To think my expensive anti ageing night cream is GIVING me wrinkles?!

[PeasinPod1]

Would love to see if I am mad to think this, but recently splashed out on a Clarins anti ageing night cream and eye cream. Eye cream, fine. But since using the face cream for a few weeks, Ives noticed now fairly deep set wrinkles by my mouth that are definitely more prominent/visible/there than they were before 2 weeks ago. I've also come out with some spots on my cheeks where usually I don't really get any spots.

I'm 33 and usually have good, clear and pretty unlined skin. I am pregnant and sleeping pretty badly at the moment if that has any link to my skin?! My skin routine until now has been beyond simple but worked for me- facial cleanser soap followed by good old Nivea in the white tub used as moisturiser.

Shall I keep using the night cream or stop & admit defeat? Any other tips welcome.

[DyslexicScientist]

Best tip for good skin is lots of water, good diet and enough sleep.

To all something anti aging all they need to do is add a bit of sun cream

[reni2]

Use any old cream, use up the one you have and buy a tub of Nivea for a fiver after. Drink loads of water, sleep, don't smoke and the wrinkles will come at some point.

I don't think other than sun, dehydration and smoking nothing makes them come sooner and nothing but nothing delays them.

[Gruntfuttock]

I'm far from averse to high-end cosmetics, but have recently bought Lidl's Cien anti-wrinkle cream £1.99 and can honestly say I have been very impressed. It really works and quickly. It's also perfect worn under makeup, not just at night. Try it. You can't go wrong at that price. I Googled for an image and it looks like this.

[Gruntfuttock]

Should have said in my post about the Lidl cream above, the only thing I'm not keen on is the scent, which is OK in itself, but just too strong. That won't stop me continuing to use it though.

[Sallystyle]

The only thing that will work against wrinkles is proper Retin A. That is scientifically proven. Sure, they will come some time, but it does slow down the process. The only cream that is scientifically proven to work.

That and sunscreen.

[SevenOhTwo]

Put it on half your face for a few weeks and see which side looks better!

[SaucyJack]

I've read plenty of times that blue Nivea is as good as anything else out there. It's supposed to be similar to Creme De La Mer. Just go back to it and right the other stuff off as an expensive mistake if you're bothered.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Ditto Tresemme.

[SaucyJack]

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[ZanyMobster]

The clarins creams did that to me too, I was the same age, it turns out I am allergic to some of the strong chemicals in them. I now by a fiver Neutrigena face wash and body shop aloe vera day and night creams and my skin looks loads better.

[cardibach]

Has anybody else noticed the OP is 33? Surely a bit young to worry about aging skin?
I have atheist that the more cosmetics you use the worse your skiing gets - whether that is make-up or skin care. I use no make-up, Simple wash and moisturiser and nothing else. I'm 51 and don't seem to have wrinkles, prominent or not.

[lorelei9]

peas, could it be lack of sleep?

when I turned 40, in spite of being mistaken for much younger, I decided I "should" use eye cream, within about 2 weeks I got lines. I don't know why but the eye cream was binned - cheap and cheerful anyway.

[P1nkP0ppy]

I used to pay out for moisturiser but now use M&S's Pure range and it beats everything else I've tried over the past 30 years.

[DyslexicScientist]

Well retina a isn't the only thing, botox for one. And long term these might make issues worse.

Eat lots of orange things high in vit a , sweet pot, mango. Apricots etc

[ChippyOikInTinsel]

I think you're starting at yourself with a more critical eye. I'm 44 and I've only ever slathered on SPF (minimum 15, in summer 30) and used lots of moisturiser at night but Aldi's own will do. I am trying to train myself to sleep on my back and it's really REALLY hard. Any suggestions? I don't smoke, eat healthily, go easy on alcohol, stay out of sun..................... would say I look a few years younger than I am but I doubt that two decades of estee lauder would have made much difference. Just my gut feeling.

[ChippyOikInTinsel]

I do take cod liver oil capsules and vitimin C every second day (cos I remember every second day)

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

If you have dark skin, a plump face, drink a normal amount of water, don't smoke and stay out of the sun and use high SPF sunscreen, you'll look younger.

All the rest of the face cream bullshit is barely going to make a difference.

[Sansoora]

My granny used Oil of Ulay for years and eventually started to say it was causing her to grow facial hair. We thought it was funny until it was proved to indeed cause facial hair in some of the people using it.

[hefzi]

I could well be not suitable for your skin - those sort of creams are often targeted at the over-50s market. It's not unusual to have spots after changing skin care products - sometimes for a fair few weeks too - but that can also be because it's just too rich for your skin at this point: more mature skins tend to become thinner and drier.

Otherwise- could be not enough sleep, sleeping creases on your face, eating more sugar than usual: or just looking more closely at your face because you want to check the pricey cream's working!

[PeasinPod1]

Thanks all for the great tips and advice!! I will seek out Lidl's cream on my next visit- thanks Gruntfuttock.

I might just give my pot of Clarins to my mum then?! I still use and love my tube of Nivea soft as my day cream so many just start using this at night too.

lorelei9 ChippyOikInTinsel + hefzi you are also all right, and the lack of sleep which has been awful the past few weeks as I've noticed the extra wrinkles as well as definitely peering at my skin more closely too! But would lack of sleep cause these lines, and would they get better if I slept better again? Thanks.

[lorelei9]

oh yes, I have raging insomnia and in my worst phases I look more wrinkled. Not deeply, but fine lines I guess. I also look really lifeless and almost grey-skinned (!) so it makes everything seem worse and then you peer at yourself more and probably magnify it in your mind!

[Dowser]

Used Clarins exclusively for years.

I moaned to my son that I was starting to get wrinkles.

Waste of money he said.

Noooo! They would have been much worse. I now use my own concoction. Shea butter, coconut oil , frankincense oil and other oils like jojoba, wheat germ, neem, avocado...a little bit of this and that. My skin never has that dry feel that It used to have with shop bought crams.

[Gruntfuttock]

Please don't take offence cardibach, but I just wanted to congratulate you on the excellent typos in your post:-
"I have atheist that the more cosmetics you use the worse your skiing gets"

[lorelei9]

I didn't notice the skiing bit!

I'd love an atheist I could pop in my bag, like a hand cream. I already am an atheist, but a portable one to carry for company would be great.

[ifyoulikepinacolada]

I worked in beauty for years. I'm afraid pregnancy and the hormonal changes can cause spots and lack of sleep will exacerbate lines - what's going on in your body shows on your skin so much more than what you put on it! Drink loads more water and see if you can catch up on sleep over Christmas, then loads of green veggies (cucumber is amazing for skin!) and lemon and ginger. You can keep using the cream if you like it :)

Please don't use high strength retinoid products while you're pregnant by the way - it can cause more damage than it solves!

[lexlees]

I also believe some of the creams - especially eye creams are designed to give you more wrinkles!!!

I experimented once by not putting any eye cream for two weeks and my eyes had less wrinkles on them than after a week of eye cream.

I noticed it especially with hand cream. I have a friends who has a twin, and one twin had beautiful smooth hands and the other one as wrinkled as anything. The one with the wrinkled hands always used hand cream and washed with soap. The one with extremely smooth hands never used hand cream and never used soap. She exclusively cleansed her hands with alcohol/dettol/ hand sanitiser. She also always wore gloves washing up. Smoothest hands ever. ... sorry I digressed.