1).  LIPS

To all my older besties out there, you know that your lips are a major area that shows your age.  If you want to have the appearance of youth, you need to do a few important things to keep your lips plump and young looking.  Firstly, keep those babies hydrated, which boosts collagen and helps prevent wrinkles.  Yes, lips wrinkle too.  Of course, avoid too much sun exposure and do not smoke.

Now, if you were born with thin lips and find they are disappearing with each passing year, filler technology has really advanced in recent years. I personally tried fillers in my 50’s.  After a few months, the fullness was gone, along with with the Benjamins spent to acquire them.  Frustrating to the max!

Recently, I tried Juvederm XC and I really love how my lips look like they did when I was young.  More importantly, it lasts 12-18 months!  If you can swing it, it’s totally worth it for a quick enhancement that reverses aging literally instantly…well, after the swelling goes down a few days later.  If you want to learn more about the longest lasting fillers for 2024, check out: https://dhhmedspa.com/posts/the-most-popular-lip-fillers-for-fuller-lips-in-2024/#:~:text=Discover%20the%20most%20popular%20lip,when%20selecting%20a%20qualified%20injector.

2).  TEETH

Practicing excellent dental hygiene and dental care matters more than you might think, as the vermillion of the lips can over time appear sunken or turn inward.  Many people do NOT know that our teeth DO move as we age, which can change lip appearance.

It wasn’t that many decades ago, that having to transition to dentures was almost a given.  Thankfully, dentistry is much improved and losing your teeth takes true neglect to make that happen.

Even so, after the age of 50, gum disease, bone density and loss of bone, can impact alignment.  That once loved smile you acquired through painful years of braces may be returning to their former crooked self.  With mal-alignment, you may even start to crack or break teeth, causing expensive dental repairs.  Mal-alignment can also inhibit your ability to keep your teeth clean and flossed, leading to cavities and gum disease.

Contact points (the space between your teeth) should be neither too small or too large, in order to prevent food pocketing.  An easy way to test if your contact points are correct is to floss.  You should need to use a little bit of effort to move the floss down between the teeth, but it shouldn’t be so tough you almost can’t get it through or the floss breaks.  If it’s just swimming freely between the teeth, you have a big problem as food will pocket and bacterial will bury itself down into the gums.

Our mouths are dirty places dear.  There’s even one bacteria found in the mouth that, should it take up residence in the gums, can get into the bloodstream and is thought to contribute to the development of Altzheimer’s.  https://www.alz.org/co/news/oral-health-and-alzheimers-risk#:~:text=Scientists%20have%20found%20that%20this,memory%20loss%20and%20eventually%20Alzheimer’s. 

I know many of you have experienced the pain and stress of caring for a loved one with dementia in your 50+ years as I have.  Just when you are getting ready to launch your children off into the world and you think you’ll have time to really put yourself first, you find yourself caring for a spouse or a parent.  So, the last thing you want to have happen to you is that same destiny.

Indeed, many of my current health goals have, at their base, a desire to not let the same happen to me and to not burden my child with the fate I once endured.  I now know that making yourself a priority is NOT selfish.  Truly embracing putting yourself first, especially as we age, can determine if your Golden Years are even a possibility.

So, take the time to love yourself enough to care for this little area of your body.  The impact is big.  Not only will you feel better about YOU, but your health will improved markedly.  Spend the money to care for your lips and teeth and you will save money in the long run, whether that’s at the dentist office, or more drastically, assisted living.

Love yourself besties, because you deserve it!

– Mrs. Sassy Pants