I think the "necessity" for old age makeup in theatre is a rarity. What I mean to say is this, only a few times in scripts do you take a character from young to old/ in most instances you attempt to take a young actor and make them appear old. In the case of Billy Crystal...though it was a younger actor in old makeup (no matter how brilliant the makeup) we all knew that it was billy in there and that he was doing schtick. We were not tricked into thinking that Billy was actually old and probably enjoyed a more fantastical version of what it is to be old. I think the job isn't to convince your audience that the actor is old....but rather have the audience accept that the actor will be playing an older character and accept it for the next 2 hours. So, don't attempt to trick us by putting down an overly elaborate makeup, rather suggest that the character is old through shading and highlighting with, at most, minimal latex work.
Thanks for the help.Van's comments are "spot on" for the basics of Old Age makeup. Especially enhancing the features you have by highlighting, or low lighting (darkening) to make your naturally occurring lines look deeper. You can also enhance natural wrinkles with latex, or wrinkle stipple (a special kind of latex). To enhance forehead wrinkles, paint your forehead with latex, then place a piece of tissue paper over the latex (you may need to add a little more latex to completely wet the tissue). The scrunch up your forehead. Your natural wrinkles will translate into the tissue paper, and the latex will dry with those wrinkles. This is a great effect.
You can also get a complete "Old Age Kit" from Ben Nye. The kit includes all the makeup and applicators you would need to make your character, as well as step by step instructions with pictures. It doesn't include latex, or wrinkle stipple. You can do without those, but they do make some really cool effects.
Most importantly, always practice your makeup before you need it. Many small makeup errors are not obvious when you are on stage (as apposed to video), but large faux pas can been seen.
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