Aged so much in the past year or so I'm like a different person now.

[carowils]

I am 47 and in the past year or two I feel like my face and body have fallen off a cliff in terms of ageing. Not to blow my own trumpet but I was an attractive woman until recently and even up to 45 I hadn't shown many signs of ageing on my face or body. I am quite tall so my weight was never an issue but I'm looking lumpy and saggy now and I tried the guy for more regular exercise but was just totally exhausted by it, didn't go enough and so didn't renew. I do walk my dogs a few times a day so I am active in that way.

My body is nothing compared to the dramatic change in my face. A year or two ago my face was relatively smooth and unlined, no sagging or puffiness. Now I feel as though I have aged 10 years overnight. I suddenly have fine lines and deeper wrinkles all over my face, my face seems baggy and saggy, my under eye area is pouchy, my neck is sort of crepey and sagging and I don't recognise myself at all in photos.

I have always looked after my skin and use quality products elemis and liz earle but I have always loved the sun and I enjoy a drink but I never smoked.

I feel so depressed at my sudden change and the fact that nothing I do seems to help or stop the rapid decline. I did not use SPF every day in the past and I am doing that now but i am not sure that the past damage can be reversed.

I see other women my age who probably stayed out of the sun and they still look great, I was surprised recently to learn a woman I know is actually a year older than me as I had assumed she was more like 15 years younger.

I think I am in peri and losing estrogen but I can't use HRT so I can't stop the decline that way. I think many women my age are on HRT and that it probably makes a huge difference to how old a person looks, especially if they were not sun worshipers.

I really thought I was getting away with it but it just all hits you like a ton of bricks one day and then its too late 😢

Not on a high income so surgery, fillers, botox and laser are out of the question. I still feel young in many ways but I look more and more like a little old lady. I did go blonde last year after being a brunette all my life as the upkeep from the grey was too much and I feel like that is also ageing me.

So depressing.

I'm sure it's not that bad

How's your diet??

@coxesorangepippin Its bad believe me I was and still am a real sun worshiper, I got away with it so long I think really did start to believe it wouldn't affect me then it did.

My diet is ok. I am quite disciplined about not overeating and I do try to eat healthy.

Aw what can we say, it happens to us all sooner or later. I was a beauty when younger but the late 40s did change me and there is no getting away from it. I did get it together tho, I got my head around it mostly, thinking 'this isn't going to go backwards.' That was my best thinking, it isn't going to go back to how it was. So I had to make changes. For me I started fasting and taking better care of myself. I also made the most of my clothes, eking out the dress wearing. I really looked after my hair, I changed to the curly girl routine and stopped using a hairdryer and that has been good. I am not grey yet but it is starting.

There isn't anything we can do is there, aside from be the best we can be, and make sure we live life to the fullest.

@something2say Thank you, perhaps one day I will be able to think like that but I'm still deep in the grief stage I think at the moment.

It's alarming, I'm 47 and had similar around 45, have started to think of myself as looking old.

Try collagen powder and Foreo bear, these at least seem for now to have reversed the early signs of turkey neck that I was seeing a couple years back.

I think you have a point with going blonde. Sometimes it can age people who have previously been brunette. Maybe try blonde highlights with highlights around the face. Stay out of the sun and use SPF50 daily. It is in lots of face moisturisers. Also concentrate on your clothing to focus on looking stylish, but don’t dress too young. This way you should come across younger.