10 ways to avoid a face lift.

Is a facelift in your future? The answer may depend on how you treat your face and the good or bad habits you have now. J. Regan Thomas, a facial plastic surgeon and professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saint Louis (Mo.) University School of Medicine, maintains that most people control their own fate when it comes to needing a nip and tuck. Thomas, past president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, offers the following tips as the most common ways to avoid a facelift:

Pick good parents. Skin, like every other physical trait, is hereditary. Some is more resistant to wrinkles. Nevertheless, if your parents have healthy, wrinkle-free skin, that doesn't guarantee you will, too. They just may have followed the other nine tips.

Wear sunscreen. Ultraviolet (UV) rays are harmful to the skin. Too much sun will speed up the wrinkle process. Also, wear a hat.

Avoid tanning salons. Don't think the tanning salon is safer than exposure to direct sunlight. You still are being exposed to UV rays, and at a higher concentration than direct sunlight.

Stop smoking. It not only damages your lungs and heart, but the toxins cause skin damage. It is a documented fact that smokers wrinkle at a younger age.

Avoid weight fluctuations. Yo-yo dieters are harming their skin by gaining and losing weight repetitively, causing their skin to stretch. Skin loses its elasticity as you age and can't bounce back after each fluctuation. Losing and gaining weight also causes a loss of skin tone.

...