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Keep a twinkle in your wrinkles
Senior moments
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I believe I have said this before, but I have a friend that has a shirt that reads, “Gettin’ Old Ain’t For Sissies!”
From all that I can tell, the actress Bette Davis is credited with that statement, or one similar to it. There are many other quotes that come across my desk by emails, articles and such. Last week, I had an email request from a friend who reads my column and under her signature was this saying: “It’s important to have a twinkle in your wrinkle!”
I’ve been around a long time and I never heard or read that before. Thanks, Kathlene, for sharing this with me.
I guess wrinkles are somewhat a foregone conclusion as you age. A wrinkle, also known as a rhytide, is a fold, crease or ridge in the skin. You know they’re bad when your wife tells you to iron that shirt you have on, and you tell her you’re not wearing one. I can’t help it if my rhytides are overactive.
How about when you smile real big for a photo, only later to see that every wrinkle in your face just came alive and made you look like the neighbor’s shar-pei. Yes, believe it or not, habitual smiling can cause permanent wrinkling. So can certain sleeping positions. I always wondered why some mornings I’d have crinkles on my wrinkles.
Other things that can produce wrinkles include overexposure to the sun, smoking, poor hydration, stress and loss of body mass. Yep, that’s right —losing weight can create wrinkles if you’re not so lucky.
Best cure I have found for that is to increase your lean body mass, or muscle as it is known. A little muscle can go a long way when it comes to fighting wrinkles. Plus, you’ve heard me say plenty of times that pumping iron is good for you. Who knew it was good for your wrinkles too?
It has been suggested that food can also play an important role in the development of wrinkles. Foods that are high in sugar and sodium can cause premature aging. Heavy consumption of alcoholic drinks can dehydrate the body and cause wrinkling, too. Dairy products have been linked to the development of acne and wrinkles. Foods like fish and nuts that are high in essential fatty acids are good for your skin. I’ll have the pecan salmon, please.
Even genetics play a factor in developing wrinkles. There’s not much you can do about that, but how do you tell your parents thanks for all the wrinkles? That wouldn’t be very nice.
There are plenty of special formulas and treatments for wrinkles out there on the market. I’m not sure how effective any of them are. Like Kathlene, I prefer to celebrate my wrinkles. In my opinion wrinkles are like a good wine or aged cheese. They are replete with delicious details and are a sign of experience and wisdom, so use them to your advantage.
Better yet — keep a twinkle in your wrinkle and press on, my friend.

DeLong is the executive director of The Suites at Station Exchange. Email him at Suites.StationExchange@gmail.com.

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