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.

Your eyes will give away your age. I'm not talking about the wrinkles around them just the eyes themselves lose their brightness or something. Of course you can always wear sunglasses everywhere

There are still a few women on TV who look natural. Mary Nightingale and Kate Humble both look great and seem to have had nothing done.

Hands! And necks, both give away age. Look at Paul McCarthy's neck.

We've been watching Botched, the plastic surgery show, and hands & necks are the 2 areas that show age the most.

Olivia Newton-John is in the news because of a third cancer diagnosis. She has been so dignified and courageous in her fight and seems like a lovely woman, but why the plastic face???? Why all that make -up on top of the plastic face?

Keep fighting ONJ.

I don't think Judi Dench has had anything done, she looks untouched to me. To me hair really gives itself away, it's so easy to spot dyed white hair, it doesn't make anyone look younger.

I've got loads and I'm 38 🤷🏽‍♀️

Oh, and I completely disagree about the brightness of eyes. My mum's still sparkled when she was 97.

I agree about Madonna and Olivia Newton-John. Two very pretty young women, still looking good at 40, then they went OTT with the 'procedures' and now just look very odd.

The likes of Joanna Lumley, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, etc etc (all over 65,) look great, and are attractive women who seem to look after themselves, and they look good for their age, but they don't look much YOUNGER.

Joanna Lumley - 72 - is stunning IMO, but still doesn't look any younger than mid 60's.. Judi Dench (in her early 80's) is very attractive, but could not pass for any lower than her early to mid 70's. And Helen Mirren - 73 - again fit and attractive, but looks no younger than her mid 60's.

I'm only 24 but due to ill health amd lack of sleep I've really started to age, ive certainly got lines and wrinkles and my eyes are just like dark bags. DH said he couldn't believe how old I'm looking when he was flicking back to photos from a year ago 🤦‍♀️

Its interesting isn't it ...

Why all the ra-ra about looking younger anyway? Its not exactly an achievement is it really? Its just genes, or botox, when it comes down to it; sometimes good self-care can help but it has its limitations. Most people can't look more than 10 years younger even with the best genes and self-care, so is the effort (expensive face creams, cosmetic "work") even worth it? Of course wanting to look good and appreciate nice clothes etc is something different from wanting to look younger.

When I was young, there was a public shame to pretending to be younger than you were

^ Where was that, ragged, out of curiosity - in the UK? I don't remember that. Except perhaps the long blonde hair, thigh boots look and they turn around and they're 70 .

I really dislike all the "work" on so many celebrities - Madonna looks plain weird. Kylie actually looks like a plastic doll. Its awful and in equal measure.

I think Naomi Watts looks so much better than her BFF Nicole Kidman who has gone overboard trying to keep the wrinkles at bay.

I have the world's oiliest face, which although is a real pain in the arse to handle, I think it does keep my face moisturised
However I do have hooded eyes that are getting more hooded by the day! Not sure if fixable or not? Who was the cartoon dog with the droopy eyes? Oh, just googled it, Droopy! Thats what my eyes are like

TwittleBee ouch

I've had a year of ill health as well and I look like utter crap. I'm mid-forties though. Permanent purple rings under my eyes and I've just lost whatever glow I had.

Angela Rippon, Gayle Hunniford, sometimes its like The Munsters on TV. To see a woman without this "look" on TV is like something from a bygone age (Mavis Nicholson, anyone remember her? She probably wouldn't be allowed to be on TV now.)

Good post @BlueTyger

I’m 48 and have had occasional Botox on my forehead since I was 30. I met up with (lovely) old school friends and just felt so old, I know a lot of it was because my life felt so different, not just because I had deep parallel frown lines. DD2 who has CP was a very poorly baby and at this point we were up 6 to 8 times a night when her O2 sats dropped, suctioning her and doing chest physio. Life was physically and emotionally grim. Their lives were full of Glastonbury, new jobs, and the stuff of most successful people in their late 20’s. I think deep frown grooves are genetic for me, Mum has them.
The Botox has helped prevent them developing. I don’t have enough to get the taut immobile forehead, I feel better when I get round to having it done, - have gone up to two years without at times.
I think I look okay for my age but nobody would be genuinely surprised by it. Some people are a bit naive by taking the commonplace phatic - “You don’t look it!” and it’s variants for what they are. I only have a couple of friends who definitely look younger than their age, one really could pass for late 20s. She was blessed with amazing beauty, bone structure and non-white skin though. She hasn’t had work that I know of, certainly no fillers. She is super healthy and super slim. She has never once uttered any statement about people thinking she is younger than she is because she is also smart and blessed with self awareness.
I know it’s a bit iffy saying it, but the women I know whose skin looks insanely (naturally) unwrinkled, all have non-white skin. I don’t know if that’s something fair skinned people can match by avoiding sun exposure from infancy. My beautiful friend doesn’t avoid the sun, I’m sure she’s worn sunscreen like the rest of us in adult years, but as a child of 1971 she played out in summer without the hats and fervent slathering our own children get.
I often wish we had fur, like cats. It is a lot more forgiving.

Yorkshire television have a couple of tv news presenters who are ladies around my age who haven't messed with their faces as far as I can tell.

Christa Ackroyd (born 1957)
Gaynor Barnes (born 1961)

What's wrong with a wrinkle? Give me a natural face any day of the week than a stretched, bizarre look.

The thing that worries me is that the over botoxed, over surgeried face is becoming the new norm.

Also the Kylie Jenner, massive lipped, huge eye brow thing is ridiculous - and the world swollowed it up.

I don't think it's iffy, Lightdrizzle. Black skin really does seem to age better. I sat opposite a woman on the tube once whose skin looked like dark brown velvet, it was so beautiful I wanted to reach out and stroke her face. I have skin envy when I see a lot of black women.

The saying "black don't crack" exists for a reason

Mate I'm 33 and have lines, wrinkles, and binbags under my eyes. I had no idea how youthful I looked before I had a child until I saw what I looked like after a year of zero proper sleep

Good thing is I'm too knackered to give a feck!

TwittleBee Tell your DH you can't believe how much smaller his willy is now than when you married him Bloody rude!

Well my mum has no wrinkles and she is 60- she is black and it’s well known that most black people who take care of their skin by regular moisturising and eat well age very well due to melanin. She definitely looks like she is in her 50s possibly due to life stress and having 4 children.

Obviously not smoking and drinking excessively helps too.

She definitely looks like she is in her 50s possibly due to life stress and having 4 children

Or maybe because she's 60?

I’m mid:late 40s and have lines and wrinkles and my neck is starting to Turkey - that’s the worst part as you can’t hide it as easily.
I’ve always looked young for my age. When I turned 40 people at work were quite surprised but it’s gone downhill from there.
I won’t have any Botox or permanent treatments but I’m happy to get hair dyed forever - do not want to go grey gracefully. I find it more ageing than lines.

I have worn my face out with too many feelings.

Love this! My forehead is bearing the brunt of too many raised eyebrows, incredulous looks and so on.

I had always said no way would I use Botox but lately had been thinking about it a bit - but this thread has strengthened my resolve not to.