Advice in the Phoenix from Nov. 4, 1892: “How to Avoid Wrinkles. If you have any desire to avoid wrinkles, care not only for your skin, but your nerves; control your temper and do not try to have a too expressive and vivacious countenance. Sleep nine hours a night and an hour a day. Decline to worry. Wear smoked glasses instead of scowling fiercely at the sunlight and the water. Refuse to try to distinguish things afar off. Wash your face in warm water with pure soap once a day and rub it softly with flannel after washing. Feed it with pure, cold cream. Don’t be afraid of an occasional sunburn. It smooths the face wonderfully. But, above all, be emotionless.”

In 2021, might I add, avoid continual, preposterous letters to the editor that are devoid of facts, but regurgitate the subterfuge of the obstreperous few. Simply, first, identify the author, then avoid his prose and take a deep breath to avoid a permanently furrowed brow.

Marianne Bergenholtz
Bristol