Balancing Health and Vanity

There's a fine line between staying healthy and fighting... well, fine lines.

In most cases, what you do for your overall health is in turn great for your skin. But unfortunately, what many do in the name of fighting wrinkles is far from healthy. Injecting synthetic substances into their skin, chemically peeling away healthy layers, and even resorting to surgery all in the name of vanity.

You only have to pick up a magazine or turn on the television to see how these procedures have turned some former Hollywood hotties into near sideshow freaks. Aside from being unhealthy, these attempts to fight off the aging process have the unwanted side effect of changing someone's appearance detrimentally. And the unknown side effects and long term consequences of these procedures make me glad to be comfortable in my own 40-something skin.

No, I'm not suggesting we let ourselves go in the name of health. In fact, just the opposite! True beauty comes from being healthy in the first place. Eating enough fruits and veggies, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly will do more for your outward appearance than any chemical-in-a-jar. Washing your face with a gentle, all-natural cleanser, keeping your skin properly moisturized and avoiding overexposure to the sun, as any honest dermatologist will tell you, is the key to fighting premature aging.

Ingredients found in nature work the best. Period. They really cannot be duplicated in a lab; not successfully anyway. Would you prefer a natural vitamin or a synthetic one? Why would any company try to create in a lab an ingredient that already exists in nature? Because it's cheaper, not better, and they know it.

What do you think? How far are you willing to go to look younger? Will you sacrifice your health? Share your experiences here with the Caren family.