How To Look Younger Sans Surgery

“There are so many little things you can do to look rejuvenated without ever revealing to anyone that you did them,” says Dr. Robert Anolik, a New York City dermatologist. The secret to, well, keeping it a secret: visiting your doctor for a combination of noninvasive, minimal-downtime treatments with natural-looking results. “Aging of the face is multifactorial,” he says, so if you freeze every wrinkle with Botox but ignore uneven texture and volume loss, you’ll end up looking more artificial than refreshed.

To combat “the fundamental signs of aging”—lines, sagging, pigmentation, and overall dullness—Anolik’s arsenal includes time-tested weapons like neurotoxins, fillers, and lasers, all of which can be administered in a single session. An appointment begins with droplets of Juvederm, a hyaluronic acid filler used to restore lost facial volume in the cheek area. Plumping effects are instant. Next, the Clear & Brilliant, a nonablative fractional laser, gently exfoliates brown spots and boosts collagen, in turn minimizing pores and revealing a glowing complexion. (Note that you might want to push back dinner reservations, as you may look red and sunburned for a few hours after treatment.) Last, Botox is artfully injected into the eye area, targeting only the lines between the eyebrows and crow’s feet. “If you treat those [areas], you no longer convey emotions of stress or exhaustion—by not creasing the skin again and again you’ll avoid creating permanent lines.”

At home, take easy preventive steps to ward off future aging by slathering on SPF daily and using a retinoid before bed. To maintain results, expect to visit your dermatologist every few months for touch-ups. It may seem like a big commitment now, but it could spare you from going under the knife later.