What makes people look/appear younger?

[SmellyWellyWoo]

This is not a stealth boast! Ive been musing on this today. I'm in my early 40s and sometimes people think I am younger when they meet me. I've got forehead and 11 lines as well as crow's feet. I'm very average in looks. Don't wear a lot of make up. Not polished or overly groomed.

I do have brightly coloured hair and stretched ears (had them for years). I also have naturally very thick dark eyebrows which are in fashion at the moment. I wonder if these help?

I also wonder if it's down to a perception of women in their 40s looking a certain way? I didn't used to get as many people thinking I was younger in my late 30s.

Or maybe it's something that everyone days out of politeness? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Sleep and exercise. Specifically weight training.

Well hydrated skin.

bone structure and face shape - I know women who have looked exactly the same from age 19 to about 40 but some of them have looked 27 that whole time!

fashion - I also know women (and some post on S&B) who have a very old fashioned style that’s stuck in the 90s / early 2000s. A work colleague still wears Jane Norman-esque diamonte encrusted stuff which immediately marks her out as being a certain age.

Genetics, fashion.

Good skin and dress style. Jewellery (style and number of ear piercings). But more than anything, attitude!!.

I hope it's decent skin because that's the only thing I have left from my younger years...

A big thing is posture. I do think you can look completely average but if you are upright, walk with energy (probably not the best word, but you know what I mean), sit in a certain relaxed, casual way (it's difficult to out it!), then you'll look right. Your mannerisms matter; the way you speak; your facial movements, etc.

Sorry for the typos...

I find it hard to age women who

• have a fringe
• are petite
• don't have grey hair
• smile a lot

Have you ever smoked? Smoking makes people look older, even if you give up.

Money. Everything everyone else posts on this thread is down to money. Only the rich (I don't mean super rich, I mean all of us who can describe ourselves as 'comfortable') can afford a good diet, exercise, fashionable clothes, and fashionable haircuts. And while not smoking doesn't cost anything, it's less frequent in higher socio economic groups.

As you're only 40 it's probably due to the placement of fat on your face. As people age their fat pads start to drop lower on the face, jaw line starts to soften etc. So if you have high chubbyish cheeks that can give give the impression of youth.

With much older people I agree with pp that posture can make a big difference. Someone who stands tall and is lithe and limber seems younger than their contemporary who has stiffer joints.

Someone who stands tall
are petite

😅 Didn't take long for people to start disagreeing about what looks youthful.

Small children, lucky genetics and a sharp haircut.

I'm in my early 50s. Didn't have the kids until late 30s/40s. Despite having grey hair and wearing very little make up no one ever thinks I'm the age I am.

you can stand tall whilst being petite. standing tall just means not slouching.

No obvious middle aged spread and being fit and active. (Although I do realise younger people can health problems/ disabilities too and am just talking about general perceptions).

I’m about to turn 53, I still look much younger and don’t have a single line/crows foot etc and pass for 40 easily

however I’m also riddled with hidden disability to the level I’ve had a blue badge for 20 years

in my case I have hyper mobility and this means my skin is quite elastic and so hasn’t changed as quickly as my peers, I often feel 80 in reality and have to put up with the blue badge police regularly 🙄

I get this a lot and im 48, I'm often mistaken for early / mid 30's
Why?

I'm short
I'm hourglass shape
I have freckles
I am ' bubbly '
I have curly hair
I wear stylish / fashionable clothes
I have high energy , all these things are seen as reflective of a younger person
My boobs are pretty well placed too

So .. it's not so much facially , it's the whole package , I have wrinkles and lines on my neck but people don't see those things

I think what ages someone is the opposite of all those things as it's happened all my life that I've been aged about 10/20 years younger than I am ..
I work in retail and I see people that are obviously young but look old and it's for all the opposite reasons people think I'm young .

In conclusion it isn't just one thing but a package of things .

I agree with the weight training. Muscle loss is a definite marker of ageing

I think it will be the hair and lobes in your case, those are the kind of things that young people typically have. I've got a lot of piercings that people seem to assume I would want to get rid of now that I'm 'old'.

I'm nearly 42 and people tend to think I'm younger but I've had Botox! Also I've got three quite young children (eldest is 6) so I think sometimes people think I'm younger because of that.

Skin - combination of SFP 50+ and wearing hats and keeping out of the sun, medical grade skin treatments (retinoids etc and lasers), and luck of the draw with genetics.

Water, water, water - keeping hydrated.

Make up - changing your makeup as you age (both the type and look).

Clothes and hair.

I'm 35 and constantly aged at 26/27.

face yoga!

Middle age spread - if you’re slim you look younger. Obviously dyed or highlighted hair - if it passes as not being dyed people assume you’re young enough to have not gone grey yet. Long hair makes you look younger too, as does wearing youthful clothing styles.

Skin, fashion, haircut, physique and exuberance are all factors that can make a person look older or younger than their true age,

Nice hair, good hair cut and not a mum bob. Keeping up with trends.

I’m 41 (just!) and most people guess my age at early 30s. I don’t dress fashionably or wear make up. Boring shoulder length brown hair. But I have clear skin, and I think my round face and chubby-ish cheeks make me look younger than I am. Plus I’m not grown up in personality and interests