How to stay attractive with 50 plus
The hair gray, in the face wrinkles, the eyelids victim of gravity. Looking in the mirror shows: You are no longer 20. But what is the problem with getting older? From the age of 50, new standards for beauty simply apply.
Young and beautiful? Old and ugly? The pairs of terms seem to belong inseparably together. For many people, beauty and youth are synonymous. “People like to confuse one with the other,” says Frieder Lang, a gerontopsychologist at the University of Bern. Our image of age and our idea of beauty are actually very different things.
Women are getting older, men are becoming more attractive?
The prejudice that beauty decreases steadily with age is particularly affecting women. “While in women ageing is perceived as ugly, it is initially considered attractive in men.” This has been proven by numerous studies, says Lang. “Double Standard of Aging” – double assessment of aging – is what researchers call this phenomenon.
In old age, care and style make you particularly beautiful
However, the psychologist disagrees with the thesis that this is a real problem for all women. Most see getting older more as a challenge. You notice that from a certain age the scales shift. “Attractiveness is no longer measured by the most youthful appearance possible, but by the care of the external appearance,” says Lang. Cosmetics, style and care come to the fore.
New standards: If you didn’t like yourself at 20, you could love yourself at 50
Many women, who in their youth did not meet the usual ideal of beauty, even experience these new standards as liberating. “We know from numerous studies that if you were dissatisfied with your own appearance at 20 or 30, you can suddenly feel very attractive at 50 or 60,” explains the psychologist.
Self-confident ageing: the target group “50 plus”
Style consultants, women’s magazines and beauty blogs have discovered the target group “50 plus” for several years. They promote a self-confident approach to aging. “The number 50 is no longer the fear factor that it was ten years ago,” says style expert Martina Berg, who runs the fashion and lifestyle blog “Lady 50plus“. Her credo: “If you’re a little bit longer in the world, it’s important to get the best out of yourself and not chase some youth ideal.”
Older women should not have the aim of swapping clothes with their daughters, they should be allowed to emphasize their own strengths. Everyone has it – no matter if dress size 38 or 48. “Even with curves or short legs, you can achieve a lot with the right cut,” says Berg.
Courage to color, but less is more
When it all, the style consultant generally recommends more courage to colour. The lips can also tolerate a stronger red. Basically, however, one should not exaggerate when making up in everyday life. “Less is more here. You should avoid glitter and glamour.” Berg advises on lipstick, eyelash ink and blush. If you don’t like make-up, you can also bring a little color to your face with tanning powder. Very important for the style consultant: don’t let yourself go. A certain physical fitness and of course health are important prerequisites for beauty in old age.
Plastic surgery is no longer taboo
But even with the best care, you can’t make wrinkles disappear. Some women manage to accept them as a sign of maturity. Others have difficulty with this. If you are very annoyed by your own wrinkles, modern medicine offers possibilities. Plastic surgery is much more self-evident today than it used to be. “The general acceptance of the population has changed,” says Riccardo Giunta, Chief Physician for Plastic Surgery at the University of Munich Hospital.
Beware of unrealistic expectations
In the meantime, the patients would come into the consultation very confidently and enlightened. However, the vice-president of the Federal Association of Plastic Surgeons warns against unrealistic expectations: “With aesthetic surgery, one can mitigate individual signs of aging and achieve a much fresher appearance.” But a 70-year-old certainly doesn’t become a 20-year-old.
Check your plastic surgeon’s choice carefully
Since the term “plastic surgeon” in Germany is not a protected professional title in Germany, Giunta strongly advises to take a close look at the qualifications of the treating physician beforehand. A serious surgeon can be recognized by the fact that he has completed several years of further training, educates exactly about opportunities and risks and does not trivialise the procedure. Every general anaesthetic carries a certain risk. When cuts are made, vessels and nerves can be injured, scarring and wound infections can occur.
Beautiful despite wrinkles
Even those who can only inject hyaluronic acid to cushion individual parts of the face a little need to know: the effect disappears after six to seven months, as the body absorbs the substance. “And if you fill in too much, unnatural faces are created that look inflated like a balloon,” Giunta explains. A good balance must be struck between replenishment and tightening.
Luckily, there are excellent anti-wrinkle products, such as those from the anti-aging series of MyVitalSkin. The surgeon says that surgery is not the right thing for everyone.
