Hollywood Secrets to Looking Younger

From Julyne Derrick,

Top Tips From Dermatologists & Skin Care Pros

If you're like me, you're constantly surprised when you find out how old some of Hollywood's hottest & still-working celebrities are. Who knew Susan Sarandon was on the verge of 60, or Christie Brinkley, who just landed a gig as the new face of Cover Girl is age (drumroll please)....50. Of course, looking young in Hollywood means avoiding an early, forced retirement, but just what ARE these celebrity secrets? And better yet, how can you & I benefit from what they use & what they know?

Keeping skin in gorgeous condition is an incredibly time-consuming & expensive job requirement for the typical celebrity. But here are a few secrets I've uncovered for you, plus tips on how you too can get younger-looking skin.

Secret #1: They get constant spa treatments
Sonya Dakar is Hollywood's problem skin care expert. Her Hollywood skin-care clinic is the go-to spot for celebs & socialites with acne, scarring, irritation & aging. Even those with seemingly perfect skin have imperfections (trust me, I always thought I had pretty decent skin until my consultation with Dakar -- turns out my skin was irritated & very dry). At Dakar's spa, actresses like Denise Richards, Gwyneth Paltrow & Debra Messing get their skin resurfaced, lasered, peeled or massaged by Dakar & her staff of assistants on a monthly or sometimes weekly basis. And when awards season comes around, Dakar is known to keep her office open early in the morning to late at night so stars can get their dermis in shape for the stage.


But have no fear, if you can't afford a plane ticket to Beverly Hills & The Diamond Peel done by Dakar herself, you can try her products at home. I use her irritation line & my skin has never been better. Excellent bets: Sonya Dakar Enzyme Peeling Cream $80. For irritated skin, I love her Bergamot Wash (a cleanser) followed by Dakar's Omega-3 Repair Complex, $35. Other fabulous Dakar products: Sonya Dakar Recovery, $35 & the Cellular Patch Cream, $150. Visit www.sonyadakar.com.

Secret #2: They spend money on their eyes. Yes, yes, yes, of course celebrities (the male ones as well) are constantly getting eye lifts & face lifts & the bags removed from under their eyes, but what so many of them are doing that you and I aren't is slathering on eye cream. And therein lies our secret 2.

The skin around the eyes of celebrities & common people alike is very thin & prone to early wrinkles. What the celebrities know is that a little dab of eye cream can prevent & even fix fine lines. Hollywood's favorite: Stri-Vectin SD or try Dakar's new Visualift, which is getting a ton of kudos in the press.

Secret #3: They know what cleanser to use According to dermatologist-to-the-stars, Fredric Brandt, MD (also known as the Baron of Botox), you'll benefit from using the appropriate skin cleanser. Find out what cleansers are best for your skin type.

Secret #4: They stay out of the sun Nicole Kidman is famously afraid of the sun. She stays out of it at all costs. In fact, many celebrities simply avoid that sun by wearing hats & slathering on sunscreen. Find out what the best sunscreen in the world is here .

Secret #5: They go for 'contouring' Face lifts make skin look tight, not younger. To restore youthful contours, actresses are getting injections into their checks & jawline.

Secret #6: They use the right creams To keep fine lines from becoming wrinkles, actresses in their 20s turn to retinoid creams .

Secret # 7: Their flaws are airbrushed This is my favorite secret. Not all celebrities have perfect skin. In fact, so much of skincare is about genetics. If you have bad skin genes, then chances are no amount of lotions & potions & peels & lasers are going to help your skin look like bone china (which, by the way, I just found out is made out of real bone, ewwww). The fact is Britney Spears has horrible skin. So does Cameron Diaz. Jennifer Lopez supposedly has pimples (so say those in the know). Just like magazine pros can sculpt Mariah Carey into a Giselle look-alike, they can airbrush Cameron's erupting face into Nicole Kidman perfection. So there. Now we can all rest easy, basking in our perfectly normal imperfections.