Now that the last champagne bottle for the New Year has been finished off, it's time to start looking toward your resolutions for this year. Not surprisingly, resolutions having to do with improving appearance are consistently the most popular, ranging from losing weight, to getting into better shape, to eating better. If these are among your goals, you are certainly in good company!

However, the general resolutions of improving your appearance can go beyond just getting to the gym more often or cutting down on junk food. It may mean revitalizing the appearance of your face, particularly if you are getting older or have suffered some skin damage due to excessive sun exposure. What can you do to spruce up your facial appearance to face the New Year looking younger and more active? Dr. Paul Pin has some suggestions, outlined below.

Moisturizing

Environmental factors such as cold, dry wind, and pollution can sap the natural moisture out of your face. If the delicate facial skin gets dried out, fine lines and wrinkles can form, particularly around the outer corners of the eyes, and around the edges of the lips. This is why it is important to keep your face properly moisturized, particularly if you live in a colder climate. This will go a long way toward giving your face that youthful glow for as long as possible. Apply moisturizer before you go outside, as well as whenever you get out of the shower or bath. You can also get makeup foundation that has a built-in moisturizer.

Stop Smoking

If you have made the New Year's resolution to quit smoking in order to improve your health, you can also add that onto your resolution to improve your facial appearance. Tobacco smoke dries out the skin, particularly around the face. The end result is fine lines around the lips, commonly called "smoker's lines," which can thin out the appearance of the lips. Furthermore, tobacco smoke can also lead to premature collagen loss. Collagen is a protein that the body forms in order to fill itself out over the skeletal framework. As the body ages, it will naturally lose collagen, but tobacco smoke can speed up this process, leaving your face with a gaunt, hollowed out appearance. Dr. Pin recommends working with your regular doctor to plan a safe, effective smoking cessation plan.

Cosmetic Procedures

If you are looking for longer-lasting ways to improve your facial appearance, you may want to consider a cosmetic procedure. Depending on the amount of work you wish to have done, such procedures can range from minimally invasive, such as dermal filler injections, all the way to full surgery, such as a facelift. Regardless of which procedure you select, Dr. Pin's goal is for your results to appear as natural as possible. The goal is for subtle improvements that enhance your natural facial features, while giving you a brighter, more youthful appearance. In fact, you may find that your friends and family may not immediately realize that you have undergone any cosmetic work at all.

The New Year is a time for new beginnings. If your resolutions for this coming year include improving your facial appearance, why not consider a cosmetic procedure as a way to brighten your way forward into what lies ahead for you?