Although aging is a process that happens across the entire body, and as such, is best fought through full-body wellness (like exercise and nutrition), it doesn’t always show equally. As such, if you’re worried about the visible signs of aging, you want to know where they are most likely to appear first, and what you can do about them. Here, we’re going to look at specific parts of the body, as well as specific issues, that tend to crop up first, and the early intervention you can begin in the long campaign against the ravages of time.

Around The Eyes

The area around the eyes is where you can first start to show your age. This is because the skin here is a lot thinner and more delicate, and it’s also one of the most expressive parts of the body. As such, fine lines and crow’s feet are more likely to show up, and they can become puffy or show dark circles a lot more easily. The reduced collagen production that happens across all of our skin becomes particularly pronounced here. As such, aside from daily hydration and better protecting your eyes from the sun with SPF and sunglasses, you should look into specialized eye creams that can improve the texture and color of this weaker skin.

The Backs Of The Hands

Our hands tend to reveal our age a lot more quickly than the rest of us, simply because they are a part of our body that is exposed more often. Unless you always wear gloves, your hands are going to be exposed to the sun and environmental stress over time, which leads to thinning skin, visible veins, wrinkles, and dark spots. Alongside the daily sunscreen application that we’d recommend for all exposed parts of the body, you should ensure that you moisturize regularly to maintain the strength of the skin’s barrier. Laser therapy can help you target the pigmentation that tends to show more often on the hands than any other part of the body. Since hands are always visible, consistent care and occasional in-office treatments can make a noticeable difference in how youthful they look.

The Neck

You should avoid overlooking the neck during your skincare routines, as it can start to show the signs of aging rather suddenly. The skin here is thinner, moves more frequently, and also sees a lot more sun exposure than other parts of the body. This leads to creasing, sagging, and changes in the texture. Make sure that your skincare routine reaches down to the neck, while looking at skin tightening treatments and collagen-stimulating products, which can help improve firmness and help it avoid the effects of gravity for a little longer. Don’t make the mistake of treating the face, only to be let down by a visibly aging neck right beneath it. That contrast can make it only more noticeable.

The Forehead

One of the biggest causes of early signs of aging is frequent movement. Areas that move a lot are especially vulnerable to fine lines and deeper wrinkles, often called lines of expression. The forehead is a big target for these, with every time you move, etching lines into the skin. As the skin loses collagen and elastin, it’s not able to recover from this etching process as easily, which makes them more prominent. Aside from hydrating and protecting the skin, this is where Botox, injectables and facial fillers can really come in handy. In particular, Botox is useful for freezing the muscles that cause the movement associated with expression, which gives the skin more time to heal without being disrupted. This can result in a much smoother forehead.

The Corners Of The Mouth

Injectables can be doubly useful for the mouth, as well. The mouth is not only vulnerable to repeated movements, but also volume loss and changes in facial structure, all of which can make it more susceptible to the effects of gravity. Botox can be used to stop the lines of expression from being quite as visible, but dermal fillers can also stop the lines and wrinkles associated with rest, restoring volume and softening lines so that things don’t sag quite as often. The lips themselves are also often a prime target for dermal fillers, often used to restore a youthful pout.

Changes In Skin Tone

No matter where on the body, if your skin is exposed to the sun, then you’re a lot more likely to see uneven tone, sunspots, and discoloration. Over time, UV damage from sun exposure accumulates. Even if you’re not sunburned, that doesn’t mean that it’s not affecting you. Using sunscreen every single day is the best way to prevent these tone changes from getting worse, but you can also treat them with chemical peels, microneedling, and laser therapy, all of which can help stimulate the skin’s natural healing properties, helping cell turnover, so you can restore your skin closer to its usual tone. Without sun protection, however, treatments provide only temporary improvement. Prevention and correction have to work together for lasting results.

Thinning And Fragile Skin

While it does impact the mentioned weakspots more dramatically, collagen production is going to decline across the board. This means that skin becomes thinner, less elastic, and more fragile over your whole body. In turn, this can cause increased sensitivity, slower healing, and the faster appearance of wrinkles. Aside from supporting your skin’s barrier with moisturizing and protecting products, collagen-stimulating treatments like microneedles and certain injectables can help the skin maintain its own strength for longer. While some treatments might only focus on the surface wrinkles, it’s important to focus on addressing the long-term youthfulness of the skin, as well. Try to include collagen-stimulating products in your skincare routine a little more often, to that end.

As mentioned, the best way to prevent the signs of aging is by ensuring that you care for the whole body. However, the tips above can help you ensure that you’re not letting those early signs slip through the cracks, regardless.

Where the First Signs of Aging Appear (And How to Fight Them Back)