Why do some people i.e. me age faster than others?

[kismetqueen]

I am in my early 40's and my looks really are on a downward spiral. I keep fit, eat a plant based diet and look after my skin and hair but while my figure is decent my face is awful, my eye bags are getting worse and worse each year and nothing can fix them except maybe surgery I can't afford.

On one hand I do accept its just a normal part of getting older and that I have to accept it and I look around at my peers and can see most of them are also getting more wrinkles etc but then a few hardly seem to change at all and look much as they did 15 or 20 years ago.

I have a friend who is my age (41) and has no wrinkles at all, no crows feet, no forehead lines, no nose to mouth lines just lovely plump youthful skin which has never changed in the all the time I have known her. The only real difference in our skins is that she has always used spf she certainly doesn't use any treatments like botox or filler as she could not afford them and I would know as I see her several times a week.

Why does aging happen at different ratesonce your out of your 20's some (like me) age over night but others stay the same for decades? Is it just genetics or do they have some secret practice like bathing in the blood of virgins?

Genetics. Thats it I think. I'm lucky but so is my mum and sister but we're not eating better than anybody else.

Pretty sure we all age at exactly the same rate. Some of us just have unrealistic expectations of what people should look like at a particular age.

Spf. It really is that good

You said the only difference is that she always uses SPF, well that makes a huge difference! I would guess it's that to be honest.

A lot of it is genetics but exposure to sun has a bearing on it.

My younger sister looks older than me but she's always been a bit overweight, has a job which requires her to be up very early and can afford more holidays. I burn really easily though so I've always been pretty good about using suncream.

It's kind of difficult to compare yourself to others outside of family because you have totally different genetics.

genetics and exposure to sun

Genetics + lifestyle.

Mostly genetics (ie. luck).

Having oily skin has helped to not age my skin, I think (It's nice that the nightmare of my oil slick skin has some benefit).

I'm 42 and have no wrinkles whatsoever. However I do have skin (and hair) that looks wet to touch 12 hours after showering. I have incredible oily skin and hair, I always have. I hate it, but the positive is that my skin has oodles of natural moisterisation.

Remember you are more likely to focus on the bits of your face that you don’t like, and that have changed, than someone else looking at your face. Someone else might see your features in a much more positive light than you do. Who knows what your friend thinks when she looks in the mirror?

Genetics, uv exposure, smoking history, weight.

Genetics and sun damage.

I have young looking skin. I'm 47 with no lines. I don't drink or smoke and I never go out in the sun as I burn just looking out of the window.

It is genetics mostly.

Healthy living etc only goes so far.

Collagen breakdown - not helped by things like smoking and sun exposure.

But it is also your genetic luck.

I think I'm ageing faster than friends, I don't smoke and always wear high factor sun tan lotion in the sun, so it's just bad luck I think

I also think though that being slim and exercising is good for the body, but not so much for the face

I've just moved house and have aged 10 years in a week!

I'm 44, use spf, have oily skin and no wrinkles. But i do have a monstrous frown line above my nose!

Sun exposure worsens skin aging so that SPF does help. Other than using sun screens/avoiding the sun, eating well and not smoking there isn’t much you can do but just go with it.

I'm sure alcohol has not helped mine, especially guzzling some at the start of a night out to boost my confidence(rather than sipping a glass with a meal) and also smoking in the past.

I am you. I think it's mostly genetics and facial structure. My Mum and Grandma were amazingly youthful looking - unfortunately I take after my Dad. I also have a thin, angular face which I think makes me look older. I was interested to read on a thread yesterday that lots of people thought celebrities looked younger because they have thin faces. The opposite seems to be true with me!

Genetics, the sun and smoking.

Genetics
Smoking
SPF
I have two female relatives from the same family. Both about 70 now. One has always smoked and liked the sun. The other has never smoked and kept out of the sun and/or used sunscreen even before it was mainstream. The difference in wrinkles is huge

Also if you are slim you have less fat to pad out your face so may look more wrinkled than if you were plumper.

Genetics, I look incredibly young for my age as does my mum .

Genetics, and moisturing ditto Ghanagirl

I think it's down to genetics, Sun damage, smoking and water consumption. My mum in her 70s has great skin only a few wrinkles around her eyes! My sister is 40 and her wrinkly face shows years of Sun bathing and smoking. My brother and I have lovely skin. We dont like sun bathing and drink lots of water.

Genetics, sun, alcohol and smoking and the big four. My mum's skin has aged much faster than her mother's - they're both sun lovers but my mum also loves drinking and smoking heavily.

Mostly genetics but eat a plant based diet doesn't help everyone and can make things harder in some cases.