You already know the usual anti-aging tips: stay out of the sun as much as possible, get enough sleep, stress less, eat a healthy diet. It's great advice, and we should all follow it, but wouldn't it be nice if there was something we could do for beautiful skin fast?

Thankfully, there is. In fact, we've got some major instant gratification for you: Expert advice on how you can look five years younger -- today. Yes, today. Here are seven age-defying tips experts swear by that work in a flash.

"Exfoliating your skin will allow your makeup to go on more smoothly," says Sabrina Mae, Los Angeles-based makeup artist.

To remove those dead skin cells, Mae's favorite scrub contains glycolic acid: "It also includes antioxidants and enzymes which smooth skin and gives a glow," she says. But there are myriad other options to reveal younger-looking skin.

Retinoids and antioxidants can also help improve texture, says Carolyn Jacob, MD, board-certified dermatologist, director of Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology and associate clinical instructor in Dermatology at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. One to try: Olay Regenerist Intensive Repair Treatment, $24.99, which has Pro-Retinol to improve the look of your skin without drying it.

Starting in your 30s, you might start noticing little spots on your face that are darker than the skin around it. These clusters of hyperpigmentation are usually caused by the sun, but taking oral contraceptives or being pregnant can contribute as well, says Jacob. Recent research has found that dark spots contribute more to an aged appearance than even wrinkles, and many women say it's their No. 1 beauty vexation.

Hydroquinone, the most effective lightening ingredient in fading dark spots and melasma, works by inhibiting the enzyme that triggers melanin production, However, the Food and Drug Administration raised health concerns several years ago amid reports that it could be carcinogenic. The lightening agent is now illegal in several countries and banned in Texas. If you want to take the risk, limit yourself to three months of treatment in order to avoid any long-term negative effects.

Lots of effective products that promise to lighten and brighten skin are available without a doctor's visit or prescription, however. Look for ingredients such as glucosamine, salicylic acid, resorcinol, Kojic acid, and vitamin C in brightening products -- they all have similar enzyme-inhibiting effects on melanin production.

Repeated sun exposure can ruin your spot-reduction efforts, so "use sunscreen with zinc oxide every morning, rain or shine," recommends Jacob. "As UVA rays can come through clouds and your car window glass."

Once you're sloughed and ready to beautify, don't skip the crucial step of creating a smooth canvas for cosmetics.

"Making sure your skin is adequately hydrated first is perhaps more important than the makeup you put on," says Portland, Ore., makeup artist Marissa Freeman. "If the skin is moisturized, it looks plumped, and fine lines appear less sunken. Think of a raisin versus a grape."

Primers can transform the surface of your skin, creating a smoother base for makeup and also helping makeup to last longer. And primers with light-reflecting properties that contain tiny pearlescent pigments impart even more beautifying benefits.

"They help your skin look radiant and glowy, which is really important to look younger," says Mae. "There are also great illuminators on the market that you can either mix with foundation or wear over it to diffuse the light, resulting in an airbrushed, glowy finish," says Freeman. "They're available in cream, lotion, or powder forms."