Angela Lukach
That’s a picture of me!
I’m 50 years old—today if you’re reading this on August 2nd.
You know that Diane Lane commercial where she says she doesn’t want to look good for her age, she just wants to “look good”? For once, I’m going to be completely immodest and say that’s me on *both* accounts. People always think I’m much younger than I actually am. But if they saw my hands instead of my face, I think they’d figure it out pretty fast.
I have bathed in sunscreen for more than 30 years. The last time I remember getting too much sun was 27 years ago.
Over the past six-plus years, I have gone on about sunscreen many, MANY times in this space. There are those who disagree with me, often vehemently. And lately, there has been a sunscreen backlash with respect to the chemicals contained in those products and in their use of Vitamin A derivatives. Sure, Retin-A is great for your face, but it looks like Vitamin A in sunscreen could do more harm than good.
No matter what we’re using on our skin or putting in our bodies, it pays to be an informed consumer. Then it’s up to us to decide whether or not the associated risk is acceptable to us.
Which is how I made the decision to start using Botox for my forehead wrinkles a few years ago.
When I was a child and petrified of getting lock jaw from rusty metals, I probably would have gazed at you in astonishment if you had suggested that the adult me would willingly put inert botulinum toxin into my face. But when I was a child, no one told me that I had a bad habit of raising my eyebrows while I read; a habit that would get worse with the introduction of computers in later years.
It’s purely vanity, of course; I started doing it after being dumped by my long-time love. When you’re back on the dating market at the ripe old age of 47 and a half, you do what you have to do in order to compete with all the other eligible women out there.
Would I get a face lift? Probably not, but I won’t rule out a nose job—even at this point in my life.
As for aging “gracefully”, I see no problem in wanting to look “good” well into my 90s, should I live that long. I actually get a kick out of shocking people when they find out how old I am.
So what do I put on this face? The usual suspects are: Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 45 with Helioplex; Olay Regenerist Serum and MAC Cosmetics Select SPF foundation in shade NC20. I wash with whatever cleanser is on sale and a gentle brush I get at The Body Shop. I eat a lot of fresh berries and carry a parasol in the summer months.
I figure those should all carry me through the next 50 years!
