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Mirror, Mirror, let me see,
The Beauty that I used to be.
Fillers and lasers artfully applied,
Will erase the years for a youthful style!
I've always been obsessed with beauty
Recently I hosted a podcast about beauty and the aging process with Kylie William, Director of Marketing at Contour Dermatology. We had a lively discussion about how aging affects us physically and emotionally and what we can do in later years to recapture the magic of a more youthful look.
I’ve always been obsessed with beauty and wrote a book on the subject. My vision for this and later podcasts is to share our thoughts and ideas on how our bodies evolve while aging and what makes us look and feel beautiful. I’m excited to reveal beauty secrets that will make you look your best every day and help you feel fabulous inside and out.
…I’ve always been obsessed with beauty and wrote a book on the subject.
It's More than a Facial Treatment
Recently I hosted a podcast about beauty and the aging process with Kylie William, Director of Marketing at Contour Dermatology. We had a lively discussion about how aging affects us physically and emotionally and what we can do in later years to recapture the magic of a more youthful look.
…I’ve always been obsessed with beauty and wrote a book on the subject.
I’ve always been obsessed with beauty and wrote a book on the subject. My vision for this and later podcasts is to share our thoughts and ideas on how our bodies evolve while aging and what makes us look and feel beautiful. I’m excited to reveal beauty secrets that will make you look your best every day and help you feel fabulous inside and out.
Focus on what makes you beautiful
Let’s start by focusing on what makes you beautiful. There are many myths and surprising facts about what makes someone attractive, and I don’t believe the saying “Beauty is in the eyes of the Beholder” is necessarily true. Many believe the standards for beauty are cultural, and people on different continents will have dissimilar assessments for beauty. However, the fact is that people in all countries look at faces and rank beauty the same way. This is known as cross-cultural beauty, and everyone worldwide will choose the same face as beautiful.
Beauty Rankings are important because we are sexual beings
Several magazines publish annual lists of the most beautiful people in the world. These beauty ranking lists may seem judgmental, but we are all wired to see beauty in others because we are sexual beings. Our DNA programs us to desire sex with people who are beautiful since beauty represents health and fertility.
…Our DNA programs us to desire sex with people who are beautiful since beauty represents health and fertility.
Studies reveal the more beautiful you appear, the healthier you are. Amazingly, a recent study showed that a group of blind people could rank people from least to most beautiful without touching them. It may sound crazy, but perhaps other senses kick in, such as a sexy scent, sound, or pheromones.
Theories of what makes some people appear beautiful
There are theories of what makes someone appear beautiful to others, such as averageness, symmetry, and ratios. The characteristics of youth also define beauty since young people have rich, natural hair color, even skin tone, and a lack of pores creating smooth skin. There is also sexual dimorphism which is the difference in appearance between males and females. These characteristics make us more attractive, such as women with heart-shaped faces and men with square jaws.
Studies demonstrate that women are more attracted to strong jawed men who appear more masculine during the ovulation cycle. For similar reasons, men are more attracted to women with hourglass figures, heart-shaped faces, and big lips, representing fertility.
Studies reveal the more beautiful you appear, the healthier you are. Amazingly, a recent study showed that a group of blind people could rank people from least to most beautiful without touching them. It may sound crazy, but perhaps other senses kick in, such as a sexy scent, sound, or pheromones.
Comparing beautiful people's photos online
We looked at Getty Images of models, illustrating how extrinsic factors such as lighting and makeup can tweak a model’s appearance. It was amazing to compare photos where the model was angled and posed correctly with those not posed. The model looked like a completely different person. The photographer touched up some images to create a smaller waistline or reduce signs of aging. Unfortunately, touched-up photos cause everyday people to aspire to unrealistic standards of beauty. Yet, we both laughed and said we would be quite happy living in a photo-shopped world!
Several theories define beauty. The first concept is averageness, and I’m not sure I agree with this principle. This theory postulates that if we take a group of ten women and morph their faces into one composite, the composite would be more beautiful than the individual faces. When people were showed all the individual faces and the composite, everyone chose the morphed face. This theory is interesting, but I find it implausible.
…unfortunately, touched-up photos cause everyday people to aspire to unrealistic standards of beauty…
We looked at photos of celebrities to judge the symmetry of their faces. Most of us believe we have a “good side” of our face and focus on that side when taking a picture. Kim Kardashian says she doesn’t have a bad side, so it doesn’t matter which side of her face photographers snap. Lucky Kim! Amber Heard is the celebrity ranked with the #1 most symmetrical face, and Kate Moss is ranked #3, and both ladies dated Johnny Depp!
Kim Kardashian says she doesn't have a bad side
The second theory defining beauty is symmetry. This notion states that when a face is constructed symmetrically, it is more pleasing it is to the eye. Kylie found this theory fascinating because she believed my goal is to make one side of a patient’s face match the other side. However, I don’t generally find this technique to be true.
…The third theory is the Golden Ratio of beauty, also known as Phi, or Fibonacci. This number, 1.62, is the mathematical symmetry algorithm that underlies our perception of attractiveness.
The third theory is the Golden Ratio of beauty, also known as Phi, or Fibonacci. This number, 1.62, is the mathematical symmetry algorithm that underlies our perception of attractiveness. The closer a face gets to this number, the higher the level of its perceived beauty. Supposedly, Leonardo Da Vinci used this rule when he painted the Mona Lisa. Model Bella Hadid’s face is considered 94.35% perfect according to the Golden Ratio. This concept is also consistent in nature, architecture, painting, and music.
I prefer the Rule of Thirds that make up an ideal face.
As a cosmetic surgeon, I prefer the Rule of Thirds that make up an ideal face. This concept simplifies the Golden Rule since it gives you roughly the same desired effect but is easy to envision and implement. One-third is the upper part of the face to the eyebrow. The next third is from the eyebrow to the bottom of the nose. The last third is the bottom of the nose to the chin.
Artists use specific ratios regarding how far apart eyes should be, the width of a nose, and the height of an upper lip. Like an artist who draws faces from scratch, as a cosmetic surgeon, I use these ratios to provide me with the target I’m aiming to achieve. That’s why I prefer this theory rather than averageness or symmetry. It’s all about facial proportions.
Weight is also an important factor for beauty and is cross-cultural too. People look more attractive when their bodies are in great shape. Weight correlates to fertility since overweight women are not as fertile as those in proportionate shape. We used to have a weight loss center, and when we aided women with appropriate diet plans, they lost weight and became pregnant more easily.
The aging process is like a thief who steals our beauty
Lastly, youth is beautiful since young people have a fresh and innocent appearance. When we’re young, skin is tight, eyes are bright, and you can still look great with little sleep or a hangover. Most young people have great confidence and good self-esteem. Aging makes you feel less confident, and social media places a greater emphasis on beauty for people of all ages.
The aging process is like a thief who steals our beauty, poise, and confident attitude. Initially, everyone thought gravity caused aging, but it’s a deeper phenomenon. There are three layers of the aging process; fat under the skin starts to break down, the texture of the fat underneath your skin changes, and there is bone loss. Beautiful, youthful faces are smooth with a soft transition between the eyes and cheeks. Foreheads are broad and smooth, the area around the eyes is even, and there are no dreaded wrinkles around the mouth.
As we age, collagen breaks down, resulting in sunken cheeks, deeper smile lines, lipstick, and marionette creases around the mouth, and the chin gets wrinkly. The network of fat pads under the skin is like a jigsaw puzzle, with some getting thicker and some contracting, resulting in a mess we can’t see. Fillers instantly address these issues, and they are extremely popular as a quick fix.
One reason I recommend a mini-facelift to patients is due to osteoporosis of the face. The disease creates a loss of the boney skeleton around the eyes, nose, and jawline. The lack of support contributes to facial sagginess and droopiness. Mini facelifts boost the skin around the eyes and help shape and smooth the orbital area where you see most signs of aging.
…As we age, collagen breaks down, resulting in sunken cheeks, deeper smile lines, lipstick, and marionette creases around the mouth, and the chin gets wrinkly.
Jennifer Aniston still looks magical at 51
Sometimes patients bring photos of celebrities they would like to resemble. I tell them that the beautiful faces they see on Instagram might not be appropriate for their facial structure. I suggest they bring a photo similar to the shape of their face and be realistic with expectations.
You can moderate some extrinsic factors that contribute to aging if you take care of your skin when you’re young. Smoking is terrible for the skin, as well as yo-yo dieting, which leads to sagging flesh. Beware since the sun will destroy your collagen and the elasticity of your skin, especially if you have less pigment. Drug use also speeds up the aging process.
It’s interesting to watch the signs of aging in celebrities in photos and films. Jennifer Aniston still looks magical at 51, and it’s evident she puts effort into using products to nurture her skin and hair. She also maintains a stable weight with exercise and yoga to preserve a lithe body and young spirit. Angela Bassett and J Lo also look amazing with shiny hair, great teeth, lips, and well-toned bodies.
Aging is individual, and I believe beauty encompasses how you feel about yourself. As a leader in the cosmetic industry, our mission is to make you look and feel beautiful and alluring. The payoff of feeling beautiful is that you exude self-confidence, and I’m very motivated to assist people in obtaining that self-assurance.
There is such an emotional impact when you’ve been attractive in youth and lost that beauty with age. Cosmetic surgery can boost your spirit, but you must work on yourself physically and emotionally along with cosmetic surgery to achieve that youthful appearance and glow.
I hope I’ve answered some of your questions about aging and beauty. We will discuss the benefits of cosmetic surgery in future podcasts, specifically why people have the procedures and how it makes them feel afterward.
We encourage you to call our office to set up a consultation so our staff can help you with the aging process and make you look and feel beautiful again.
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s 11-year-old daughter, Willow, was recently given a tongue-lashing on social media after posting a picture of herself sporting a tongue piercing on Instagram.
The first step is to get the acne under control. For moderate to severe acne, I typically recommend Accutane. It’s a proven therapy and only requires a short course, but has long-lasting results.
Dr. Timothy Jochen Medical Director, Contour Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Center Dr. Jochen specializes in Mohs Surgery for skin cancer…
Dr. Timothy Jochen Medical Director, Contour Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery Center Dr. Jochen specializes in Mohs Surgery for skin cancer…
The Excel V treats a variety of vascular conditions and pigmented lesions and it definitely helps patients get out of the red and into the clear.
