Do any of those miracle creams actually work?

[Theresaholeinyourmind]

I rhought I'd risk asking as you ladies seem to be in the know on S&B matters. My skin is dry as a bone, too, par for the course for a mummy I suppose but I am not that sort of a mummy. Yet

I don't aim at looking like a teenager again, and would quite happily settle for ''rested''.
So, any hope?

Depends what you mean by "work."

Will they get rid of some superficial wrinkles?

Yes, but they will all do that regardless of how much you spend. They all work the same way: long chains of protein which stick to the skin and shrink as they dry, pulling your wrinkles apart like Sellotape would.

Will they make you look significantly younger and more radiant?

Probably not. The only cream I've ever seen make a noticeable difference to anyone was Lush's Skin's Shangri La, which made my mum's skin (parched beyond recognition by chemo) look way better for several hours.

Rested = works, for me. I would like to get rid of the matte, parched look. Even for a few hours would be good :)
Off to check Lush website...

Neal's Yard Frankincense is fabulous.

I used to love Lush's Afterlife then they stopped doing it

The best advice for dry skin is drink water, lots of it. It really does make a difference to your skin. Ideally start the day with hot water and lemon juice before you eat or drink anything else and then drink at least 2 litres throughout the day.

Now that is something I always fail to do, Granard. I drink far too much of other things

What do you cleanse with? IMO the cleanser you use is just as important as the moisturiser.

I love No 7 Protect and Perfect intense serum. I really do notice the difference with my skin (and so does everyone else). I also drink lots of water.

ps. I've tried expensive and cheap and the Protect and Perfect is what suits my skin. It's 3 for 2 at the moment.

Hmm Bonsoir, I tend to use Johnson & Johnson wipes for dry skin. Body Shop Vit C cleansing polish once a week when I start to feel flaky
P&P on my list too VTT
I am hearing you all on the water thing. Tea and coffee don't count, I take it?

A beautician told me that you need to drink 2 glasses of water to counteract the de-hydrating effect of a cup of tea or coffee!

To counteract the effects of a glass of wine, I think you just have to lie under the tap with your mouth open & stay there for an hour!

She also said that no moisturiser will really work unless your skin is properly cleansed and exfoliated.

Someone on this thread this week recommended the oil cleansing method so I read the bumph on-line. Sounds really promising. Seems to really clean out your pores which will mean your masks, moisturisers etc will have a chance to work much better.

Isn't MN simply a mine of information!

I have been using the new Clinique Repairwaer Laser Focus for 2 weeks and have noticed a difference.

(And no - I don't work for them!)

What's the oil cleansing method? What brand?

Actually, it's a bit of a myth that tea/coffee dehydrate. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5281046.stmAnd drinking water, while good for you, won't really puff out the outer layer of your skin.

Those posh creams do, I regret to say, make a difference - my skin has never looked as radiant as it did when I was working on one of the big glossies (I'm a health journalist) and got a freebie of probably the most expensive moisturiser in the world [gasp]. These days I am mostly finding P&P pretty good.

I wish I could find this elusive serum or cream too - at least until my baby is sleeping through.

A dermatologist friend once told me to stop wasting money on expensive beauty products. She said that nothing you can buy in a pharmacy will give you substantially better skin. For that you need prescription products (ie those retin A type products) or laser.

having said that I think way of life counts massively - have a better diet, drink a lot of water (and not too much alcohol and caffeine) and get enough sleep. Supplements have also dramatically improved my skin - specifically zinc, B complex, D and omega 3.

Yes the dehydrating effects of tea and coffee have been over- hyped. Unless you're drinking espresso, tea and coffee count as fluid. If you think about it logically how could a cup of white tea depleted your body of more than its volume?

Could be wrong but I think if you drink too much caffeine for your body, then it messes with your sleep patterns and your hormones which will not do your skin any favours. In moderation, a different story. I love coffee so don't want to argue against drinking it but I know if I have more than a couple a day I start to get a "hung over" look!

I don't think one cup of white tea is going to be any sort of diuretic, no!

I don't believe in miracles or even in 'skin science' much, but if money was no object I'd use Elemis pro collagen marine cream every day.

I don't know if it's the smell, the texture or what but it feels like heaven on my skin, and it's won countless awards.

It's stupidly expensive though so I just have it for a treat now and then, as part of a TSV off QVC (shopping channel).

Elemis stuff is good.

Oooh ,lots of good advice here. Thanks.

Theresahole - definitely try the oil cleansing method - whether or not you use liz earle doesnt matter. I use almond oil and a warm flannel. But the J&J wipes are a really bad idea for your skin, as are all wipes as they are very abrasive. I like using an oil as a moisturiser too - like rose hip oil. Something about molecules of oil penetrating the skin layers or something. I don't really think anything works to make you look younger but you can certainly do things to help your skin look better. I also reckon if you can afford it facials help immensely - the ones where they do lots of massage and the spot squeezing / pore cleansing.

motherinferior please tell, what was the fountain of youth cream?!
I was bought Creme del a Mer and it was really lovely (esp as I hadn't bought it!) it is meant to last about a year but I used it all in about 4 months! Think it made me look more hydrated. I think in the winter it is worth buying a richer and maybe more expensive cream as your skin is stripped by freezing weather.