Am I the only middle aged woman on MN with lines and wrinkles?

[Ivaidea]

I don't mean to sound arsey (honestly!) but if you are over 45 and have no lines or wrinkles, this thread is not for you.

I'm always reading posts on here where people say they are, say, 50 and have no wrinkles or are regularly taken for 5, 10 or more years younger.

Am I the only one who does have lines and wrinkles? My facial lines are similar to say, Naomi Watts in this photo - but without the beauty.

I didn’t have any trouble picking out the mothers in those photos.

I'm in my mid-50s and have very few wrinkles - people remark on it sometimes. HOWEVER, very recently I've noticed those wrinkles above the lips some people get (especially smokers : I haven't smoked for 10 years though)!

Its mainly genetic - my gran had clearish skin too.

I probably look a bit younger than my age as a result - but not that much. BECAUSE even though my skin is less wrinkled, its still older and thinner. You can't change that no matter how many facelifts etc you have.

Agreed butterfly. Interesting article. The usual hokum though "drinking plenty of water to flush out harmful toxins" - that's not how toxins are eliminated, drinking water doesn't do that (sorry, that's my pet irritant ! ). Something else is going on there!

Also, am chubby which makes me look older. And also a chronic illness - which on same days can make me look (and feel) old and tired. But I don't mind the grey hair and feel much more "myself" than in my 40s for some reason (apart from the chubbyness I could do without)

And, interesting to read, how many younger looking posters have illnesses. I did read that some immune illnesses seem to pick people with certain kinds of genes (which coincidentally tended to make people look younger).

Just sending warm heart to those who are suffering from ill health - if you feel awful looking younger isn't much of a compensation tbh.

I have two work colleagues, when I started work at my firm they were 54 and 43 respectively.

I never told them but when I met them I got them the wrong way round! 43 y/o was very sunken in the face, unruly eyebrows, terrible highlights.

54 y/o had lovely skin, minimal make up and and nice hair. Plus she smiled lots and her look suited her.

So I guess in this instance you can look 10 years younger. Still, that could have been terribly embarrassing

also, forgot to add, i know someone (in her 60s?) who has a very lined, creviced face, i think its just one of those genetic things. but she is full of character and intelligence. she's not 'pretty' or 'youthful' or anything like that, but is a highly valuable person regardless. i just think its something to bear in mind - sometimes we can get carried away with some of the effects of ageing on our own looks but many other people around us (like this woman I know) will be more concerned with valuing the person herself.

actually, i suppose she could be nearer her 70s, regardless, she has a face almost like Samuel Beckett.

I thought I had food poisoning until I googled 'botox and nausea' and read so many similar stories. The 'experts' all deny a link but so many women saying the same thing need to be taken seriously.

Botulism is a form of food poisoning. Injecting botox is literally injecting botulinum toxin. How much more of a link do they need?

@PorkFlute

I'm in my 30s and have smile lines and some light crows feet around my eyes. Doesn't stop me being asked for ID when I want to buy alcohol!

This happened to me the other day when I bought a bottle of wine and I'm mid-40s. I was delighted and told the lady that she'd made my day!

I have smile lines and light crows feet, also bags under my eyes when I'm tired (never used to get them). I know a few people who do Botox and I can't be bothered with it. OK, they have fewer lines, but they don't really look "young," just like they're trying hard to hang onto their youth.

I couldn't give a toss really, at least I'm still breathing!

Oh, and I know the lady who asked for I.D. probably needed an eye test, but it was nice to be asked for once .

butterflysugarbaby - that's the one.

I have had Botox four times now. I've had two hideous ones where my eyebrows were in my hairline (Not a good look). The last two have been much kinder to my face reducing and softening lines not lifting just freshening me up. I'm 46. I told the Doctor what I didn't want, he gets a bit pissed off at me as he's the expert but it's just not me and it's my face!

I'm not particularly keen on the chipmunk look that celebrities seem to be leaning towards. I think it's fillers although I'm not certain. I figure that if people with all that money can't get it right then there's no hope for us 'normal' folk.

I always wonder at this too

I don’t think anyone gets to .45 without any lines

They might look great ! Sure they do

But they will have some wear and tear

I have worn my face out with too many feelings.
Fully clothed I’ve got a reasonably youthful physique due to exercise and good diet, but my face is utterly fucked thanks to exhaustion, anxiety, two non-sleeping babies and a high pressure job. I laugh and smile a lot too but the default setting is ‘creased with stricken panic’. I have weird skinny jowls which overhang rollneck tops and look like I’ve meltrd. I vet / filter photos and everything goes in black and white!

I was told as a child I would wear my face out with my over-expressive antics. Guess they were right

I’m a black woman in my forties and am frequently mistaken for someone ten to fifteen years younger. Being slim helps (I often wear children’s sizes). I’m not a fan of Botox. An acquaintance who’s still in her thirties gets it regularly and it just makes her look a little strange.

The women in those pics (on the previous page,) mostly look close to their age. And the ones who don't are photoshopped.

The Taiwanese woman in that article apparently spends five hours a day looking after her skin. I’d rather have a life!

I'm not particularly keen on the chipmunk look that celebrities seem to be leaning towards. I think it's fillers although I'm not certain. I figure that if people with all that money can't get it right then there's no hope for us 'normal' folk.

I wonder this too, but I think there are celebs out there who do have stuff done without being noticed: Cate Blanchett, Judy Dench, Helen Mirren, even Naomi Watts (she’s hardly wrinkled at all on that pic for a 49 year old!). However they have it done very subtly, by skilled surgeons who are fully qualified in facial muscles and aesthetics and are therefore very adept at the natural look. These celebs can afford and will insist on the very best, not least because their profession will demand movement in their faces! I’m still not quite sure how Nicole Kidman has managed to get it so wrong, but still. I’d imagine that those who have it done badly such as the TOWIE and Geordie Shore types are going to local beauty therapists who may be qualified but haven’t spent years studying the facial structure. They are also surrounded by similar types I guess where over filled lips and frozen faces are the norm, so they probably insist on too many top ups and full doses in order to ‘keep up’ with the look they seem so accustomed to.

Anyway this thread has inspired me to lay off the botox as I’m due my six monthly top up soon and I think I might give it a miss.

marionette lines and no.11s you could park a bike in here.
if I look it's because I seem to be most of the time
[Storms off in seaarch of ]

Here's Cate Blanchett without carefully managed lighting and photoshop

Naomi Watts (she’s hardly wrinkled at all on that pic for a 49 year old!).

I don’t agree - I agree with the previous poster who said that some people must think that 50 looks really old, hence they are surprised when people don’t look as old as their mental image of that age.

Madonna!!! She looks awful and it makes me really sad what on earth do these people do to themselves? That horrible puffy shiny belipped visage?

Sometimes I think it's about when your face looks at its best. Mine def did in its 40s. I didn't look younger I just looked better. I sort of grew into my face. No doubt I'll grow out of it. That might be because I think older women look more attractive. I always used to think that about actresses when I was younger- the ones prob in their 30s and 40s looked better than the twentysomethings.

I am 51 & I suspect I look about 10 years older. Especially as I don't wear makeup or dye my hair (can't muster any interest).

I guess I'm bothered about my looks if I STARE into the mirror, but I lost interest in that kind of thing when I was about 15. DC don't like me looking older, it reminds them of my mortality.

I kind of like how I am. A rare woman who is 51 & actually looks at least 51 and isn't ashamed of it, either. When I was young, there was a public shame to pretending to be younger than you were.