Skin cancer symptom photo

Last year alone, an estimated 2.7 million women between the ages of 19 and 64 walked through the doors of doctors' offices looking for ways to slow down the aging of their skin. While the discovery for the fountain of youth has evaded scientists for years, dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons are closer than ever before to helping turn back the clock -- at least when it comes to the body's largest and most complex organ, the skin. Now, thanks to a better understanding of how the skin ages, making major improvements to the appearance of the skin no longer means getting a face-lift. New age-defying creams and minimally invasive procedures, such as skin-firming laser therapies, enable you to take years off your looks. The idea is to start early with these less-invasive anti-aging treatments, says Deborah S. Sarnoff, M.D., clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University and author of Instant Beauty: Getting Gorqeous on Your Lunchtime Break(St. Martin's Press, 2002). To help your skin recapture its youth, follow our advice on these fast face fixes.

the carefree 20s

During this decade, skin cells regenerate at top speed, keeping the complexion soft, smooth and radiant. Collagen and elastin -- the fibers that give skin its plumped-up look and elasticity -- are in optimal health. And photoaging (the evidence of the sun sins of our youth) has yet to appear. That's why the 20s become the prime time to protect skin from free radicals, the volatile particles -- generated by pollution and the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays -- that damage the molecular structure of skin cells, causing the skin to age faster and increasing the risk of skin cancer, according to Los Angeles dermatologist Howard Murad, M.D.

fast face fixes

* Start using antioxidant-based serums and creams. Studies show that topically applied antioxidants like vitamins C and E and polyphenols from qrapeseeds can help fight free-radical damage to the skin. While use of these power nutrients needn't be limited to the 20s, this is the age to make using antioxidant skin products (which can be applied twice daily after cleansing) a habit. Age-defying picks: Lancome Vinefit Cool Gel Oil-Free Moisturizer ($25; Iancome.com), Kiehl's Lycopene Facial Moisturizing Lotion ($35; 800-KIEHLS-1), Clarins Line Prevention Multi-Active Day Cream Protection Plus ($55; gloss.com).

* Layer on a skin lightener if you have freckles or dark pigmentation. After cleansing, use a bleaching agent to keep skin even-toned. Natural botanical-based bleaching agents - kojic acid, licorice extract and the plant extract arbutin - are effective and mild. (Studies show that all help lighten hyperpigmentation spots.) Age-defying picks: DDF Holistic Intensive Skin Lightener with licorice extract ($42.50; 800-4434890), SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel with arbutin ($45; skinceuticals.com) and Peter Thomas Roth Botanical Skin Brightening Gel Complex with kojic acid ($45; peterthomasroth.com).

* Slather on a moisturizer or foundation with added SPF. Broad-spectrum sunscreens (those that block the sun's burning UVB rays and aging UVA rays) with a minimum SPF 15 should be the norm, even on cloudy days. To make protecting your skin even easier, plenty of moisturizing products and foundations already contain broad-spectrum SPFs. Age-defying picks: Aveda Tourmaline Charged Protecting Lotion SPF 15/Oil-Free ($38; aveda.com), Maybelline Smooth Results Age Minimizing Makeup SPF 18 ($9; at drugstores) and Murad Environmental Shield Essential Day Moisture SPF 15($40;murad.com).

tried & tested

A JOLT OF VITAMIN C

At 24, I admit that I'm guilty of taking smooth, youthful skin for granted. But past years of sun worshiping and polluted-city dwelling may be to blame for the fact that my complexion now sometimes flickers instead of glows. That's why I headed to The Helena Rubinstein Beauty Gallery & Spa in New York City to try out the Force C Mega Dose Facial ($140; 212-343-9963), which promised to jump-start my dull skin. There, aesthetician Julie Zhang gently exfoliated my face with round vitamin-C-infused pads before using fresh-cut orange slices with a galvanic machine's light electrical current to deliver another round of the antioxidant. (The current seems to help ingredients penetrate the skin better, according to Zhang.) To top it off, she applied a cold vitamin-C mask and serum. My complexion had never been more radiant (a result that lasted for several days). It was like feeding my skin a much-needed fruit smoothie.

the active 30s

"It's at the age of 30 that women start to notice that their skin looks different but aren't quite sure why," says dermatologist James Leyden, M.D., of the Center for Human Appearance at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The reason: By the time you turn 30, cell regeneration has already started to slow down, making skin look dull. Collagen and elastin, the skin's support structures, aren't being produced as rapidly as in your 20s -- one reason you start to notice fine lines. And your habitual facial expressions (lifting your brows, crinkling your eyes) begin to leave a visible imprint because the fibrous bands that connect skin to the muscles conform to facial movement over time. It sounds depressing, but it doesn't have to be! There's plenty you can do to keep your skin looking young and radiant.

fast face fixes

* Make exfoliation a daily habit. In addition to cleansing your face, you need to exfoliate to help speed up your skin's cellular turnover. (Physical scrubs contain crushed particles of ingredients like cornmeal and nuts while chemical products use mild exfoliants like glucosamine and glycolic acid to get rid of dead skin cells.) Age-defying picks: Origins Never A Dull Moment skin-brightening face polisher with fruit enzymes ($22.50; oriqins.com), Clinique Total Turnaround Visible Skin Renewer with glucosamine ($30; clinique.com) and Ellen Lange Retexturizing Peel with glycolic acid ($65; sephora.com).

* Diminish fine lines with powerful skin (and eye) creams. Cellular repair speeds up when your body is sleeping, which is why it's best to load the skin (particularly the area around the eyes, where skin is thinner) at bedtime with nutrient-rich anti-aging creams. Look for creams with retinol (found in over-the-counter vitamin-A products) and kinetin (an anti-aging compound found in the leaves of green plants). Age-defying picks: Elizabeth Arden Bye Lines Anti-Wrinkle Serum with retinyl linoleate, a patented vitamin-A derivative ($40; elizabetharden.com), Almay Kinetin Skincare Repair & Rejuvenate Night Concentrate and Rejuvenating Eye Treatment ($18 each; at drugstores), RoC Retinol Actif Pur AntiWrinkle Night and Eye Contour Cream ($18 each; at drugstores) and Olay Total Effects Intensive Restoration Treatment ($20; at drugstores).

* Visit your dermatologist, when necessary, for more powerful treatments. Injectables like Botox or Myobloc can be injected into fine wrinkles and expression lines (like those on the forehead) to temporarily paralyze the muscles that cause skinwrinkling expressions. (One possible side effect: Temporarily droopy eyelids if injected too close to the eyes.) And a new lightbased treatment called IPL (Intense Pulse Light), photo rejuvenation or the Photo Facial (at right) bypasses the skin's surface to target the deeper layers, helping smooth out uneven skin tone and repair broken vessels on the face, according to Neil Sadick, M.D., professor of dermatology at the Weill College of Medicine at Cornell University Medical Center in New York. Slight redness after the treatment is the only reported side effect. (For more details, go to aad.org.)

tried & tested

GETTING ZAPPED WITH IPL

The brief "zap! zap!" flashes of bright light being targeted on my face caused me to flinch - despite the fact that I had numbed my skin with a topical anesthetic beforehand. At the age of 32, I was having the newest anti-aging treatment, IPL, or photo rejuvenation, performed on me by New York City dermatologist Neil Sadick, M.D. After just one treatment, the slight redness on my cheeks (one symptom of my rosacea) had begun to fade, leaving barely noticeable brown scabs (a sign that the blood vessels had absorbed the light and been pinched shut). After five 15-minute treatments, the redness was completely gone and my skin was smooth and plumperlooking (a sign, says Sadick, that the treatment may have helped restore my skin's collagen - a claim that's currently being tested in clinical trials). All this with no downtime; I went right back to work afterward.

Valerie Latona

the fabulous 40s