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Imagine, if you dare... the true story of how a woman and her husband confronted aging.

Not so long ago, this married couple lived a lush life of many pleasures. They wore the best clothes, went to opulent parties and spent long hours smoking, drinking alcohol and living life to the fullest. Or so, they thought. When this man and woman approached their mid 50's, time began to show on their skin.

Being a couple with much wealth, they turned to the professionals for help. And, as you would expect, they thought plastic surgery, filler injections, dermabrasion and laser therapy would be the best way to erase aging. As they continued to attend the lavish parties, they began to notice their colleagues and associates skin. Many had, indeed, gone to the plastic surgeon. The couple noticed that the ones that had used plastic surgery did not seem to look quiet right. Their faces were drawn in an unnatural way, and their smiles were crooked. And, they had not erased aging.

So, the couple began to contemplate that plastic surgery might not be the best way to erase aging. They began to wonder what other options were available. They consulted their doctor and found that a life of smoking and drinking alcohol had really taken a tole on their skin.

Study after study shows how extensively smoking ages the skin. It does a lot of what the sun does. It just does it inside [the body] instead of outside, it makes the skin weak, tired, and listless looking. Smoking also yellows the skin, interferes with its blood supply, and slows wound healing.

Alcohol's effect on your skin is similar to its effect on the rest of your body: it steals the good (hydration) and leaves the bad (dryness, bloating, redness). When you drink alcohol, it hinders the production of vasopressin -- an anti-diuretic hormone. This causes your kidneys to work extra hard to remove excess water from your system, sending water to your bladder (and you to the restroom!) instead of your organs. Don't forget that your skin is the largest organ in the body -- and drinking a lot of alcohol leaves it dehydrated. When skin is dry, it is much more likely to wrinkle and make you look older than you are.

With this information, the couple began to make plans to erase aging. They started by taking their doctor's advise and changed some things about their life style. They decided to quit smoking and to drink only in moderation. This of course, was a very difficult road to take. Plastic surgery would have been much easier, but they knew that if they kept smoking and drinking, the problems would only come back to haunt them and their appearance meant so much to them. Their doctor helped them come up with a simple step by step, day by day plan to send them in the right direction.

The couple's doctor helped them completely quit smoking with hypnosis and acupuncture therapies. And, he told them that red wine can be a healthy beverage if you drink moderately -- no more than one or two 5-ounce glasses daily -- because it has more polyphenol antioxidants than other alcoholic beverages. Polyphenols are linked to cardiovascular benefits, blood sugar improvement and cancer prevention. The couple thought they could probably cut down on alcohol much easier in this way. They both loved red wine.

The next step was to erase the aging of their skin. The couple did see a dermatologist and they were taught about: proper cleansing of the skin (being careful not to damage to delicate skin around the eyes) every morning and every night, when to use moisturizers and when to use skin protectors, the importance of avoiding sun damage to skin and to avoid tanning beds, to avoid spending too much time in a hot bath or shower since this can dry out skin, how exercise can tighten loose skin, eating a diet high in peptides and neuropeptides. And, exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate.

This true story has a happy ending. By following the doctor's advise, this couple knew they could erase aging by changing their lifestyle, which not only erased aging, but gave them a healthier start in general for many years to come.

Copyright (c) 2014 Molly J Buller