Before

Sure, you’re familiar with Botox, but have you heard about Dysport, the newly approved injectable wrinkle treatment? Well, it is an instant anti-ager. How do I know it makes you look younger? I recently got Dysport injections from Neil Sadick, MD, a dermatologist in New York City.

Here’s why I did it: Just after my 30th birthday, I noticed a vertical crease between my brows that stayed put whether I was smiling or frowning. Soon after, within a one-week period, I had several strangers stop me on the sidewalk to say, “Smile!” (Gotta love those blunt New Yorkers.) After each of those remarks, I’d think to myself, I am happy—don’t I look it? Then I’d notice my reflection in a window and see that, no, in fact, I didn’t look happy. I looked mad at the world.

After

Being a generally happy, relaxed person, I decided I’d like to look it. So last spring, I asked my dermatologist about Dysport, the injectable wrinkle treatment that “freezes” muscles so they cannot make the involuntary contractions that lead to wrinkles and, in my case, a permanently pissed expression. Like Botox, Dysport is made from a modified version of botulinum toxin that inhibits facial muscle contractions. And, according to Dr. Sadick, it seems to take effect more quickly than Botox and last a tiny bit longer. Since it’s been used safely in Europe for years, I figured I’d give it a try.

It took Dr. Sadick about five minutes to administer the treatment, and it was absolutely painless. The next morning, I wasn’t really able to raise or furrow my eyebrows, which freaked me out a bit. But three days later, the treatment seemed to settle in and I was able to make normal (if slightly subdued) facial expressions. Amazingly, though, my forehead wrinkles and that nasty vertical crease had disappeared. I looked happy and relaxed, and, interestingly, I felt more relaxed. I also found the tension headaches I used to get in the afternoon (probably brought on by staring at small type on a computer screen) had stopped. An unexpected bonus!

Now it’s been 10 weeks since my Dysport treatment and I am thrilled with the results. If I stare intently at myself, I can see that the vertical line is starting to creep slowly back onto my face, but it’s still a million times better than it was. As for my forehead? It remains blissfully line free.

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Today’s skin moisturizers are worlds better than the one you started using in your 20s. Here’s how to find your perfect product for gorgeous grown-up skin.

In Your 30s

What’s Going On
Luckily, your skin is in good shape, so you don’t have to waste a second worrying about deep wrinkles. However, you might notice fine lines and age spots, says Anne Chapas, MD, a 35-year-old dermatologist in New York City. Also, “women in their 30s may have redness from sun damage or flushed skin caused by rosacea,” a skin condition that often appears for the first time in your 30s, she notes. Another occasional issue? Under-eye circles. (Blame genetics or the stress and sleepless nights this decade often brings.)

What You Can Do…Your morning routine
After cleansing, hydrate and protect your skin with a lightweight lotion that has sunscreen. If you have any unwanted rosiness, look for one that also contains feverfew. “It’s a natural ingredient that reduces redness,” Dr. Chapas says. On mornings when dark under-eye circles are a problem, apply a cream that has caffeine, which helps shrink capillaries so discoloration is less noticeable.

Your evening routine
Now is the time to start using a night cream that treats fine lines and your first age spots. Look for one with ingredients like arginine, an amino acid that helps fade spots, and retinol, which “helps build collagen and reduce fine lines,” according to Dr. Chapas. If you still get occasional breakouts, Dr. Chapas says a prescription-strength retinoid like Retin-A is a good idea because it treats pimples and signs of aging.

Your best Moisturizers

• Eye cream with caffeine: Olay Professional Pro-X Eye Restoration Complex ($42)
• Lotion with SPF and Feverfew: Aveeno Ultra-Calming Moisturizer SPF 30 ($14.99)
• Night cream with Arginine and Retinol: Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle Night ($19.99)

Next page: In Your 40s

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Ditching super hot showers, sleeping face-up, and other tiny tweaks can help transform your complexion, but what about those complexion issues that need attention right away?
View the slidewhow to discover five products that can help with those quick fixes.

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This summer’s crop of sunscreens has your back (chest, face, etc.) covered. Check out our top picks for this season. View the slideshow.

The 44-year-old star of 90210 and mother of daughters Isabella, 10, and Olivia, 9, shares her own personal strategies for staying fit (and looking amazing).

“If I don’t exercise, I don’t function as well. I respond energetically and emotionally to exercising, whether it’s yoga, going for a hike, taking a treadmill class, or doing Pilates. But I like to mix it up so I don’t get bored.”

Make the most of Me Time.
“I tailor my workout times (and choices!) to whatever my kids are doing. There’s a treadmill class right after I take the girls to school. And last summer, my kids were at camp down at the beach, so my girlfriend and I would both drop off our kids there and then do a five-mile walk through the Palisades.”

Don’t go it alone.
“When you’re in a group class, you’re not bored. My treadmill class is an hour, but it goes by very quickly. I’m not as motivated to do cardio at home. For me, the music, the people, and the atmosphere make me push myself harder.”

She’s got a secret weapon.
“My iPod. If I didn’t use it, I wouldn’t get on the treadmill! If I know I have a mix programmed for myself, I’m more inspired. I really love that Pink song, ‘So What (I’m Still a Rock Star).’ And I like Kanye West, Maroon 5, and old Led Zeppelin.”

Next: Forget the word diet

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Scientists in search of the Fountain of Youth share their findings. You can try these tricks today.

“With aging, we’ve always studied things that decline,” says Changiz Geula, PhD, research professor of neurology at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. But now she and other experts are looking instead to unlock the secrets of the “superaged,” those lucky individuals who seem to stay vital well into their 80s and beyond. Here’s some of their latest research, with advice on how you can add years to your life.

1. Stop eating so much. In Okinawa, Japan—home to some of the world’s oldest people—centenarians stop eating when they’re 80 percent full, says The Blue Zones author Dan Buettner, who studies longevity all over the planet.

They’re onto something: Scientists at St. Louis University found that, while both exercising and eating less led to weight loss in the study’s volunteers, cutting calories also lowered production of T3, a thyroid hormone that slows metabolism. The researchers believe that lower T3 levels may also slow the aging process.

2. Make love. Women who enjoy sex live longer, says Mehmet Oz, MD, professor and vice chairman of surgery at New York Presbyterian–Columbia University and co-author of YOU: Being Beautiful. In fact, doubling your amount of satisfying sex can add up to three years to your life, he says. “Sex gives you the Zen moment you can’t find throughout the day otherwise.”

Next: Use your brain

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The new Olay Professional Pro-X Age Repair Lotion with SPF 30 ($42; drugstores nationwide) shields skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays while providing daily moisture.

Vitamin B3 and palmitoyl-peptides (wrinkle-fighting compounds like retinol) strengthen the outermost layer of the skin, and antioxidants like vitamins E and C fight free radicals that damage skin beneath its surface.

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“Here we go again, another miracle supplement courtesy of 60 Minutes,” I thought to myself after I watched the newsmagazine’s recent report about resveratrol (a compound found in red wine) and its seemingly amazing potential to slow the aging process.

I saw the venerable Morley Safer sipping red wine and interviewing two researchers who’ve formed a biotech company to research the stuff and thought that an anti-aging supplement couldn’t come soon enough for Morley (is it just me or has he become a human shar-pei?)

His story reminded me of another “miraculous supplement” report that 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl filed in 2004 from the Kalahari Desert. In it, she said that an African cactus called hoodia “could literally take your appetite away.”

As fast as you could say “lose weight without diet or exercise” or “live forever, never die,” hoodia—and now resveratrol—supplements have popped up all over the Internet, “as seen on TV.” No proof ever surfaced that hoodia could dampen your appetite—or anything else, for that matter. And I have it on high authority that many of the hoodia supplements out there contain little or no hoodia, even if the stuff did work.

Next page: But what about resveratrol?

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The rhodiola herb is known for its stress-busting, energy-boosting power. The new quick-absorbing Youthtopia Age-Correcting Serum from Origins ($50) uses the peptides found in rhodiola to help repair damaged skin cells and boost skin’s natural collagen production. The serum also has vitamin-C rich Indian gooseberry to help restore nutrients lost to aging.

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Tom Rafalovich

We’ve all been there: That moment midappointment when you catch yourself shamelessly staring at your hairdresser, dermatologist, or dentist and thinking, How the heck does she pull it off? What’s the secret to her great hair, pore-free complexion, or flawless teeth?

Well, we decided to go straight to the source and find out, once and for all, how to get that ageless look—naturally. We asked the beauty industry’s most-sought-after stylists, aestheticians, and MDs to divulge their tricks for stopping the clock. If there’s no fountain of youth, their unexpectedly simple advice might be the next best thing. View the slideshow.