Have you found ageing hard?

[Grasshopper12]

I'm only 31 so probably going to get shot down by people older, but I've still had some changes.
The skin under my eyes has definitely thinned, so now I've got more obvious dark circles no matter how much sleep I have/water I drink. Someone even told me I looked tired the other day when I'd had a great night's sleep. :/
I'm contemplating tear trough filler as apparently it's the only thing that fills out the hollows.
Currently I haven't got any other signs, small crows feet around my eyes and slight under eye lines but nothing else, however it's the under eye hollows that bother me.
However this is just the start of it all I imagine. I wear SPF 50, use retinol, tretonin, vitamin C etc.
I'm not bothered about looking older in the future, it's not realistic to look 20 forever.
However I'm scared of looking haggard, washed out, sagging and so on.
Yes it is shallow to say but I like my looks, I do get validation from them which I know is sad.
I know it's better than the alternative, but this doesn't mean we aren't allowed to care about how we look.
Has anybody else found ageing hard physically? What was the hardest thing about it?

I'm 50 and haven't had any work done/botox etc. I enjoy makeup and skincare and am happy with the way I look. I like buying more expensive stiff than I could afford when I was younger, and I like changing my hairstyle frequently as well.

I happen look young for my age (my husband's colleague recently asked him if I was his daughter 😅) but making the best of my looks is a hobby rather than an obsession if that makes sense. I also think women can look their age and look great (Sarah Jessica Parker looked lovely in the recent photo that came out of her with grey hair and no makeup, for example). I'm much more concerned with my health and fitness than my looks.

Many
years older than you OP and old enough to not give a damn how I look because I'm focused on the rest of ageing. It ain't great. Things hurt, randomly or constantly. Cant see or hear as I used to. Cant do anything as quickly which is infuriating. Frankly, the only thing that recommends0⁰ ageing is that its alternative will quite likely be worse.

The lines on my forehead bothered me the most and much crow’s feet so I got Botox. It’s made me feel better.

I definitely think it’s an outlook thing.
men give me more attention now I’m nearly 40, as I am so much more confident.
I take care of myself (I’m a size 6), I make an effort with hair and skin care, but have not resorted to Botox or anything yet.

I’m more interesting to be around than when I was 21, more confident in myself, I think this shows on my face, I smile more.
so I’m not bothered by aging, I know people who have died young and it really is a privilege.

It's the under eye bags that do for me. Barely any lines, but the bags make me look tired and old. I'm v v fair and all the concealer in the world won't hide the colour or puff. Mum was minimal sugar, no alcohol, good diet, no late nights kind of person and she still had them, so I blame faulty genetics.

It can be disconcerting but on the inside I’ve always felt 40 so I figure it’s about time my body caught up.

I am 58 and couldn't care less. However, I am interested in my strength and fitness. I am 10 kilos lighter than I was 2 years ago and a lot fitter. Not interested in Botox or fillers, but have pretty much given up drinking and that has massively improved both my sleep and my mood.

I quite like my wrinkles, means I didn't die young. Sounds morbid but it actually makes me appreciate my ageing lines. I'm not a supermodel, I don't have to defy ageing.

Happy to be growing and looking older, I still look bloody fabulous.

wow op....thats a lot for only 31!!

not sure theres much to halt it, you are likely genetically predisposed! good luck!

Oh give over. If we can’t discuss it here, where can we? We live in a society in which beauty is unearned currency. Why shouldn’t we talk frankly about it?

For what it’s worth OP, I think I was at my best at 32!

I'm 42 and look 42. I haven't found aging hard at all because it's a normal and natural thing. A couple of friends in my group have gone down the fillers and botox route and as time has gone on they look the oldest of all of us.

I look visibly older than I did at 21, that doesn't bother me at all. It's having tired looking eyes that bothers me and people commenting on it. I don't want to accept looking tired, I want to help it if I can.

I'm mid 30s and feel the same. My first baby understandably made me look so tired (always struggled with that, hereditary thin skin). Tear trough and a bit of botox was worth it for me. I feel very vain, I'm not too bothered but obviously bothered enough to get some work done.
Always use SPF and I wish I had never EVER used sunbeds in my 20s!!!

No. I'm more focused on whether I feel happy or content, not whether some random stranger thinks I look 'haggard'. I mean, what the fuck does 'haggard' mean anyway? And who gives a shit what I look like? Am I clean and presentable (to my own standards)? Job done.

I'd rather put all the money in my pension and retire early, as I think that will do far more for my looks than shelling out hundreds a month based on my fear of not meeting someone else's visual standards.

I found from the age of around 47 I suddenly aged. Foundation made me look 20 years older and a dark lip stick shrunk my already small mouth. Which has very deep smokers lines,three on each side above my top lip. Not great when you gave the fags up years ago.
Despite apparently being good looking in the past,I'm fine with aging and probably look in a mirror twice a day max!

Nearly 38 and I am finding some bits harder to accept.

My skin is good, I don't mind the wrinkles that are there are getting more noticeable but I really dislike the sagging around my jaw. If I lean down my face drops forwards! I'm currently slighly overweight at 12 stone so expect this will get worse if I get back to the 10 stone I like to be!

But I am blonde and my hair is going white which I love! And I have more confidence, including how I look. I enjoy wearing make up but am not bothered in the slightest if I go out without any.

i think I’m not finding it THAT hard because I was never ‘above average’ and quite plain anyway, so don’t really have that much to ‘lose’.

I’m early 40s and happy with how I look. I definitely won’t be injecting shit into my face to try to look younger. I don’t like the look that Botox and fillers start to give after a while. I like the natural look.

Yes I hate it. I'm 42 and can't stand the changes to my face. It doesn't matter how much younger than their age someone looks, you still look older than you did when you were younger. I was never a great beauty but have found ageing very difficult.

I spent a lot of my teens and 20s fretting about how I looked. What a fucking waste of time and energy that was. I looked gorgeous.

I'm now in my 50s am at least 3 stone heavier, have white/grey hair, menopause has played havoc with my skin, I've laughter lines, and definitely look my age. I've two gorgeous kids and a husband who adores me. Me and my pals spent time laughing and having the time of our lives. I exercise and am fit. Eat plenty fruit and veg and keep hydrated.

Fuck fretting about how I look.

I’m 40, and was recently looking at some photos of 30 year old me - my skin was so glowy! Seriously, I wish I could tell past me to appreciate what I had. I still feel okay about how I look now, but you’ve got a lot of years ahead of you, so appreciate the now, rather than living in the past.

Just allow yourself to age. I have lost so many people who died young, who never got the chance to age.
I am 54 and happy with how l look and feel.
Women who worry about ageing should work on their inner selves, not resort to pumping chemicals into their bodies, it's all to do with your mindset. Give yourself permission to grow old gracefully.

Not yet. I think I’m doing fine.
Fatter yes, but otherwise it’s all good. I’m about to turn 45.
I am looking tired but have had a busy year and have a 3 year old. But have virtually no wrinkles yet. My grandmother is 96 though and looks epic so got lucky with genes!

If you think 31 is hard, wait till you hit the menopause....