A tough economic climate combined with the need to stay in the workforce longer has opened up a new fear for many older men and women: the concept of "aging" out of your career. Although you may be experienced, feel energetic and make a number of worthy contributions at your workplace, it's common to feel a growing concern that all your superiors may see is a face that gets a little older and a worker who's becoming a little less relevant every day. What are your best options to fight against ageism?
Defining Ageism
When you imagine age discrimination against older workers, you're likely to envision a man or woman who's at retirement age or older. In reality, some industries may write employees off as irrelevant decades earlier, and not just in the most obviously youth-centric careers like modeling.
The tech industry in particular has been accused of ageism. An age survey conducted by a Seattle-based company, Payscale, and reported in The New York Times, stated that 26 out of the 32 companies surveyed had a median employee age that was younger than 35. Eight companies reported a median age of 30 or younger, while just six respondents had a median age older than age 35. When comparing this to the median age of the average worker in the United States-42.3 years-the numbers are sobering.
At the same time, even a median age of 42.3 is skewed quite young, considering the millions of older workers in the job force today. So where does this leave workers who are at the median age or older? Are they automatically considered an endangered species?
The Physical Aging Process
Early signs of aging, like very fine lines and wrinkles or a bit more crinkling around the eyes when smiling, are subtle and easily missed throughout most of the 30s. More advanced facial aging begins in the 40s and continues through the 50s, right about the time when many men and women are considering career changes or a new direction in life.
It's those first deeper wrinkles or age spots that lead so many mid-career employees to seek out med spa treatments like skin rejuvenation with laser resurfacing. Performed as a simple outpatient procedure, this type of nonsurgical treatment helps men and women look revitalized and refreshed without surgery.
Planning Your Future
Going off to work means looking your best ? that's nothing new. While "your best" used to refer to the clothes you wore or the way you styled your hair, med spa procedures have now become an accepted part of this definition. The results are noticeable and effective, yet bypass the potential stigma of actual cosmetic surgery that could itself be a further reminder of an employee's age.
The best medical spa treatments aren't supposed to make you look like a teenager again. Instead, they simply minimize the most apparent signs of age through the face for a look that, while younger, is most often described as "well-rested."
The signs of age you wear upon your face may feel like a disadvantage at times, especially in comparison with fresh-faced entry-level workers right out of college. Yet, those lines represent your personal expertise and the years of experience behind you, which should not be so easily discounted. You still have plenty of important contributions to make in the workplace, and medical spa treatments can help minimize the impact of ageism so you can continue doing just that.
Source: Caroll Delo, Aesthetician
Simply Smooth Laser Center
