these simple approaches:

• Limit caffeine intake
• Take deep breaths
• Exercise regularly
• Eat a balanced diet
• Practice gratitude
• Take breaks

Stress will only make you feel and look older. Embrace relaxation techniques, appreciate what you have, and give yourself time to unwind.

16. Keep Trying New Things – Avoid Stagnation

As we age, some of the signs of decline can be linked to mental stagnation. The more you engage your mind by learning new things, the sharper your brain remains. When you challenge yourself with new experiences, your brain cleanses itself by clearing out plaque between neurons. This process helps maintain cognitive function and promotes the growth of new neural connections.

Pushing through the discomfort of trying new activities can:

• Foster new brain growth
• Clear neural plaque
• Prevent cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's

By constantly learning and stepping out of your comfort zone, you can stay mentally young and sharp for years to come.

17. Be Confident – Age is to Be Respected

It’s important to embrace your age with confidence. While no one can entirely reverse the natural signs of aging, you should take pride in the progress you’ve made. Confidence in your appearance shines through and radiates from the inside out, because beauty isn’t just about the surface.

If you’re struggling with confidence, consider making small changes—maybe a new hairstyle or a change of scenery with a trip. Communicate with your partner if you're feeling unsure, as their support can help reassure you.

If you're still feeling uncomfortable with the signs of aging, consulting a professional about cosmetic treatments may be worth exploring. Everyone deserves to feel good about themselves, and sometimes, taking steps toward that confidence is a worthwhile investment.

18. Younger Look?

Aging is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look and feel younger. In this article, we’ve discussed several cosmetic treatments, both surgical and non-surgical, that can help you regain a more youthful appearance.

If you’re interested in learning more about these treatments and how they can help you, take our quick cosmetic self-evaluation to see what options may be right for you.

I, Dr. Larry Fan, a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon with over 5,000 cosmetic surgeries performed, am happy to help you achieve a more confident, youthful look. With over a decade of recognition as one of America's Top Plastic Surgeons, I’m confident in my ability to guide you toward the best results for your needs. Contact me today for a personalized consultation!