What is the most impactful thing you've done to turn back the clock (non surgical)

[PassportPhotosAreHorrific]

Tldr version: What's the most powerful way you've found to turn back the clock sans surgery (I'm not getting a face-lift)? Creams, pills, those weird light masks, massage?

Longer version (an SOS): my work was in the public eye until about seven years ago, and since then, I've had children and moved to the country. All good, v happy.

However! I have some new projects in the pipeline and need to make myself look a lot better by next summer. I thought I was doing okay but recent passport renewal photos showed me that I'm looking HORRIFICALLY mumsy. 😬

Really don't want people to die of shock when I emerge from my bucolic chrysalis next year, so please, please help. 😩

TracyBeakerSoYeah Such good advice! Oil and smiling! I swear by Clarins blue orchid oil and Pai rosehip oil.

My list is very similar to others on here:

Reformer Pilates
Collagen
Berberine
Melatonin
No alcohol

And unfortunately, spending money on better skin care. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and a good SPF.

I also do 11s and crows feet botox - I know you said non-surgical, but it's made a huge difference to lifting my eyes and making me look more awake.

Same has happened to me! Bloody depressing. Looking thin suddenly looks frail. It’s odd.

I am considering going back to my original weight, and hoping my face recovers.

Changed jobs. Stress is ageing.

@Meetingofminds and @LaBelleEtLeBadBoy perhaps we were in different ballparks, weight-wise to start with. I've lost the very large stomach which I think makes me feel more athletic even if I don't look it, it's less matronly in clothing as well, but I'm still well-covered enough to pad out the wrinkles.

Someone kind please explain what Botox actually is? How it's supposed to work etc..
TIA 😊

It depends on the motivation in my view:

To look young ( impossible as it’s obvious with Botox etc)

Ot to be fit - which is uplifting and enjoyable and it doesn’t matter what you look like.

I couldn’t care less how I look now. It’s bloody liberating and keeps me young. It’s far more fun - highly recommend! I have a batch of friends, all the same. Feral. Be happy and enjoy your life 🥳

Absolutely the same here. But just last week I had the overwhelming urge to have it cut short again, and now have to start all over again, aagh.

I once read as you get older - you can choose to either look skinny or young. Not both. I definitely look younger with a chubbier face!

@GreenCereal It's weird isn't it as some women having extra weight can look older too, and much younger with weight loss.

It's amazing how much just hair and clothes affects it too. I look at photos of my mum and her friends at 40 and they all look a lot older than 40 year olds now. Yes there's better makeup, botox, less smoking now.. but a lot of it is fashion and short curly hair. I imagine my mum with longer hair and funkier style and it'd take years off her. I imagine me with the hair and clothes she had and I would age 15 years!
I'm so glad women now don't have to adopt a certain style at a particular age anymore, it was so strange "you are 40 you must have a short perm now and wear drab clothes"

This. It really is the easiest answer. And entirely free.

I have no idea how old people think I look. Is it older than my actual middle aged age? No idea. Who cares?

Yoga
Good diet
Water
Cleanse tone and moisturise daily
SPF 30
Teeth whitening

Some people do care though, and that’s ok too.

@Darkdiamond which video please re Angelina Jolie?

Forget all the lotions potions and skin care. Just water is enough. Wash only with water and drink more water. My mum looks 20 years younger than her age I'm not lying. She has always drank lots of water and never been into skincare. She has never wore makeup apart from on a very rare special occasion. She is slim and has wonderful skin.

I also find using any skincare products makes my skin worse and I look instantly older. I have gone back to water now.

I have a couple of colleagues who look young for their ages and neither wear makeup and told me they have minimal skincare routines.

Composite bonding on my teeth

Cinderella drip.. the best thing ever.. You'll fall in love with yourself

Apileofballyhoo · Yesterday 23:37
No alcohol, no smoking, hrt if you are perimenopause, daily broadspectrum SPF of at least 50, reapplied if more than 2 hours in the sun. Not just a moisturiser or makeup or bb or cc cream with spf in it as you won't use a thick enough layer.

Retinol or tretinoin (prescription only but there are online dermatology services dermatica and skin+me). Medik8 crystal retinal is good for sensitive skin. Retinol can be very irritating and drying. Tret can too. Skin can get used to them though.

Exfoliating acids (AHA, BHA, PHA), be careful if your skin is sensitive. Paula's choice are probably the best to try, you can buy travel sizes. Biologique Recherche is the expensive but amazing brand. So many cheaper options out there too, can't vouch for any of them. Glycolic acid is harshest I think, lactic and salicylic and mandelic are more gentle and can be moisturising/hydrating.

Tranexamic acid for evening skin tone and marks from break outs. Not an exfoliating acid.

Hydrating your skin as well as moistruing it, vichy mineral 89 is popular but I find cosrx snail mucin essence stuff a lot better, obviously weird and problematic if you are vegan.

Vitamin C but has to be a good one especially if you have sensitive skin, Skinceuticals C E F is the most expensive and best, geek and gorgeous is meant to be good. Vitamin C can be irritating too but gives a great glow. Can help fade dark spots.

Non irritating options are peptides, you'd have to look to see what companies offer them in anti ageing formulas. Matrixyl is the most common as far as I know. I used The Ordinary peptides and they were fine. Boots no 7 not as effective.

Foreo Bear electric device thing. I use mine with the Cosrx stuff. Makes me look less tired and fresher I suppose. Gives a slight lift around the eyes and provides glow. It's probably the easiest, cheapest (after initial purchase) and laziest thing to do as it doesn't require any great routine or layers of serums and so on. Clean face, slap on gel, massage face for 3-5 minutes, moisturiser, spf if morning time. Two or 3 times a week.

Jesus wept!

You can't turn the clock back, you can only slow down the ticking.

I'm actually pretty excited now for my glow up!

I've just had confirmation from Dermatica that my tretinoin is on the way, wooooo

Also, @WayOutOfLine I just watched that whole video and I am inspired to change things up. I don't have too many of her bad habits but I am going to look for a dark brown eyeliner now, instead of black. Thanks for posting it!

Another help in prevention is to wear big sunglasses a lot. I see so many people never wearing them. I honestly can't stand not having them, my eyes screw up into tiny holes with bright sunlight making wrinkles far worse.

@PassportPhotosAreHorrific that's a super-easy trick, it just looks really natural, even my teenager uses brown/black now!

@LaBelleEtLeBadBoy
– sounds improbable, but having a raw veg / fruit smoothie of a morning. Me and my partner tried it once (for a few weeks) a few years ago, and were shocked at how glowing and sparkling and deeply radiant we looked. It was honestly striking! (And we eat a lot of veg anyway.) We didn’t keep it up (think not long after covid hit and we could barely be arsed to wash) – we should prob start again!

I notice the same when I have a green smoothie in the morning (a very basic one: spinach, half banana & oat milk), even though I normally eat 5-7 servings of fruit/vegetables.

Just please, please remember to put SPF in the morning, otherwise you will get sunburnt easily. I use La Roche-Posay 50spf.

@PassportPhotosAreHorrific I would add to please go slowly when you start tret. There's a really good video on YT from Angie Hot and Flashy that details starting tretinoin. I would watch this before you start. Your skin will thank you!