The youthful appearance of a person is dependent chiefly upon the condition of the complexion, of the teeth and of the hair. If a person has a fresh complexion, and if the muscles of the face are firm and not relaxed his face will show a youthful appearance. A few wrinkles around the eyes and the crow-feet, which we find especially with persons of a vivid, lively disposition, whose faces show a sensitive expressiveness do not prejudice the youthful appearance of such persons.

In order to keep the complexion fresh and to protect the skin from fading there are a few hygienic measures to follow. It is not advantageous to wash the face daily with a soap. It is much better to dip the towel, when we get up, in cold, soft water, the best in rain water and then to wet the face all over, or to bend over a basin with cold rain water and to throw with the hand the water against all parts of the face. Thus by the refreshing cold of the water the muscles of the face will be “toned up” and their relaxation prevented. The same way it will be advisable to wet the face with a little eau de cologne or alcohol of 30 per cent. whenever fatigued during the day in order to prevent the relaxation of the muscles of the face. The skin of the face should be made only lightly wet, for the frequent thorough washing of the skin will tend to make it very dry. In order to remove the dirt from the face the best method is to employ a very mild soap which contains much fat. It is advisable to put on the face in the evening before going to bed an ointment that is made out of animal fat, e.g., lanolin to which may be added glycerine or some other kind of fat of animal origin. But it is not necessary to do this every day. Massage of the face, by which the blood-supply of the muscles can be augmented may be of great benefit, if it is done in a scientific way and carefully. To improve the complexion of the face and to prevent the unæsthetic reddish skin with dilated blood-vessels, the tincture of benzoin or cosmetics that contain it can be used with profit. Those, however, who are so happy as to have a naturally fresh, rosy complexion should never use benzoin, for according to our observations the strong tinctures made with it may be detrimental to their skin.

Of great importance to the freshness of the complexion is also a regular daily thorough cleaning of the intestines, we have often made the observation, that the yellowish dark complexion of constipated persons gets much improved after a copious evacuation; thus in this sense the use of purgative mineral waters, and also the use of laxative fruits like grapes taken daily in large quantities often much improve the complexion. Then also the condition of the liver is of great importance for a fine complexion, and everything that improves the functions of the liver can contribute to conserve the same. In this connection we refer the reader to our chapter on the hygiene of the liver.

Of great use also are bodily exercises, for instance long walks in the open air, as thus the circulation of the blood is much improved in the periphery of the body and thus also is the face and the nutrition of the tissues of the skin improved. It is also of importance to carefully observe our teachings on the rational hygienic use of food as given previously. It is a fact that the complexion of great meat eaters is not so fresh and finely delicate as that of persons living on lacto-vegetable foods. We have also often made the observation, that persons eating meat in abundance gain a better complexion after having been put on a diet of milk, eggs, butter, cereals and other vegetable foods, especially abundance of fruit.

It is also a fact that a bright, cheerful disposition favorably influences the expression of the face and the complexion. Passions, grief and sorrow may prove very detrimental, as they often leave lines and wrinkles in the face.

We have already mentioned previously that certain drugs such as arsenic, iron and iodides can prove of great benefit for the production of youthful looks, as they powerfully influence the formation of the blood and affect its circulation through the tissues, and also the general nutrition. Furthermore the thyroid preparations can bring about the same results and they also contribute to obtain and retain a youthful appearance as we have shown previously. We will only mention here the important fact that wrinkles in the face are of frequent occurrence in degenerated conditions of the thyroid gland; in young individuals and even in infants this may be seen. On the other hand may be observed the disappearance of wrinkles after thyroid treatment as shown in our chapter on the treatment of old age through animal extracts. Hot baths are also useful to aid in retaining a youthful appearance as they promote a better circulation of the blood through the tissues of the skin and an improvement of the functions of the skin.

Above all it is the condition of the teeth that is of utmost importance for youthful looks. For if they fall out atrophy of the alveolar process takes place, and when the lips and the cheeks lack their osseous support they will fall in. The chin in consequence gets pointed, the height of the face is diminished and the whole face looks much older. To avoid this everything should be done to keep the teeth in good condition and to prevent their decay and their falling out.

The ruin of the teeth may be brought about by external and internal causes. The first are less dangerous, for they are chiefly of bacterial origin and they can be avoided by a scrupulous cleaning of the teeth. Much more serious and sometimes even unavoidable are the internal causes thus especially the bad nutrition of the gums. If the gums are not sufficiently supplied with blood or if the blood is lacking certain important elements, or if it contains elements of a toxic nature as for instance in diabetes, they become atrophic. They retract and the support the teeth receives is insufficient.

When the saliva is of an acid nature tartar gets deposited on the teeth and this may cause the formation of pus in the alveoli of the teeth i.e., produce alveolar pyorrhœa. In such a condition the base of the teeth is surrounded by pus, which destroys the substance of the teeth which are then lost. Most frequently we find an acid saliva in meat eaters and in certain diseases, especially in diabetes, gout, etc. According to Paterson the above condition is very frequent in persons with chronic nasal and pharyngeal catarrhs, especially when breathing through the mouth.

The best means to obtain a regular supply of blood to the gums is the massage of the gums by the finger, on which may be put a little olive oil, and then gently rub the lower jaw from below upwards, and the upper jaw from above downwards. Equally a rubbing of the teeth with a brush that is put in an alcoholic solution of 30 per cent. will do good. The acid saliva can be remedied by an alkaline mouth water, or a paste containing bicarbonate of sodium in large quantities. It is also very beneficial to the gum to clean it with alcohol of 30 per cent. gargling or drawing it between the teeth, as is also the use of certain antiseptic and stringent mouth waters like borax with tincture of myrrh, or ratanhia with myrrh, etc. Hydrogen peroxide is an ideal antiseptic for the teeth and gums, and in strong solution it may prove useful in cases of a hyperæmic and inflamed condition of the gum.

The condition of the sexual glands and of the thyroid gland also powerfully influence the condition of the teeth, which can be seen plainly by the fact that all the alterations of these glands, as in pregnancy, in chlorotic conditions, etc., may produce important changes in the condition of the teeth and the alveolary processes. In some cases we were able to improve a swelled and hyperæmic condition of the gum by the administration of thyroid extracts.

Youthful looks also very much depend upon the condition of the hair. When the hair is scarce and what there is left is gray a person appears much older than he really is. When we get to a certain age—and many persons even before—the connective tissue in the capillaries which provide the hair root with blood becomes augmented and the elasticity of their walls become lost. Thus there will be a difficulty in the regular blood-supply to the hair roots or bulbs. We have already in these pages insisted on the fact that iodides are able to improve the circulation of the blood in the capillaries and thus they may give good results in such cases, especially in aged persons. We may also improve the blood circulation by massage of the scalp done in a gentle way and carefully. According to Ehrmann the faradization of the hair gives also good results. Above all we should not make difficult the blood-supply to the hair roots by the wearing of hard stiff hats which compress the blood-vessels. Less often the falling out of the hair is caused by bacterial diseases and such can be best combated by antiseptic ointments by sublimate, alcohol, by washing with tar soap, etc.

There exists here also a sympathetic connection between the condition of the hair and that of the thyroid and the sexual glands. In the degenerated conditions of these glands we frequently find the hair very spare, it remains short, dry and brittle and falls out very easily. After having treated such cases for a certain time with thyroid extracts, we can obtain often a great improvement in the condition of the hair. It may in the beginning fall out the more, but this happens only with hair that is already morbidly decayed, but afterwards we will observe a still better growth of new hair. Arsenic may also give similar results according to our own observations and that of other authorities.

Youthful looks can also be obtained by a slender figure. Slender persons look often younger than they are, whereas corpulency conveys more the impression of a higher age than would correspond to the real number of years. Therefore those who wish to look young must avoid becoming corpulent. Above all the quantity of meat should be limited, for corpulency can be best brought about by much meat in the diet, if at the same time also amylaceous or starchy foods and sweets are taken in quantity. Besides a frugal diet, much exercise contributes in most persons to the prevention of obesity. Turkish baths, and according to the prevalent opinion, also the use of certain purgative mineral waters like those of Carlsbad, Marienbad or Kissingen will also give good results. Very often we can see good results with a great loss in the weight of corpulent persons after the use of thyroid preparations as we have mentioned previously.