To wonder if ‘skincare’ is worth it?

[Eeksteek]

I’ve never really bothered. It seems like more faff than I can be arsed with and my skin seems to be indifferent to what I put on it. I have PCOS, and for most of my adult life I’ve been on Dianette (great skin), keto (great skin!) or had acne (icky skin, but the carbs taste good!)

Just lately, though my skin feels drier (hurrah, I might be able to look at a carb and not break out in boils!) and there’s no denying I’m solidly in my mid-forties and starting to look a bit crinkly around edges. I’m clueless though, is it really worth slathering yourself in expensive gloop? I don’t aspire to look like a teenager, and I don’t wear make up unless I’m going out out (lone parent, so that’s once or twice a year, then!) but I don’t want to look like an haggard old witch either!

Should I start with something? And what? Do you really get what you pay for? How can those little pots of gloop possibly be worth spending so much on? Gin’s loads cheaper - probably wouldn’t to do much for my skin, but it’s more fun and I’m sooo cynical about ‘beauty products’. There’s no way of knowing if you’d have aged well anyway!

(No judgement on people who enjoy spending time on their appearance or their skin. I’m lazy and irreverent, and you probably look loads better than I do. All self care is good, as far as I’m concerned!)

In my experience it isn’t worth spending a lot. I am in my 50s and people comment on how smooth and unlined my skin is. Partly genetics but I don’t mess with my face much as I am allergic to a lot of the expensive face creams. I put oil on my face in the evening then remove with a hot wash cloth. In the morning I wash with warm water. I use basic moisturizer and sunscreen on top if it’s sunny.

@AllOfUsAreDead

You don't need to bother with stuff that apparently gets rid of wrinkles. Getting wrinkles is part of getting old, some people get them worse than others. Most in my family are fairly lucky and we seem to age slower. Unless you want to start injecting yourself with botox, there's not much you can do about that.

The best thing you can use is either sunscreen or a moisturiser with spf in it. I've actually found one that doesn't make my face oily! I love it, usually they all make my face oily. Or maybe it's the toner I use before it, who knows. My face without anything done turns oily quite quickly.

Care to share please, or is it a secret?

When PP are saying sunscreen - do they mean something like Soltan?

What layer does this go in relation to moisturiser, serum, foundation?

@SockFluffInTheBath sorry yes I should have done that! It's olay luminous whip spf 30. Boots tea tree toner on before hand, although any tea tree toner would do I imagine. That's just where I happened to be.

You know, I think so much of this must be genetic. My grandma had really good skin, and took good care of it - she liked her Chanel creams. She stayed out of the sun (was a red head) and had a healthy diet. She barely drank, though she did smoke. When she died at 87 she looked a good 10-15 years younger.

Then there's my DM. She was a sun-worshipper party animal for most of her life. Drank and smoked heavily. Never wore SPF unless abroad somewhere very hot, and then never higher than factor 15. Now in her mid-60s, she doesn't drink anymore, but has kept her other bad habits, has no skincare routine to speak of, a terrible diet and never drinks water (just coffee). She looks great, and is regularly assumed to be in her 50s.

Remains to be seen if I'll be so blessed. I have a healthy lifestyle, don't smoke, drink lots of water and have a good if basic skincare routine. I think I look decent for early 40s, but not necessarily 10 years younger as DM does and DGM did! 🤨

I have always suffered from acne around my chin all my life. I have spent a fortune on products used only a couple of times then sit in the press for ages . Pre covid i wore make up every day and would wash and moisturizes my face every day that's bout it . Then during lockdowns i started going through what i had and using them up, finding out what worked and what didn't work for me. Also last year someone bought me a voucher for a new skin clinic in town, i treated my self to a set of glow facials, They were unreal, even himself noticed a difference and because my skin was getting better i would wear less make up going out. I did purchase their skin products, but they told me how much to use so i only use a tiny amount and they last a long time. I am currently going through a set of micro needling treatments and this is unreal. My acne is nearly gone on my chin, my pores look smaller, scarring is reducing aswell as my pigmentation. After nearly a year i see a huge improvement in my skin, am nearly 40 so starting to see the 1st signs of ageing now which i know i cant stop but with good skincare can look the best i can. As people say above its building a good routine, doesn't have to be expensive, boots the ordinary etc have great products. I highly recommend Alids hydrochloric acid. You only need a tiny amount. The main one the skin clinic tells me is wear spf every day every single day and its the last thing to go on before your foundation

Another recommendation for Caroline Hirons (she has a great book but also loads of free advice on Insta and her website)- all based on the science of the product (inc some cheaper/reasonably priced stuff) and she’s really straightforward.

@WeNeedSirSamuelVimesOnTheCase

You know, I think so much of this must be genetic. My grandma had really good skin, and took good care of it - she liked her Chanel creams. She stayed out of the sun (was a red head) and had a healthy diet. She barely drank, though she did smoke. When she died at 87 she looked a good 10-15 years younger.

Then there's my DM. She was a sun-worshipper party animal for most of her life. Drank and smoked heavily. Never wore SPF unless abroad somewhere very hot, and then never higher than factor 15. Now in her mid-60s, she doesn't drink anymore, but has kept her other bad habits, has no skincare routine to speak of, a terrible diet and never drinks water (just coffee). She looks great, and is regularly assumed to be in her 50s.

Remains to be seen if I'll be so blessed. I have a healthy lifestyle, don't smoke, drink lots of water and have a good if basic skincare routine. I think I look decent for early 40s, but not necessarily 10 years younger as DM does and DGM did! 🤨

I think the same, although I do wonder if it's people with oily skin who are basically hydrating themselves that look younger for longer. The women in my family who look young for longer have oily skin.

Probably is just genes though.

I know it's the best thing for ageing skin but I don't seem to be able to wear SPF as it makes me break out in a mixture of tiny whiteheads and huge cystic spots along my jawline.

I tried La Roche Posay facial SPF last time we went away and lasted about a week before the acne appeared which is better than the normal 2 days. It's always slightly depressing as my family all tan and look gorgeous on holiday while I'm slathered in F50, whiter than ever and my face is covered in a series of bright red spots. I'm a delight on holiday!

I've used E45 cream on my face for years as my skin is so sensitive anything else seems to upset it. I've recently had to switch to Oilatum as the E45 didn't seem to be moisturising enough any more.

I've tried creams for sensitive skin recommended on here before but with no luck. Either not moisturising enough and/or make my face and eyes tingle or burn.

I'm resigned to the wrinkles, they're mostly around my eyes so they look a bit scrotum like but if I try to cover them with makeup they look even worse.

No help I'm afraid, I'm just avoiding mirrors. Although that's easier now my eyesight is worse!

Genetics definitely play a huge part.

Have a look at garden of wisdom on Victoria health. It's reasonably priced.
I use their daily hydrator, hylaronic acid serum and bakuchoil serum (like retinol). Prickly pear oil a couple of times a week at night.
You can use just a warm flannel to cleanse unless you wear make up and then use a gentle cleanser (I use be fine by temple spa).
I'm 46 and it's helping to keep the wrinkles under control.

@StrawberryPot

*Johanna Lumley is glam, Gorgeous and v slim but I wouldn't say her skin is good*.

For 75 it looks damned good to me!

Her face is good, her neck less so.

Only two products have been clinically proven to be effective in protecting our skin from the effects of ageing.

They are retinol and SPF. A good sunscreen is available for a couple of quid in Boots or the supermarket. Retinol can be bought inexpensively over the counter in some European countries, or from some online pharmacies abroad.

So there really is no need to spend big money on skincare. Sure, if you like the smell or the texture, go for the fancy cream if you can afford it. But it's probably not going to be any better for your skin than something you get on offer in Boots or Superdrug.

@MOR19

Another recommendation for Caroline Hirons (she has a great book but also loads of free advice on Insta and her website)- all based on the science of the product (inc some cheaper/reasonably priced stuff) and she’s really straightforward.

Hirons does know her stuff but she's not doing these videos for the fun of it. She's basically an influencer.

@IcedPurple

Only two products have been clinically proven to be effective in protecting our skin from the effects of ageing.

They are retinol and SPF. A good sunscreen is available for a couple of quid in Boots or the supermarket. Retinol can be bought inexpensively over the counter in some European countries, or from some online pharmacies abroad.

So there really is no need to spend big money on skincare. Sure, if you like the smell or the texture, go for the fancy cream if you can afford it. But it's probably not going to be any better for your skin than something you get on offer in Boots or Superdrug.

Agree with this. The whole industry is a massive scam.

I mean yes. To an extent. I have eczema and without emollients/moisturiser my skin peels and cracks. So I imagine it helps out none diseased skin too and keeps it soft, hydrated and supple. Niaminicide is cheap and handy for spotty skin and redness.

I use vitamin C oil for brightness and lactic acid to get rid of dullness. A cleanser obviously removes grime from your skin.

I don't think you need expensive stuff just a cleanser, toner, hyaluronic acid or niaminicide, moisturiser and SPF in the morning. Maybe retinol or tret for wrinkles.

I don't think the cost of the products matter. I think good skin is more affected by what you put in you rather than on you.

I drink 3l water a day and have cut out processed food. I use cheap skincare:
Magic cloth & hot water
Make up remover 1.50e
Moisturiser 5e
Lycopene oil 5e
Eye cream 4e
Spf50 Moisturiser 6e

My skin is 👌👌👌

My friend that spends a fortune on hers has terrible skin.

I use all cheap products (mostly The Ordinary, with whatever cheap cream cleanser - Lidl, Superdrug - I fancy). My skin is so much better now than it was 5 years ago - smoother and brighter.

As a PP said, the key is retinol and SPF. Everything else is additional although I also love niacinamide for my acne-prone skin.

Entirely up to the individual and how they feel about themselves, of course - but if you're not happy with the way your skin looks/feels, then I definitely think that yes, skincare is worth it.

You don't have to spend loads of money on expensive products though. Superdrug, Boots, supermarkets etc all stock decent skincare ranges at good prices. A good start would be a decent cleansing cream (Superdrug Vit E Hot Cloth Cleanser is a good one if your skin's getting dry, and they also do a Brightening one if dullness/oiliness is a problem), a hydrating serum (again, loads of budget ones out there) and moisturiser. I'd go for one with SPF for daytime and one without for night, because sun protection during the day is intrinsically anti-ageing - but if you're not bothered about that just one basic moisturiser for day and night is fine.

If you do fancy spending a bit more, somewhere like a Clinique counter or even the Boots No7 counter will advise on which products are best for you, but obviously they are trying to sell you stuff and will only recommend products from their own ranges. But can still be a good start if you're completely new to it all.

I think my advice would be to start with some budget stuff, just to see if you can get into the habit of actually doing it and enjoying it, and then if you do, you can then spend more if you want to. Basically, if you buy a few bits from Superdrug and then find you just can't get into using it, it's not much money wasted, so it's a good way to dip your toe into the water.

@PartyPlan

You do realise Aldi have just copied the work that the scientists from Clarins and Liz Earle have already done that’s why they can sell it cheaper.

I've started using the No 7 range and taking collagen. Between the 2, my skin is glowing, I'm really happy with the results.

I've never bothered much. My skin seems pretty self regulating but if I start using a moisturiser it starts to demand more and more of it so I prefer to leave it alone.

I do use suncream if I'm going to be out in the sun for more than 30 minutes or so

[quote AllOfUsAreDead]@SockFluffInTheBath sorry yes I should have done that! It's olay luminous whip spf 30. Boots tea tree toner on before hand, although any tea tree toner would do I imagine. That's just where I happened to be. [/quote]
Thank you! I use the non-spf version of that with separate spf on top at the moment, when it runs out I’ll look for that one.

No I lie, it’s regenerist whip, I’ll look for the one you mention…

I'm early 60's.
My skin always looked younger until we bought a home in SW France.
Although I wear spf everyday the effect of continuous sun has been dramatic.
I wear a floppy hat and use an umbrella in the garden but just being outside shopping, walking the dog etc is damaging my skin daily.