Over the years, women have been inundated with ways they can slow down aging as if it is something to be ashamed of.
It is important for women to develop a healthy self esteem as this will help them overcome the shame of aging and make them embrace their changing bodies mindfully.
Aging changes occur in all of the body’s cells, tissues, and organs and these changes affect the functioning of all body systems. Living tissue is made up of cells. There are many different types of cells, but all have the same basic structure. Tissues are layers of similar cells that perform a specific function.
One noticeable change for women as they age is an increase in body fat. It is common to see a decrease in muscle mass, causing your body to feel less strong than it did in your youth. Women may also develop wrinkles from reduced elasticity and firmness of their skin, or thin and graying hair.
At what age do women’s bodies change the most, you may ask…The amount of body fat goes up steadily after age 30. Older people may have almost one third more fat compared to when they were younger. Fat tissue builds up toward the center of the body, including around the internal organs.
Some signs of aging can be seen from the outside: Your hair turns gray, and wrinkles and age spots appear on your skin. Our bodies are less able to store fluid in older age, so our spinal discs shrink and lose elasticity, for instance. As a result, people get smaller as they grow older. This is what happens to a woman’s body when aging.
If you don’t know what’s going on, you may see your body’s changes as signs that you are not doing enough to “stay young” and that’s simply not true. You are normal. Your body is doing totally normal things.
Of course, you can partake in any aspects of beauty maintenance that feel right to you, whether it’s cosmetic surgery or a simple moisturizing serum, but please know that whatever you choose to do is enough. You and your changing body are good enough.
Listed below are some ways women’s bodies change as they age:
1. Your hair and eyebrows may get thinner
You can use products to lessen this effect, but if you notice it and your doctor thinks it’s just natural aging, please know this is very common.
The Cleveland Clinic affirms that this is totally normal and is due to hormone changes. “S.e.x hormones that help stimulate follicle fibers are diminished and frequently there is a slight dominance of testosterone. Because of these aging and environmental changes, some hair follicles stop producing new hair altogether,” their website explains.
2. Your belly skin will likely change a lot
This is especially true if your abdomen has grown a lot while pregnant, which has led people to reclaim the beauty of their post-pregnancy stretch marks and belly rolls.
As a woman ages, her belly skin may also lose tone, change texture, and become lumpy or uneven. Again, it has to do with those old hormones.
3. You will get wrinkles
The only way to avoid getting wrinkles as a woman ages is to die. You can try to treat them with creams and chemical peels and that’s fine. You can even get major plastic surgery to make you look less wrinkled. Wear sunscreen for sure, but otherwise please know that your wrinkles are natural and you are still gorgeous. No matter what you do, just try to love your skin and thank it for protecting your blood and guts for the number of years you have lived.
4. Your boobs might droop or sag
You can get them lifted or enhanced with plastic surgery, and if that’s meaningful to you, do it. But your boobs are okay regardless. Just be sure you are taking care of your breast health by seeing your doctor and following their advice as far as regular exams and mammograms.
5. Your body shape may change
This is totally normal. The toughest part of this is learning how to dress yourself comfortably and stylishly every time your body shape, shifts.
According to The Mayo Clinic, this is pretty typical, as a decrease in estrogen can cause women’s bodies to store more belly fat even if they don’t gain weight. This is normal. It’s all a normal and even healthy process.
6. Your libido may be affected
These hormones! Talk to your doctor; there may be ways to start feeling better, if this is an unwanted change. It can be particularly annoying if it’s caused by or exacerbated by v@ginal issues, but doctors can often help and offer good ideas for how to recover.
There are also behavioral and relationship-based things that can help. Just know you are not alone.
7. You may develop age spots or skin tone inconsistencies.
Yes, you probably will. That’s because almost all women have had some unprotected exposure to UV light, which affects their skin cells even years later.
If you don’t like them, you can ask your dermatologist about how to treat them, or try one of the many over-the-counter products. But it’s also OK if you just let them be.
But they don’t give you “bad skin” if you have them — after all, your skin works fine, it just has new stuff going on.
No matter what, you should have your skin checked for skin cancer regularly, as early detection is particularly helpful with skin cancers, making them much easier to treat.
8. It may be harder to lose weight or maintain a lower BMI
If you are interested in losing weight, just remember that you don’t have to lose weight to be wonderful and worthy of love and happiness, it’ll be harder as you age. Again, it’s about hormones and metabolism and stuff.
Dr. Medha Munshi, quoted in The New York Times explains, “Even those who remain active lose muscle mass every decade beginning in their 30s, research suggests, replacing it with fat. Muscles use up more calories than fat, so less muscle means a slower metabolism and the need for fewer calories.” Hormones also play a role.
9. You will likely lose muscle definition
It has to do with hormones, skin elasticity, changes in adipose tissue and connective tissues, but the most important thing to remember is that it’s natural to not look as “cut” as we get older. There’s not a whole ton you can do about it except love your body and thank it for moving you through the world.
There are great health-related reasons to continue building and maintaining muscle tone, including reducing the risk of bone mass loss and cardiovascular benefits, so definitely don’t give up on exercise simply because your body doesn’t respond like it used to.
10. The skin and flesh under your arms may droop
It’s physics and hormones. Things get loose. Yes, you can get ripped and try to lose weight, but your arms won’t look like they did when you were 22 and that is perfectly okay.
This will also likely happen to the skin on your back. It’s just life and is not a reflection of your health or well-being. It simply has to do with a loss of collagen in our bodies, as well as a decrease in overall muscle mass.
Take Away
Taking care of your physical health involves staying active, making healthy food choices, getting enough sleep, limiting your alcohol intake, and proactively managing your health care. Small changes in each of these areas can go a long way to support healthy aging. This is what makes a woman age well.