How Your Skin Reflects Your Health

She gently placed the delicate lashes on the eyelid and leaned back to survey her work.

"Sometimes as you age you lose hair," said Emily Thompson, licensed esthetician at Skin and Beauty, a cosmetic and skin boutique in downtown Brunswick.

And she's not just talking about the hair on your head.

Many women can lose eyebrows and eyelashes, and at this session Thompson was busy placing eyelash extensions on a woman.

Along with changes in hair, aging also brings about changes in skin.

"After age 45, you have intrinsic aging from the inside," Thompson said, pausing from her eyelash work. "It is caused by internal factors like hormonal shifts and metabolic slowdown."

This all contributes to the skin sagging, thinning and cracking.

"Your skin reflects your health," said Jeannette Saunders-Bartle, licensed esthetician and owner of Beautiful and Beyond, a permanent makeup business.

"It's your body's canvas and one of its most valuable assets. It is a protective layer that covers the entire body. Our skin changes naturally with age, but there are some important, simple steps you can take to ensure that your skin ages gracefully."

For Thompson, some of the most important things are sunblocks, antioxidants and Retinol, a form of Vitamin A.

Antioxidants in this case are not what you consume, but the creams and lotions you rub on your face. They protect the skin inside and out.

"Sunblock is awesome," Thompson said, adding that the best contains zinc oxide.

Even if you have abused your skin over the years, it is not too late. There are steps you can take to make sure you have that youthful appearance for a long time, whether it's the skin on your face, arms, legs or hands.

"The most basic thing you can do for your skin is protect it from the sun," said Saunders-Bartle. "If you are a sun worshipper at an early age, you can expect to see a lot of wrinkling, weathering and discoloration of the skin as you get older."

Most sun damage does not show up until a person is in the mid 40s and 50s.