Looking younger is the mantra of Baby Boomers. This generation and the subsequent generations have greatly contributed to the gold-filled pockets of plastic surgeons everywhere. The Botox and Restylane craze has never been more evident than in today’s society. Aging just isn’t what it used to be; now there is a plethora of anti-aging products for every price range that make lots of promises. What happened to aging gracefully?

Over and over again, the phrase “non-invasive” is touted but having injections, whether they’re in your arm, your buttocks or your face is invasive. An injection requires a needle and when it is shoved into your skin, it is an invasion.

Yes, having an injection rather than a full-blown surgical procedure is non-surgical. There are many, many doctors and other practitioners who want consumers to believe that little doses of cadaver material or botulism injected in the forehead, the outer eye area and around the mouth, is not invasive but let’s tell it like it is.

On a recent network morning show, two women, moms in their 40’s, were willing to undergo “non-invasive procedures” to look younger. While the noted dermatologist took her black marker and began drawing on the faces to demonstrate how Botox and other material would be injected into certain areas to fill out and alleviate visible signs of aging, it was striking to see just how desperate these housewives have become. These injections would have cost at least $1500 - $2000 for a procedure that will have to be repeated at least twice during a one-year period of time if they want to maintain their results.

The quest for slowing down the aging process has become a multi-billion dollar business and in 2004, over 9 million cosmetic procedures were performed. Even though the effects of injections are gone in a short amount of time and plastic surgery requires updating, patients, particularly women, may have fallen into a trap believing that these procedures are the only avenue of preserving their looks.

There are other ways to turn back the clock without surgery or invasive injections and one is exercise, facial exercise. Exercising your face will restore the tone and firmness that you thought may have been lost forever. There is no recovery time, no risks of any type and you won’t end up with the face of a stranger.

Crow’s feet are a major concern because eyes look tired when these pesky little lines are apparent. The reason they form is because the forehead muscle has elongated due to gravity and life; when this happens, the muscles surrounding the eyes become compressed by the gravitational weight on them.

There is an easy remedy to alleviate the look of crow’s feet: Place the three middle fingers of each hand underneath each eye brow. Push the eyebrows up and slightly outward. Hold your eyebrows high and begin to use your forehead muscle to push down into your fingertips. (Make certain you are not creating lines between your eyebrows; push outward towards the temple area after pushing up) Count slowly to five. Remove your hands, take a deep breath, and again position your fingertips underneath your brows. Push the eyebrows up and slightly outward. Hold them high and begin to use your forehead muscle to push down into your fingertips. Count to ten – at count 7, close your eyes. (This action forces oxygenated blood to the eye lids) Remove your hands and repeat this two more times for a total of thirty-five seconds of exercise. If this exercise is performed once a day for six days in a row, in less than three weeks, the eyebrows will have lifted and crow’s feet will be less noticeable.

See how easy that was and you saved $3500! You can lift your entire face and neck with simple isometric/resistance exercises that require thirty five seconds for each movement. No pain, no anesthesia, no risk and great results – at home and in hardly any time at all.

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all-natural facial fitness with many years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their children’s inheritance.