looking good as we age depends on these four things

in the first of a four-part series on skin health, calgary’s dr. rohan bissoondath takes a look at aging and how looking good as we grow old connects with a healthy lifestyle.in cosmetic medicine, some of the most frequently asked questions have to do with how to look younger and getting rid of wrinkles. but there are also many people who simply want to know how to look great for their age. a lot of the time, clients are hoping for a quick fix to avoid looking older, but the truth is, the anti-aging process can be a lifelong journey (at least for now) or what i call, a “start right now” journey that combines a personal investment in health and the science of skin care. at its core, aging well comes down to empowering each individual to own their aging.first and foremost, aging is a verb. it happens to all of us. when most people think of aging, growing old, and getting wrinkled, they refer to their chronological age. for example, i was born in 1970, so i’m 50 years old. but when you think of the 50-year-olds you know, not everyone who is 50 looks the same, or is aging at the same rate. yes, some people have the advantage of genetics, but the biggest part of aging — and owning how we age — is our lifestyle, or more accurately, our “healthstyle.” basically, the foundations of biological aging begin and end at the cellular level.what the heck does that mean? aging (i promise, it’s still a verb) is the result of the deterioration of cellular function. how we slow the aging process is by managing the healthspan of our cells.this may sound technical and complicated, but there is an easy way to look at it. we have more control than we think when it comes to aging. when we focus on living a healthy lifestyle, we have the power to slow down how we biologically age, and have the opportunity to not only extend how long we live, but to improve the quality of our lives and our years.

four ways to take control of aging

the four most important things we can do to take back control of both our health and our aging include, optimizing sleep, consuming a personalized, healthy diet, getting your heart rate up once a day (yes, i mean exercise) and managing mental wellbeing. these four actions promote cell regeneration and improve the body’s overall wellness, including the aesthetic appearance of our skin. have you ever had one of those days when you wake up in the morning, you look in the mirror and think, ‘wow, my skin looks good today.’ you realize that you feel good all over. there’s no lagging tiredness, you’re full of energy and you feel like you’re glowing. when that happens, think about what you did over the last few days — i’m willing to bet that some, if not all four, of these practices played a part.when it comes to anti-aging, my philosophy always begins with these four pillars of health: sleep, diet, exercise and mental wellbeing. in partnership with those fundamentals, there are innovative technologies — from injectables (the miracle of botox and fillers) to the customized advancements in medical grade skin care. if you choose to explore these options, entrust your skin health to a doctor who will work with you to create a customized plan that includes health, wellness and aesthetics. the three cannot be considered separate.science is getting close to developing medications and technologies that can actually disrupt the aging process. the next evolution of our industry is in precision medicine where science, technology and innovation come together to give us information that has never before been available about our overall health and our options for the future. this touches every part of our health and well-being — including our largest organ, the skin.join me next week to explore the myths and musts of cosmetic medicine.dr. rohan bissoondath, md, is the medical director and founder of preventous collaborative health and preventous cosmetic medicine. he is a board member of the canadian association of aesthetic medicine and is certified by the college of family physicians of canada and licensed through the college of physicians and surgeons of alberta.don’t miss the latest on covid-19, reopening and life. subscribe to healthing’s daily newsletter covid life.