To think elaborate skincare is unnecessary, or will my face fall off with this routine?

[GreatBigYou]

All my friends of a similar age (40s) seem to use loads of different serums and potions, but I can never remember/be bothered too.

I just wash my face with a face wash (Superdrug one) and use moisturiser (currently Simple one) in the morning. I don't wear makeup usually so I don't do anything at night.

AIBU to think that everything else is a bit of a con that doesn't have any lasting impact? Or will I regret being laissez-faire when I'm in my 50s or 60s?

I sometimes use a salicylic peel and it does freshen me up. Dont bother much with deep clean masks as it bring out my spots and I dont see the point as my skin is pretty flawless without makeup and if I use makeup it's usually perfect skin.

Wash your brushes weekly as well. All you need is soap and water in the evening.

I’m 53, and still wash my face with Ivory Soap. My face is still oily, so I don’t use moisturizer. An occasional green tea mask keeps everything ticking over. I don’t use sunscreen, but wear a big hat when out for a while. Both my grandmothers have skin cancer, but sunscreen gives me acne and messes with my hair.

All the skin care I was doing absolutely ruined my skin.

I now wash with a surfer soap in cold water and nothing else. My skin has honestly been in the best condition for years! Threw out a load of expensive skin care the other day.

Exactly. I don’t need to ‘pin my kids down’ to clean their teeth either.

I use spf 50 every day that's it. Many day I don't even wash my face. I have clear skin and look younger than I am. I also don't smoke, drink or spend time in the sun outside of the uk or use tanning beds.

But that's probably because your daughter has been brainwashed by YouTube influencers. What about all the years before then? Apparently adults get 80% of their sun exposure as children so I'm a bit skeptical of how putting spf on from mid 30s can suddenly delay ageing.

I’m also going for out of direct sun and big sun hats as much as possible as sun screen buggers my skin up too. Obviously would apply it on the beach/direct sun. But not everyday not matter what like I used to.

Ok I see I'm going wrong somewhere as teeth brushing is still a battle in our house 🤣

She hasn’t got this habit from influencers. She has got it from her mother. And that’s not brainwashing. It is simple science. Sun causes skin cancer and ageing. Before then I applied factor 50 to her skin. She has never burned. Now she does it herself. You do you. I look after my kids how I like.

Key thing is sunscreen. Sun damage is awful for skin.

It's one of the best things you can do for your skin.

Soap and water and then e45?!

I wash my face by letting water run over it in the shower. I moisturise maybe once a week. My skin at 45 is great. I do stay out of the sun and wear spf when outside for longer than 10 mins or so (or in the summer). I'm too lazy and don't care enough for the skincare most do. Seems to have worked out ok so far.

I don't wear makeup so I'm not a dirty bastard

I use either a cleanser to take my make-up off every night (mostly, sometimes can't be bothered) and wash my face every two days with a face wash. I do need more moisture now I'm mid-fifties, so use a moisturiser which I didn't need so much when younger.

Can I ask a question about spf? I've usually had one in my foundation, but I don't go in the sun directly anyway. Is anyone worried they aren't getting enough Vit D? Lack of Vit D, which only needs a small amount of exposure (so presumably hands, legs possibly in summer, face) a day to get enough, is associated with lots of diseases, most recently dementia. I am not inclined to cover one of the only visible areas (as I mostly wear long sleeves) with spf 50 day and night, or is there something I'm not getting here, and how do you all get just enough sun but not too much. I'm talking from living in the UK of course, not in places where the sun is very hot, and I don't go into the sun ever except when walking from place to place, so I'm never sunbathing, I sit outside for 20-30 min in the morning with a cuppa.

I've never used a 'serum' or a 'treatment' in my life, I can't use moisturiser as I seem to be allergic to everything, even, and sometimes especially, hypo-allergenic stuff.

Soap and water for my face, and crucially I always keep it covered in sun.

I do have a deep line between my brows, but no forehead wrinkles. I'm in my 60s and look young for my age skin-wise, though if that sounds smug, unfortunately I have about three chins and a saggy neck so nothing magic going on here ;)

The other thing that counts is genetics. My aunt is in her 90s and isn't wrinkly at all.

But I do feel pleased I never bought into the whole 'skincare' routine peddled to us by people who sell... skincare.

But that’s easy. Take a vitamin D supplement daily. What you get from U.K. sun is never enough anyway to get your levels up enough PLUS risks cancer and skin ageing. So just take a supplement.

My skin is always so much worse when I try and add too many products.

The simpler the better IMO - better for us, and the environment. It really is a lot of the time down to generics and things like sun damage/smoking etc.

Most of the women that I know who use maintain expensive skin regiments (including facials etc) tend to look more polished with better skin.
At the same time I work several women who don't use much in the way of creams and have perfectly fine skin.

I do take a supplement or rather I have in the last couple of years, the spray peppermint one, it's great. I'm just wondering if it's a good idea to cover the face in sunscreen all the time, given most people don't supplement, and I didn't for most of my life.

I started a strict skin routine at 40! I think it makes a difference but as long as you a cleansing and moisturising I wouldn’t be worrying. Aging is more lifestyle related anyway.

I don’t think uk sun is ever enough to get your vitamin D levels high enough anyway. So why even bother trying given it risks skin ageing and cancer. So just take a supplement.

You really do need to wear a sunscreen. Also tret or retinol as these are proven to slow development of wrinkles.

Tretinoin has decades of research behind it.

The acids as someone mentioned up thread are a lifesaver for various skin issues.
Salicylic acid for acne (for example.)

£300 eye creams etc aren't a scam either. They are a luxury product that people choose to pay for.
People enjoy the experience of having them.

It doesn't make them any more effective than a £10 eye cream though.

Your face isn't going to fall off, but none of it is a scam.
We just have to choose the level we each personally enjoy.

I'm wondering what to tell my late teens, they are fanatical about sunscreen (Korean skincare), good for their skin, but they are bad at taking supplements, even though I've bought them for them! They seem far more worried about ageing (when they are 19...) than the risks of Vit D deficiency, I'm just trying to work it all out I guess.