Who Ages Best ?

[Savanna]

I read in one of the earlier posts that the show all the expected ages for the various countries. I also noticed that South Africa was not mentioned.... but I suppose that is because the average life expectancy here is about 30!

I think that you age according to your circumstances - rich Thai ladies will obviously age similarly to their western counterparts and so will working class Thai ladies age accordingly with working class western ladies.

[ChangMaiSausage]

Have to agree with Kat about our Thai sisters enjoying the benefit of surgery. It is only recently that I found out so many of them have had a little lift here and a little tuck there.

[sbk]

but i guess you are referring to Thai women (as you mentioned the word beautiful)? i've seen plenty of hi-so Thai ladies who look great at 50 (big hairdos aside). but venture out into the sticks and people worry less about their appearance as they get older.

I think if you compared well-to-do Thai ladies with European/American ladies from a similar social/economic class there wouldn't be much difference in how well they maintain their appearance in spite of age.

if you want to compare rural Thais or those from low income groups, there isn't really a direct comparison in most of Europe. maybe somewhere like Romania where many people still perform manual labour and live off the land.

I think this is probably the most accurate answer, at least in my experience. Where i live, the young women look great but as they age both men and women seem to accept the fact of aging and (in western minds) "let themselves go". Physical appearance does not seem to matter as much as other things (looking great is a nice revenge but for locals it is far better to be financially successful than to look good). So, there is a general opinion that beauty, trendy clothes and good looks belong to the young.

Also, have to add that nobody here uses sunscreen so their skin does age and they tend to reach a point, round about 50 or so, where they suddenly look old. But then, nobody really judges them for that, nor puts them down for appearing their age as it is considered a normal way to live one's life

[uptou]

i would say the ageing we are talking about is skin condition & muscle tone.

Factors determining skin aging (other than genetics) would have to be sun damage,keeping hydrated,fresh veggies/vitamin intake,exercise,sugar or salt intake.

Edited January 31, 2008 by uptou

[kat]

Get out of town - 25??? Man, are you going to be popular on this site.

What the fact that I am checking out 25 year old stud muffins or that that might hint that I am somewhere around the same age? I'm not I'm actually 79...I just like em young

No, the fact that you thought a 65-year-old was a 25-year-old from behind! Should make a lot of people's day around here.

*And for post #41, here are some very graceful people: (Monica Belucci and Audrey Hepburn who was pushing 60 there)

I can't accept your examples of graceful aging. Plastic surgery, makeup and a good photographer are all it takes to make most star look fine.

Yes, that is a fair point, but we are on a website and all we have as examples are photos. Just rest assured that the advantage you mentioned would be true of ALL celebrity examples, including Thais. I'm not going to post a picture of myself, but rest assured that I have not had plastic surgery (but I have had a couple of moles removed), and the people who commented here have seen me in person many times without makeup, or in a picture without makeup.

BTW, that is also one of my theories. I think constant use of makeup actually ages women.

[mogoso]

I don't think it's an east west thing. Someone mentioned creams and stuff for the skin, and I'm sure that helps. My wife at thirty five swears by her Olay products. My wife still looks like a teenager, lucky me.

I think it's a matter of how you've treated the body your using. Over weight over stressed over drugged smoking and alcohol and your going to show it.

Its been years, but one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen had to be 75 or 80. I think she owned the massage place on Koh Samui that also sold herbs and other healthy products. At the end of your massage her staff provided you with a cup of herbal tea for hydration and health. Now the lady was old that was obvious, but you could see that at one point in her life she had been a traffic stopper, much of that was retained but much of her latter beauty came from within, such dignityand grace radiated from her. It was like being in the company of royalty

[jetjock]

On the topic of aging, has anyone noticed that men tend to age better than woman and is the old double standard really true that "as men age they become distinguished whereas women just get ‘old.’ " Actually since the skin condition is one of the main factors in the physical appearance of aging, most research does support this double standard. Most studies on this subject have shown that the relative amounts of collagen and elastin and the physical appearance of the dermis are related to both age and gender, with women's skin aging faster then men. Women do however usually get the last laugh by outliving us men by several years.

[kat]

I haven't really noticed quite frankly, because I literally looked like the daughter of most men my age in LOS and here in the states. I sometimes run into exceptions who look as deceptively young as myself, but they are exceptions.

I think the skin is thicker, yes, but women also generally take better care of their skin, and many men have other tell-tale signs, like huge potbellies, bad teeth, greying hair, and wrinkles around their eyes. Who gives a thought to the fact that the skin under their facial hair is thicker because they shave all the time?

Women also give birth, but many men seem pregnant only with the last brewskis that they have been consuming for the last half of their lives.

[mssabai]

Get out of town - 25??? Man, are you going to be popular on this site.

What the fact that I am checking out 25 year old stud muffins or that that might hint that I am somewhere around the same age? I'm not I'm actually 79...I just like em young

No, the fact that you thought a 65-year-old was a 25-year-old from behind! Should make a lot of people's day around here.

OK 65 was an exageration, but I think you get my point. 20 years of hard outdoor physical work obviously provides a younger looking torso than sitting behind a desk at Blah, Blah and Partners for the same length of time. As can be seen on Chaweng beach on a daily basis.

[kat]

Yeah, I definitely know what you mean.

[Payboy]

Generaly I think Europeans / Americans tend to age better than Thais , who although very beautiful when young , seem to go down hill after 40/50 ? Any reasons ? better diet , or something else .

does it really matter?

life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, should it?

i'd rather skid in sideways....chardonnay in one hand, chocolate in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out.....and screaming "woo hoo hoo, what a ride!"

Edited February 1, 2008 by Payboy

[kat]

I thought this was a useful snippet that is relevant for all women:

Skin aging in men and women

The processes of aging differ in male and female skin.

In men, there is a gradual thinning of male skin with increasing age of approximately 1% per year. On the other hand the thickness of most women's skins remains surprisingly constant until the menopause, after which there is a significant and sometimes dramatic thinning with increasing age.

There is a relationship between skin thickness and collagen content in men of all ages. A similar relationship exists among women over 60 years of age, but it is less evident in younger women.

In adult skin, the features of aging are closely related to the total collagen content, which in both sexes decreases with increasing age, but at different rates. In later life women may look older than men of the same age and similar experience of sun exposure, partly because their skin has a lower collagen content to start with. Another reason for the gender difference in skin collagen content may be the difference in male hormone production between men and women.

In women, estrogen and androgen output from the ovaries and adrenal glands falls after menopause, resulting in decreased collagen synthesis and repair.

Aging related to the failure of estrogen production at the menopause accentuates intrinsic aging, and together with photoaging may dramatically increase the apparent age of a menopausal woman.

Estrogen deficiency particularly affects the fibroblasts of the dermis, and thinning of the skin is primarily related to a decrease in the production of collagen.

http://www.pg.com/science/skincare/Skin_tws_65.htm