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While many of her co-stars, including Katherine Heigl and Sandra Oh, left the ABC medical drama several years ago, Pompeo has no intention of following suit. "I thought, 'Why would I leave something that is super successful and pays me great to search the landscape?' I decided that I would stay on Grey's and be grateful and try to ride it out for as long as I could," she says. "And I am very happy that I made the decision to stay. It's only gotten better with time." Of course, there are downsides to being on the same show for so many seasons. "Watching myself age on TV is miserable. To be honest, it's the toughest part of my job. But as uncomfortable as watching myself age is, I don't think focusing on physical beauty is necessarily the best thing for your mind. It's a natural thing that we all do, but I don't think it's the healthiest thing," she says. "The older you get, the more you realize life isn't about your looks. Everyone ages, and it's OK."

"I think when you're in your 20s and 30s, you're super obsessed with your looks because you don't have any other wisdom," Pompeo says. "I have the wisdom to know that growing old is a privilege that not everyone is afforded. If my physical beauty is the only thing that leaves me and my health and my family stay, then that is what's really important to me."

Looking younger is not high on her priority list. "For me, personally, I don't do Botox or anything like that," she tells People. "It can't be what's on the outside; it's gotta be what's on the inside."

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