Worried about Wrinkles, Gray Hair? Just Wait

As one gets older, the list of potential health and beauty complaints grows. AARP has done a yeoman's job of documenting those complaints, then surveying older Americans to find out how concerned they are about each one. There are lots of complaints. This is just a partial list...

Gray hair, wrinkles, yellowing teeth, hunched back, age spots, jowls/double chin, gastrointestinal issues, trouble sleeping, snoring, constipation, joint pain, tinnitus, hearing loss, shortness of breath, incontinence, waking from sleep to go to the bathroom, loss of teeth, loss of mobility, Alzheimer's/dementia, and perhaps worst of all—losing a sense of humor.

The good news is this: the older you get, the less you worry about these things. In fact, worries about health and beauty seem to peak in what could be called middle age. People in their fifties worry more about aging than do those in their sixties. People in their sixties worry more than those in their seventies. And so it goes. Maybe. The survey did not include respondents aged 80 or older. 

Want some examples of how worries fade away with age? Well, let's have a look at those wrinkles. Nearly one in four people in their fifties (24 percent) say they are very/extremely concerned about wrinkles. Among people in their sixties, only 14 percent are very/extremely concerned about wrinkles. The worried share drops to just 9 percent among the oldest people surveyed—those aged 70 to 79. 

The same pattern occurs on a whole range of health and beauty issues, including some of the most serious such as Alzheimer's/dementia. A substantial 27 percent of people aged 50 to 59 are very/extremely concerned about getting dementia. Among 60-to-69-year-olds, the figure is 19 percent, and it drops to just 16 percent among people in their seventies.

Concerns about losing one's sense of humor also wither with age. Among fiftysomethings, 18 percent are very/extremely concerned about losing their sense of humor, with the majority of fiftysomethings having at least some concern. In contrast, among people aged 70 to 79, only 6 percent are very/extremely concerned about losing their sense of humor. The 60 percent majority of the oldest respondents are "not at all" concerned about losing their funny bone. 

Source: AARP, Health Worries Lessen with Age?