Looking good takes work at any age

Here is expert advice on how women can address the signs of aging and retain their swagger:

30S-40S: CRUNCH TIME

What happens: Because of the hustle and bustle of life, women in their 30s and 40s can easily be, and begin to look, overwhelmed, says Dr. Henry S. Lodge, co author of "Younger Next Year For Women," (Workman, $12.95).

"Women need the energy to be in control of their lives," he says.

Wrinkles and frown lines can start creeping in. Extra weight may become harder to shed.

Advice: "A lot of things are preventable if you have a good skin care regimen," says Detroit dermatologist Lorna Thomas, who urges women to start paying attention to their skin in their 20s.

Moisturizing and gently exfoliating is important, but protecting the skin from the sun "365 days a year" is vital.

"Wear sunscreen every day, without question," says Thomas. "I am never without sunscreen. It is in my moisturizer."

Thomas recommends that women develop a relationship with a dermatologist early in life, and contends that you don't have to spend a fortune on potions.

She likes the Cetaphil line of products. She recommends that every woman older than 30 use an eye cream: "The skin around the eye is so fragile and thin. It needs special attention." And she is a fan of retinoids to help fight the signs of aging.

Henry Ford hospital physician and athletic medicine specialist Nancy White advises women to avoid smoking and minimize consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Lodge says: "If you make a real commitment to getting sleep, regular exercise, and eating fundamentally well, you will approach your life with more energy. You will live better as a mother, a wife, a worker. You will live two better decades."

ENTER 50S: BE FABULOUS

What happens: Once-plump areas - lips, cheeks, breasts - become less perky. Wrinkles and expression lines on the face are an issue for many. The aging process can bring down the eyes, cheeks, jaw, chin and neck. For some women, hyperpigmentation - age spots, liver spots, etc. - is a concern.

Advice: "There is a difference between wrinkling that is due to sun damage, and frown lines, which are dynamic wrinkling. Those frown lines are due to muscle movement," Thomas says.

Dynamic wrinkles can be smoothed with injections of a neurotoxin such as Botox, Thomas says. But beware of the expressionless "spa face," she warns.

"There is an art to doing this," she says. "If you put too much in and in the wrong place, you are going to get a frozen face. " Thomas recommends that neurotoxin injections be administered only by a plastic surgeon or dermatologist.

Hyperpigmentation, Thomas says, should not be ignored. "It is not medically threatening, but it really contributes to the appearance of aging," she says.

Treatment for hyperpigmentation can range from prescription bleaching creams to resurfacing involving lasers or lights.

White says women should make exercise a big component of their lives. She suggests exercises that are easy on the joints, such as Tai chi, yoga and swimming. Strength training also helps.

Get regular physicals, making sure that doctors check on blood pressure, heart abnormalities and diabetes, all of which can worsen with age. At 50, women should get a colonoscopy.

60S & 70S: GLORY DAYS

What happens: "These are the decades where the chickens come home to roost," Lodge says. "Women who hit 60 strong - physically, mentally and emotionally - will be better off."

Advice: It's important to have regular checkups to avoid or control health concerns common in older women, particularly low bone density.

Stretching exercises are even more important at this age because balancing becomes more difficult as vision deteriorates, White says. She recommends a bone density test at age 65.

For those dealing with volume loss in the face, which can also show up earlier in life, Thomas recommends fillers. "There is no cutting. It is nonsurgical. A filler replaces volume; that is its sole function," she says. "We replace the volume by injection. And viola!"

The downside, says Thomas, is that filler injections are not permanent and "it is not cheap." The first treatment can hover around $1,500, and some procedures can last about a year.

80S & UP: TIME TO SHINE

What happens: Life. Either you are going to be a young old or an old old, Lodge says.

Advice: To put things in perspective, Lodge offers this: "Dynamic beauty is the concept that we all should be thinking on. You think about who you want to be with as you get older. It is not the prettiest person; it is the person that smiles and that has a twinkle in their eye.

"That is where beauty lies."