I've done everything possible and still aged

[Cheeeeeeese]

I don't drink, never smoked, wear spf50 every day, moisturiser every day, use retinol, tretinoin, and so on. I sleep well 90% of the time, no children etc.
My diet isn't perfect, but this is all I can think of.
Despite this, I've still got crows feet, lines under my eyes and dark circles.
I am only 31 but presume the worst is yet to come. It's frustrating to already feel that I'm looking 'tired' at this age.
I've always looked after my skin well, yet I've still got these signs around my eyes already.

All I can think of is that they don't actually work? I'm using prescription strength products too. Does anyone else feel like this?

It's your diet. You have to eat properly and by that I mean predominantly meat and dairy, not fruit and veg.

I drank & smoked & ate exactly what I wanted to & seemed to look younger than my age forever. Then illness & life aged me. I’m eh oh I can’t bring myself to say that but I’m much older than you OP. I’ve now got computer face (frowny), caused by spending so much time going from one screen to another. Lying on my side in bed’s not good either as I end up with a creased face 🥹. Although people say I look good for my age, I don’t see that. Life’s cruel, but look on the bright side, at least we had it once 💃🏿 & it was all natural. I’d have surgery, but I’m too afraid of what I could end up like.

Get out in the fresh air and walk at least 20 minutes . Every single day come rain or shine. That cost-free effort stimulates and oygenates every organ, improves your digestion and blood circulation, helps eliminate toxins.

Get fat. Fat people have far less obvious wrinkles, as the subcutaneous fat plumps up the skin and stretches them out!
Alternatively, stop fretting about something so superficial and start enjoying yourself doing something more worthwhile. Most busy working mums don’t have time for this level of self absorption.

Tear trough filler helped my dark circles.Google pics to se varied results.

Who are you comparing yourself to?! Children?! You cannot look 'aged' at 31.
I think the vast majority of people would look at you and think you were in your late 20s given how careful you've been. Not all 20 somethings are immune to looking tired. Try to give it less thought as you age.
Sometimes at 31 (ish) you think that you'll just get more and more distressed with every passing wrinkle but that hasn't happened to me anyway. I'm 52 and although I see ageing on my face I don't hate myself for having aged. I think I'm more accepting of the whole ageing process now than I was, and a part of my anxiety about ageing when I was younger was the assumption that it'd get worse with age! So ask yourself as you look in the mirror, am i happy today!? and try not to second guess how you'll feel when you really have aged. Cos you might be wrong!

What exercise do you do?

Have you had an eye test recently? It’s just a thought, but you might be unconsciously squinting. The fine lines around my eyes disappeared the moment I started wearing glasses because I wasn’t straining to see anymore. I hadn’t even realised I was!

I’d focus on food quality. If I’m eating well salmon, eggs, lots of veg and berries I look a lot better ‘brighter’ Lots is just genetics though.

I agree. I’m 52 and have some fine lines around my eyes but nowhere else. My mum is 73 and looks great still. Same with stretch marks, none of us have any at and we’ve all got children.

i think looking after your skin us a good thing but some things are out of your control. My friend has always had dark circles under her eyes and both of her children do too even when they were tiny.

Genetics count for a lot, but diet and water consumption are equally important. I would try eating oily fish a few times a week, and cut out all things inflammatory such as the white bread.

Anti-aging scientists are touting Metformin (diabetes drug) as a true anti-aging drug, as it slows down cellular aging and helps the body process insulin more efficiently. Sugar is the worst, unfortunately.

Dark circles are not about ageing. I had fine lines under my eyes and at the eye corners in my twenties. Two decades later they haven't developed much more at all.

One thing I think is a waste of time is anyone under 30 using anti-ageing skincare. I think you should only just be starting now. I think you'll be surprised how good you look in a couple of decades.

Growing old is a privilege- not everyone gets to do it. I know 3 women in late 40s who all had breast cancer during Covid. All survived. None of them give a hoot about crows feet. Every time you look in the mirror and see a wrinkle count your blessings and spend your money on something fun. Don’t buy into all this anti-aging crap - it’s just a way to part you from your money. You need to change how you view yourself in the mirror - not your reflection.

I always get mistaken for younger but I too have massive insecurities about my eyes. I have dark circles and one obvious line under each eye. I looked back at pictures of me in my early 20s and I had them then too. It's pale skin and the lines are caused by chronic allergies apparently. I'm working with my counsellor on it.😥

I used to get really hung up on having dark circles and bags under my eyes, I couldn't believe I'd aged so young. Then my daughter was born and has had the same thing, basically from birth. It's just genetic!

The only way to stop aging is to die. What nonsense is this???? Why are you trying to stay looking like a person years younger than you are? Does your partner prefer very young people?

I find it a bit hard to believe that you look "aged" at 31.

As my botox practitioner says "if it moves, it'll wrinkle!" 😛

It's mainly down to skin tone and type

If you are pale and have dry skin you are likely to age much more quickly than someone who has darker and/or more oily skin

ive had bags or circles since my teens doesnt mean anything using creams

Buy decent concealer and look in the mirror less.

My advice is to work on being good at your passions, good at your job, lifelong learning. As Judge Judy says, beauty faces, dumb is forever.

The only thing that works at properly getting rid of wrinkles is Botox unfortunately!

I have dark circles and because I'm so pale a panda would look at me and think 'mummy' but I've learned to accept it now. I use concealer if I'm going out but other than that I've given up worrying.

I can so relate to this
I turned 40 this december .
For the past 12 months I been eating very healthy meals, taking collagen peptide powder, working out taking vitamins and eating lots of veg.I dont drink or smoke.
But despite my best effort I seemed to have aged so much in the past 6 months.I do have a 3 year old though but since he turned 2 hes been good with sleep so its not like i am having broken sleep anymore.The dark circle makes it so bad and people keep commenting I look exhausted😃
Op I think we just have to gradually learn to accept what we cant change(easier said than done) and keep doing all we are already doing and not dwell on it too much

I'm probably stating the totally obvious, but for skin, sun exposure makes a huge difference. I have a relative who spends a lot of time on holiday in the sun. Should have similar genetics to me but compared to me their skin has aged really badly. They are only a couple of years older but look more than 10-15.

Sun exposure really does completely wreck and age your skin.