FLARE.COM January 2015

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Don’t want to look old as $*%#? What to do—and have done—on the DL

BY MICHELLE VILLETT

WHEN RENÉE ZELLWEGER stepped onto the red carpet this October, she found herself at the centre of a!Twitter storm over aging, self- esteem and cosmetic tinkering. Gone was her trademark heavy- hooded squint, apparently eye-lifted beyond recognition; newly plumped- out- to- there cheeks stuck out on her cherubic face. Although Zellweger issued a!statement attributing her new look to nothing more than a!healthier, happier, more peaceful life, her exp-lanation had some crying bogus. “It’s not that she looked bad, or that the work was bad,” says Dr. Nowell Solish, cosmetic dermatologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto. “It’s that the work was noticeable, because she had a!fair bit done all at once.”

Done right, signs of the new you should be too "ne to pin down. “#ere’s a!backlash against the very unnatural- looking faces we see from Hollywood,” says Dr. Vince Bertucci, founder of Bertucci MedSpa in Woodbridge, Ont., and president- elect of the Canadian Dermatology Association. “Now, it’s about making subtle improvements over time that will just be noticed as looking refreshed.” Call it stealth anti-aging via next-level treatments, subtler techniques and super- powered skincare. We asked the pros for what to target—and how to do it without anybody suspecting a!thing.

SEE THE LIGHTYoung skin is naturally glowy (see: the #nomakeupsel"e). But over time, UV exposure and hormonal changes spur the production of melanin, the pigments responsible for brown spots and patchiness. #en, as our cells’ natural turnover rate gets sluggish with age, dead skin builds up. Voilà: a!duller, ashier complexion.AT THE DERM’S Back in the day, laser resurfa-cing meant ablation—basically, removing an entire layer of sun- damaged skin—followed by weeks of invite- dodging downtime. More recently, gentler, non-ablative treatments (which target the dermis, beneath skin’s surface, instead of the epidermis, or top layer) have become more popular, though they usually require repeat treatments to get results. Now there’s the Halo Hybrid Fractional Laser, which delivers both ablative and non- ablative wavelengths—so you get the dramatic results of the former with the minimal hideout time of the latter. “It addresses brown spots, acne scars and pores, as well as "ne to moderate wrinkles,” says Dr.!Mark Lupin, dermatologist and founder of Cosmedica in Victoria, and a! clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia. An even milder option is the Clear + Brilliant laser (from $300 per treatment)—consider it a!beginner’s Fraxel. “#ere’s minimal downtime,” explains Dr.!Solish. At some clinics, the OxyGeneo facial (from $150) is replacing microderm abrasion. A!soft PH

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exfoliating tip made of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid produces carbon dioxide bubbles that burst when they touch the active-ingredient gel on your skin; the action stimulates oxygenated blood ! ow to your face while boosting skincare absorption. " e results? A radiant and more even-toned re! ection.ON YOUR OWN It sounds medieval, but micro-needling—poking your face with what looks like a#tiny, prickly lint roller—is a#DIY way to illuminate, says dermatologist Dr.#Katie Rodan, one of Proactiv’s original creators. Her latest o$ ering, the Rodan + Fields AMP MD System ($237 for kit with roller and night serum ) launches in Canada this month . “It’s based on the concept of how fractional lasers work,” she says. “It causes some micro-exfoliation for more skin cells to turn over, and gives you a#nice glow.” Meanwhile, the new Tria Age Defying Laser ($569) is a#hand- held resurfacing gadget (which works like a#mini Clear + Brilliant, says Dr.#Lupin); you can use it with the brand’s intensive bright-ening topicals, such as the vitamin C–rich moisturizer, said to soak in up to four times more e$ ectively when used post- treatment.

SET YOUR SIGHTSBeing on the receiving end of “You look tired”—after eight hours in the sack—is a sure sign of premature aging. In your teens, your eyebrow contour is arched and sits higher up. But as time passes and gravity sets in, “the upper lids become hollower, giving a#sunken appearance,” says Dr.#Bertucci. “" e brows also start to plunge, bringing the lids down with them.” Below the eyes, fat can accumulate to cause bags, and thinning skin makes dark circles more obvious.AT THE DERM’S Nixing excess skin through blepharoplasty surgery used to be the go- to for droopy lids, but the procedure typically leaves patients with an awake-yet-recessed look—the opposite of younger eyes. Now, a#few doctors are taking a#slyer and less invasive tactic: injecting % llers such as Juvéderm Volbella ($600–$900) into the hollows of the upper lids, parallel to the eyelashes. “Shaping brows with % ller in combination with Botox lifts the brows,” adds Dr.#Bertucci, “which makes them project bet-ter.” Fillers can also add volume into under- eye depressions, which corrects shadows .ON YOUR OWN For the knife- averse, Living Proof’s breakthrough Neotensil ($500 for a#two-month supply, sold through dermatolo-gists) is a#noninvasive two- step product that acts like shapewear for seriously pu$ y bags. Once you’ve applied the invisible polymer % lm to the lower lids, it smooths and compresses under- eye pooch to make it less glaring. " e e$ ect lasts until you take o$ the ! exible, non-sticky, skin- like % lm with the oil- based remover (included)

at night. For lasting results, products like the new La Mer " e Illuminating Eye Gel ($160) plump with algae ferment while re! ective pearl pigments lend trompe l’oeil brightening.

HOLD THE LINEYoung skin is like a#rubber band: “Everyone shows forehead wrinkles if they’re raising their eyebrows,” says Dr.#Solish. “But if they’re not and the lines are still visible, that’s an early sign of aging .” Other trouble spots include crinkles at the outer eye corners and between your brows, where % ne lines sneak up in your 30s. AT THE DERM’S Nicknamed “Frotox,” Iovera’s new- to- Canada Focused Cold " erapy ($600–$900) purportedly freezes wrinkles using your body’s innate response to icy temperatures —a#“natural” Botox alternative. “" e cold creates a# mild temporary injury to nerves, which relaxes muscles and diminishes expression lines,” explains Dr.#Bertucci; the treatment takes 20#to 45#minutes and results last up to % ve months. " e downside? It should be used only on the forehead, and it lacks the precision of Botox. " e latter is jabbed more sparingly these days: “It’s not about erasing every line,” says Dr.#Solish, who injects Botox mainly in the crow’s feet and frown lines, where its e$ ects last up to four months. “I put very little in the forehead, because when you don’t have any animation there, it looks unusual.”ON YOUR OWN " ough topical Botox isn’t in stores yet, it could be soon. California- based biopharma company Revance " erapeutics recently kick-started trials for a#crow’s-feet-smoothing gel based on the same botu linum toxin used in the sought- after injectable; its % ndings should be released early this year. Until then, the gold standard in wrinkle- busting topicals remains retinol, a#collagen booster you can % nd in Rx creams (retinoids) and over-the-counter products like StriVectin Advanced Retinol Day Treatment SPF 30 ($109).

TAUTEN AND TONECosmetic doctors call it the “triangle of youth”: a#face shaped like an upside-down triangle, widest through the middle and narrower at the chin. Most of us begin that way, but eventually cave to gravity. Volume starts to de! ate, the face falls, and the jawline and jowls become the widest point—welcome to the “pyramid of age. ” Also typical is losing youthful contours, particularly the S- shaped curves of the cheeks.AT THE DERM’S “Fillers, done correctly, can be the single most e$ ective way to look great without looking ‘treated,’” says Dr.#Lupin, who uses them to restore fullness and a#balanced shape. " e newest ones are tailored to speci% c zones: Juvéderm’s Volift ($600–$1,200) is best for smile lines and lasts up to a year, while its Voluma ($800–$1,500) is for the cheeks, chin

DIY (DERM-IT-

YOURSELF)

LA MERThe Illuminating Eye Gel, $160

YSLForever Youth Liberator

Y- Shape Creme, $155

STRIVECTINAdvanced Retinol Day

Treatment SPF 30, $109

RODAN!+! FIELDSAMP MD System (roller and

retinol capsules shown), $237

LIVING PROOFNeotensil Daily Under-Eye Reshaping Procedure, $500

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January 2015 FLARE.COM

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EYELASHENHANCING

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While surgeons and scientists pursue the latest in tech, a!throwback method for lifting a!sagging face has gained traction: facial exercise. Joanna Vargas, facialist to So"a Coppola and Karlie Kloss, offers a!$400!Triple Crown treatment, in which she uses a!pronged tool to send microcurrents deep into the facial muscles, making them pulse and, the theory goes, toning them up. StriVectinLABS, meanwhile, recently released a!similar electro- current device (Facial Toner, $199) that looks like headphones you place on your jowls with conductive gel. And in Toronto, Power Institute, an exclu-sive gym in tony Yorkville, now offers post-workout Skin Fitness ($500), in which an esthet ician runs a!vibrating probe over the face, supposedly stimulating the produc-tion of plumping hyaluronic acid. But the most elaborate beauty workout is Face Gym (pictured), recently launched at Selfridges in London. For four!years, its founder, Inge Theron, wrote the FinancialTimes.com’s Chronicles of a Spa Junkie column, for which she travelled the globe, reviewing spas and using herself as a!guinea pig for 25!anti- aging

procedures. She gave up the gig after an experience that, as she puts it, left her “looking like Michael Jackson.” The treatment in question was the!gold-thread face lift, popular in South Korea. Fine gold threads are woven under the skin in an imperceptible grid that’s supposed to stimulate collagen for up to 12!years. In Theron’s case, the threads were far from imperceptible: “You know how the top of a!curtain, where you put a!thread through ma-terial, puckers? My chin literally puckered like that,” she says. “That was the moment I!started looking for a!lifting system that’s safe and natural.” Here’s what she deduced: there are close to 50!muscles in the face that need to be tightened just like glutes or abs. Her 30- minute regimen (£35) includes a!warm- up, cardio, strength training and a!cool-down, a!progression that escalates from stretching and kneading by a!“trainer” to pummelling (“It’s like being

slapped around with a!"sh,” jokes Theron) to deep- tissue massage to gentle rolling with a!cooling jade stone. —Rachel Heinrichs

THE BEAUTY WORKOUT

and cheekbones and lasts up to 18!months. But sometimes "llers aren’t enough. “If the skin is still sagging, tightening treatments [such as the new Exilis] can give some lift, or at least prevent it from getting any worse,” says Dr.!Bertucci. ON YOUR OWN A!new skincare trend counteracts slackness by creating the look of sculpted angles. A!bestseller in Asia that arrived in North America this fall, Clarins Shaping Facial Lift ($77) promises to hone a!V- like contour—slimming the face, re"ning the cheeks and lifting the jawline. Similarly, YSL’s new Forever Youth Liberator Y- Shape Concentré and Crème ($155 each) zero in on restoring the “ideal Y- shape”—facial contours, neck and décolletage. Both of YSL’s formulas tap into the science of glycobiology (the study of complex sugars found in all human cells). According to YSL Beauté’s consulting dermatologist Dr. #ierry Michaud, glycans play a!vital role in skin structure and cell- to- cell communication—but they weaken with age, leading to sagging and disappearing de"nition. #e formulas contain two glycans that stimulate skin’s own glycans. “#is is new scienti"c territory,” asserts Michaud. “Soon, just by looking at the glycans in skin, we’ll be able to determine a!person’s true biological age.”

GET LIPPYAdolescent lips naturally have a slight upturn at the corners. #ey’re also smooth-er around the edges and plumper, until your 20s. AT THE DERM’S Botox, traditionally reserved for erasing furrows between eyes or across the forehead, is now a!way to lift up drooping lips, too. It’s injected into the muscles that pull down those corners (from $350), and its e$ect can last for several months. For restoring fullness, Juvéderm Volbella is a!new hyaluronic acid–based "ller speci"cally for lips. Unlike other "llers, “it integrates nicely to give a smooth, natural contour,” says Dr.!Bertucci; the results last up to a!year. But just as important as the formula is the application. “#e upper lip should always be thinner than the lower one so you don’t look treated,” says Dr.!Lupin. Fillers can also soften vertical “smoker’s lines” above the lips, and the pleats beside the corners of the mouth.ON YOUR OWN: Anti-aging lip care abounds, including Fresh’s purported-ly wrinkle- smoothing Sugar Lip Serum Advanced #erapy ($41) and 3Lab’s Healthy Glow Lip Balm ($55), which claims to treat "ne lines as it hydrates.

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