New Year's eve is only a few days away, and you need to get your lips in kissable condition for when the ball drops at midnight.  Let me explain to you what happens to our lips as we age and how to battle Father Time when it comes to your lips.
As we grow older,our once full and luscious lips become dry, thin appearing and much less smooth appearing. And most women notice the top lip thins more than the bottom lip. Thinning of the lips occurs from the aging process not only due to environmental damage from the sun, wind, and cold but also from hormonal changes within the body. Decreased estrogen as we age affects our lips. After menopause, the oil producing glands of the lips become diminished, and the result is the once plump lips look deflated.
So what is a girl to do to battle the loss of her pouty lips before, during, and especially after menopause?
Let's go back to the basics of good skin care and apply it to your lips.  In my blog, getting-religious-about-a-skin-care-routine-is-essential.html, the basic steps of a good skin care regimen is reviewed.  The same steps apply to your lips.  

• ​Cleanse and Exfoliate:  Use a good facial wash daily and cleanse your lips.  Once a week, be sure to gently exfoliate the cracked,dry peeling skin.  
• Moisturize and Protect:  During your skin routine you can apply your favorite facial moisturizer over your lips and it will absorb quickly.  During the day, apply lip balm with at least SPF 25 every few hours to keep the lips looking supple. My favorite lip balm is featured in this article essential-product-rodan-fields-lip-shield.  Use your favorite colored creamy lip gloss or lipstick with a built in moisturizer to keep your lips soft.  I personally love shades of pink lip gloss with shimmer and shine when I am getting dressed up and I find very reasonably priced lip gloss choices at Ulta and Walmart. 
• Repair:  A clinically proven micro dermal roller can be used lightly over your lips 6 nights a week, with the 7th day being for the exfoliation step. Rodan + Fields has the AMP IT UP MD Roller which is used to attain firming-looking-skin. The rolling should be followed by applying a lip serum that is loaded with a combination of antioxidants and peptides. Repair serums can be applied at bedtime so that they work their magic as you sleep. A  good serum will stay on all night and it works by stimulating collagen in your lips. ​​​ I recommend Rodan + Fields lip serum as part of your routine nightly regimen. 

Follow this advice and you can pucker up for the Best New Year's Eve ever!
Wishing you All the Best in 2018,
Dr. Younger You

PS You can shop for the Essentials Lip Shield, Redefine Lip Serum, and AMP IT UP MD Roller now at my website DrYoungerYou.myrandf.com

Christmas is now three days away.  Most of us experience the hustle and bustle at this time of the year in our already very busy lives and it can be very overwhelming.  There are presents to buy and wrap, parties to attend, cards to send--the list goes on and on.

As I sat in my kitchen this evening and pondered on what advice or tip or product I can share to be a "Younger You", my Son walked into the room.  He is home on break from his first semester in college.  Our home has definitely gotten more lively and has been brighter by having him home for sure.   I asked him, "So, what can I blog about tonight?"  He replied, "Write about me." in a joking manner.  I laughed. 

At the same time, the phone rang, and I knew it was my Daughter calling me with her routine nightly call as she travels home in her car after her workday.  She often makes it a three way call with my Mom, her Grandmother.  And we just catch up on the little things of our day.  

Tonight in glancing at our Christmas tree, I recall the years when the kids were little, and the base of the tree overflowed with packages of all sizes and shapes.  Remember those days?
This year, there is not so much, but we all agree we don't need anything.

So in the end, I decided to write about my two "Gingers" and here is my message to them.
Dear Son and Daughter, you are my greatest gifts from God, and I will always be here for you. My most precious gift is that we will all be together on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 
I dedicate this song to both of you.
I love you forever,
Mom

Happy Sunday from Pennsylvania, USA.  As I look out of my window this late morning, I see the icicles dripping, dripping, dripping.  The snow is white and pure and the ice is settled over the trees and plants.  Here is my beautiful ice rose to you.  I am wishing you a great week ahead.  And how I want to wish to you a Merry Christmas! Enjoy the song and the Rose!  

Your Friend,
Dr. Younger You :)

Eyebrows are important because they frame your face and give your eyes a lifted look.  The arches of the brow add strength to a woman's face and draw attention to her eyes.  ​As we age, or suffer from illness or medication side effects, a woman's eyebrows can become sparse or completely fall out, thereby loosing the important effect.  I recommend Rodan + Fields lashboost which is not only used on the lashes but it can be used on the eyebrows to get the hairs to grow back and grow thicker and darker looking. 
The aging brow can become gray or white.  This problem can be addressed by going to a salon that will dye the brows a complimentary color.  For example, if you are blonde, brows can be dyed light ash to sable. Even for women with light gray or white hair, the brows can be dyed slate, gray or taupe.  Alternatively, or additionally to dye, you can use a soft eyebrow pencil to fill in sparse areas or holes in your brow line.  But be sure not to pencil too heavily.  It is best to draw in short hairlike lines for a most natural look. 
Finally, be sure you are not over plucking the brows.  The inner corner of the brow should line up with the inner corner of the eye. It is best to have your hairdresser wax below the brow line to get a very clean look.

Here is to Good Health and Much Happiness,
Your Friend Dr. Younger You :)

PS To shop for Lashboost, click DrYoungerYou.myrandf.com and see the enhancement tab.

​Do you flat iron your hair? I do, but not everyday, but when I do, I want an iron that can handle my thick mane.  In this week's blog, I am sharing what I have learned about flat irons. How did I come up with that subject you may ask?  Just like skin care, there are so many brands and choices of flatirons---ceramic, ionic, titanium, tourmaline, in addition to a wide range of prices. 
Last year I was on a mission to buy a new flat iron, and in that blog I taught you about what-is-keratin.?  This year, once again, I need a new flat iron to leave at my camp. I figured some of you may have that item on your Christmas list, or want to buy one for your teenage daughter. So I went back to the independent reviewers and found my friends at review.com gave a great review and came up with three excellent cost effective models on the market.
The extensive review gave me the best flat irons that straighten the hair at the lowest temperature, and with the fewest passes. The reviewers did their testing on different hair types in both the salon and home settings. The flat iron models chosen above the rest included different price ranges to meet consumers' budgets.  Please have a look at the categories: Best Overall, Best Titanium Flat Iron, and Best Budget Flat Iron at www.reviews.com/flat-iron/.
I am running to the store now to get my new flat iron!  

Here is to Good Health and Much Happiness,
Dr. Younger You :)