Aging Gracefully

Re “Youthful Glow Comes From Within” (Personal Health, Oct. 1): What exactly is wrong with looking one’s age? In a world in which age is often respected and considered an important source of wisdom, Americans see getting, and looking, older as things that should somehow be hidden. Not looking one’s age is considered a compliment. Looking younger than one’s age is considered a legitimate goal to be achieved, often at great cost.

Aging is not always graceful or painless, and is certainly an indicator of the inevitability of death, both of which are natural processes. Perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at all those white-haired men and women — replete with wrinkles, veins and chronic maladies — living, loving, and walking comfortably in their skins.

Anna Krauthammer

New York