Depressed about how lockdown has aged me

[TulipsHyacinths]

I’m embarrassed, and I know it’s so vain, but I just feel a haggard mess now. I’m early 30s and feel like I lost any last remaining vestige of youth during lockdown.

I was just looking at photos from just before lockdown happened and I had glowing skin, glossy hair (even though at the time I felt very ugly and past it already). Now I’m just grey frizzy hair and all these lines have sprung up on my face. My face shape even seems to have changed - it looks all puffy and dull.

I’m embarrassed about how vain this sounds. I’ve never been a looker, but I’m single again after many years so I guess am thinking about my appearance more. Urgh. I do blame lockdown. So much time inside and crying, as well as going through a breakup 😞

Does anyone else feel this way? How do you feel better about it?

I'm fully with you. I also have a three year old, so I blame him too for the major decline in my appearance. Cute but aging, these kids.

Have you had any weight change? I've lost a few pounds over the course of the pandemic which, rather than improving my overall appearance, seems to have just drained all the remaining signs of youth from my face. I lost a lot of weight in my 20s and didn't have this problem, so I have to think that in my "advanced" age (I'm also early 30s!) my skin no longer snaps back as it once did.

Oh, and to answer your other question, I feel better about it by putting money in my Botox fund. I joke. But also I do not.

Nah, no way do you look that bad, or 'aged.' Not in your early 30s!

I was feeling this way and my friend got me into doing a proper skin care routine and even in just a few weeks I've seen a huge improvement

I feel exactly the same, OP, except I am slightly further into my 30s. Just feel like a mess. Overweight, hair awful. Skin not too bad as I am making small steps with new products and a better routine. Facial hair on the increase. Wrinkles multiplying.

Yep me too and I’ve got fat

I'm sure you don't look like that, you will look beautiful. Get out and do stuff, meet friends, dress up you will be surprised!

I honestly think I have aged 5-8 years during lockdown. I had months of working stupid hours/homeschooling where I barely bothered to moisturiser, hayfever for the first time in my life that's meant I rub my eyes really hard 3 or 4 times a day and I haven't exercised enough. Oh and peri-menopause has screwed my sleep. I look utterly shit.

It's good to read that a decent skincare routine could bring a bit of improvement and now that walking to school has started I'm hoping the increase in sunshine, exercise and moisturiser will help to get me back at least 1 of those lost years .

@Peteycat

I'm sure you don't look like that, you will look beautiful. Get out and do stuff, meet friends, dress up you will be surprised!

I do loathe these faux reassuring "you will look/you are beautiful".

This news in: some people are just really plain. raises hand. If someone told me I'm beautiful (not that anyone does including DH because he struggles with lying) I'd wonder what they're on.

OP: life is more than looks. The advice in the second para above still applies. You're so young still!

@entropynow

"
Peteycat

I'm sure you don't look like that, you will look beautiful. Get out and do stuff, meet friends, dress up you will be surprised!

I do loathe these faux reassuring "you will look/you are beautiful".

This news in: some people are just really plain. raises hand. If someone told me I'm beautiful (not that anyone does including DH because he struggles with lying) I'd wonder what they're on.

OP: life is more than looks. The advice in the second para above still applies. You're so young still!

I was being nice. There's nothing faux about it. Honestly some people are so negative at the moment!! I think you are probably beautiful too BTW because I think all women are. Doesn't matter if you don't think you are beautiful in what society deem as beautiful, you still are because we are all unique, with unique faces and features.

I’ve aged loads since covid. It’s been really hard on us all.

I don’t have an answer but I’m having moments of really liking my face/body again recently. Not been doing anything that different except seeing friends face to face a bit more and eating really good icecream. 🤷‍♀️🤣

I do feel you! I am early 30s and feel like I've skipped 5 years during lockdown. I think it's really to do with how sedentary we have all been, definitely sitting at home all day and eating crisps doesn't do wonders for the glowing complexion of youth. I'm trying to get back to the gym as much as possible to claw it back. But I've def developed some bad habits during lockdown that are really getting in the way of my youthful glow (drinking and carbs lol).

I can totally understand, I look a lot older to me. Have invested in some new skin care and am religiously doing face and hair masks which has made a difference. Am also upping my water intake. And have booked for some botox.

Hi OP, have you tried gua sha?! It's a revolution if you think you're looking puffy - I've been doing it for 6 weeks and it's made such a difference. Perhaps go and treat yourself to some new skincare? The Ordinary is great - a good acid (aha + bha, or the glycolic acid) and some retinol can work wonders. Great prices too! I felt the same during lockdown, getting back into 10,000 steps a day and the extra fresh air has poked my skin up massively.

OP, you just need to try some maintenance. Buy yourself an eye cream, serum and a moisturiser. Apply religiously twice a day, I promise you will see results within a month. You are still very young. Same story with the hair. Cover greys, good conditioner and a hair mask weekly. Drink lots of water. Just do it every day. Your youth is likely to come back

Off to do a hair mask on the basis of this thread …..

I was only thinking of this the other day. Looking back through pictures, I look so much happier, fresher. I feel like my face has wrinkled, dropped and is so dull. I just look different and have aged loads. I

Yep, I've noticed this too :( I looked very, very young for my age pre-lockdown....I was 34 but regularly got asked for ID buying wine in the supermarket etc. A lot of people thought I was mid to late twenties. Now I look in the mirror and I think I look old....far more grey hair, really bad frown lines from so much worry, dull skin and some fine lines under my eyes.

I'm really hoping that when things go back to some kind of normal, I'll look a bit better again...I went through a very hard time in 2018 and looked awful and old and sick, and had much improved a year later. Surely being out and about and exercising and all that must make some difference? Or maybe my looks have finally caught up to my age...who knows.

Hopefully we'll get some tips from people on this thread!

Can anyone recommend a good hair mask? My hair is coloured and dry!

@Oblahdeeoblahdoe

Can anyone recommend a good hair mask? My hair is coloured and dry!

I love olaplex! Number 0 then 3, or 8. Keraste / Redken do some really good ones for coloured hair too 😊

"21:34Oblahdeeoblahdoe

Can anyone recommend a good hair mask? My hair is coloured and dry!"

The garner hair food is so good. Recyclable pot, no rubbish all natural.

@Oblahdeeoblahdoe

My hair got so much better when I stopped using shampoo. Just massage conditioner into scalp, rinse then condition rest of hair. My hair is now never greasy or dry.

Ditto! Until before lockdown I scrubbed up well. Now?

A good facial scrub every few days will rejuvenate your skin plus a good moisturiser.
Rosehip oil or bio oil on the skin after is good too

I’m with you OP, I’m a similar age and I look at pictures of when I’d just given birth a few years ago and I looked so much better then. Just more youthful, I feel haggard now. I’ve got a lot more greys and just feel more drained. I’ve sorted my skin with a routine and have Botox but I’m a bit too tubby and my whole body feels and looks worn out. No answers, but solidarity.