There have probably been anti-aging products, treatments and regimens since the first cave woman looked into a still pool and said, "Argh!" In today's modern world, where skin is stressed by toxins in the environment, stress and other ills of progress, an entire industry has evolved to keep skin young.

Anti-aging treatments can be as homespun as using buttermilk to fade age spots and avocado to moisturize, or as high-tech as laser skin resurfacing and microdermabrasion. The aim is always the same: to keep time at bay. As the boomer generation hits senior citizen status, the demand for anti-aging systems has itself boomed.

Attitude Adjustment as an Anti-Aging Treatment

Your attitude toward aging may be the most important element in how young you appear. Don't get me wrong--I'm not going to preach the preferability of "natural" aging. I've had a Botox shot or two myself, and microdermabrasion, and I'd love to have my sagging chin adjusted as well as my attitude. But when I think about the most beautiful older women I know, their attractiveness is not based on flawless skin, but on cheerful souls.

I think it's important that younger women protect their skin from the ravages of the sun, and that older women use a good moisturizer faithfully. We owe it to ourselves to make the best of what we have, and if that means a little lipo or a laser resurfacing, go for it. But the most radiant skin won't make up for a sour personality, nor will a few laugh lines detract from real beauty.