Beauty Over… Phaedra Parks Shares The Beauty Practives That Keep Her Aging Like Fine Wine
We spoke to 'RHOA' star Phaedra Parks who opened up about how aging Black women can protect their beauty through health and wellness practices.
Black News 
It’s true, our melanin is made of magic, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t require maintenance. Aging is a blessing, but tell that to your skin. According to National Institute on Aging, “skin elasticity typically begins to decline in the mid-to-late 20s, when collagen and elastin production starts to slow. While natural aging causes a gradual loss of firmness, noticeable sagging and decreased elasticity often become more apparent by the age of 30 to 40, accelerated by sun exposure, menopause, and lifestyle factors.” And that’s just one factor of getting older that affects our beauty. For women dealing with periomenopause, it greatly affects how their skin changes due to declining estrogen, which commonly causes dryness, thinning, increased sensitivity, and loss of elasticity, American Academy of Dermatology reports.
But Black women don’t have to suffer like our yesteryears. It’s about educating yourself, says Phaedra Parks. Parks is seemingly aging backwards. She looks better the older she gets. And at 52-years-old, she’s giving younger peach holders a run for their money. While chatting about the new season of Real Housewives Of Atlanta, we asked the beauty about her evolving beauty and the practices that keep her looking like fine wine.
“It’s all about moisture, hydration, and really understanding how the body works because when you get into that late forties, fifties, you really need to. And we Black women don’t have this conversation enough. Know your hormone levels. Know what you’re deficient in, know, and recognizing the signs of not filling your best because. I go to an anti-aging specialist, she’s a Black woman. We have very candid conversations. I’m up on my testosterone levels, my progesterone levels. I’m obviously still having a menstrual cycle, so the estrogen’s not a problem right now, but you’ve gotta know these things. And these are some of the hard conversations that, you know, as a community we don’t have, and we are not living our best lives because we don’t feel great.”
She added, “My son’s always like, ‘Mommy, all the boys in school think you look so young.’ Because I take care of myself. I really take care of myself. I exercise, you know, I’m not a drinker. I’m not a drug user. And those things really age you. I tell people, Black doesn’t crack, but it sure does sag.”
Get into our candid chat, above.
