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Summary
On episode 95 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Dr. Anthony Youn, a board-certified plastic surgeon in private practice near Detroit and a regular expert on The Rachael Ray Show, The Dr. Oz Show, and The Doctors.
Anthony argues that surgery should always be the last option for looking younger, not the first, and his book The Age Fix is built as a head-to-toe guide to non-surgical fixes for wrinkles, age spots, sagging skin, and less-talked-about issues like chronic bad breath and excessive sweating.
The conversation covers what can and can’t be fixed without surgery, like stretch marks and loose skin after major weight loss, and the 4 extrinsic factors Anthony says do the most damage: sun exposure, smoking, sugar, and alcohol, along with practical, specific fixes for each.
Links
- https://dryoun.com
Key Takeaways
- Surgery should be the last resort, not the first. Anthony says most aging and beauty concerns can be meaningfully improved without going under the knife, and surgery carries real risks including scarring and, rarely, death.
- Stretch marks can be faded, not erased. They’re permanent tears in the dermis; retinol creams and fractional laser can reduce redness, especially on newer stretch marks, but nothing removes them completely short of surgical excision.
- Loose skin after major weight loss is a skin problem, not a muscle problem. No amount of crunches will tighten skin left behind after significant weight loss; procedures like tummy tucks and body lifts are currently the only real fix, though gradual weight loss allows some natural retraction.
- Daily sunscreen is the single biggest anti-aging move. UV exposure is the top extrinsic cause of skin aging; SPF 30 blocks about 97 percent of the sun’s rays, and car windows block burning UVB rays but not the aging UVA rays.
- Sunscreen and sunblock aren’t the same thing. Chemical sunscreens (oxybenzone, avobenzone) absorb into skin and work well on the face; physical sunblocks (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide) sit on the skin’s surface and are Anthony’s recommendation for the body and always for children, while sunscreen sprays should be avoided around kids due to inhalation risk.
- Smoking visibly ages skin. Twin studies comparing a smoking twin to a nonsmoking twin show the smoker looking noticeably older by their fifties and sixties, since smoking reduces blood circulation and takes the color out of skin.
- Sugar ages skin 2 distinct ways. Blood sugar spikes drive chronic inflammation, and glycation causes sugar molecules to bond to and deform collagen and elastin fibers, which is why Anthony calls soda the single worst food for aging.
- Not all fat is bad for your skin. Healthy monounsaturated fats and omega-3s (olive oil, nuts, avocado, fish) support skin health, while trans fats and excess saturated fat drive inflammation.
- 1 glass of red wine a day can help, more works against you. Red wine’s antioxidants, including resveratrol, are tied to the French paradox, but Anthony says the benefit flips once you go past 1 glass because alcohol’s toxic effects take over.
“This isn’t a muscle issue. This is a skin issue, and you can’t exercise your skin tighter.”
Dr. Anthony Youn
