I want skin like that

[HillyWallaby]

I went to a party yesterday and spent hours gazingly longingly talking to a lovely women who had the most incredible skin I have ever seen on anyone over about 20, but she was 40 odd. Now let me tell you, she was one of the people who turns heads the second she walks through a door. She was not facially beautiful exactly, (although perfectly attractive) but she was extremely well groomed and glamorous, with that long ahir that's all flicky and tonged like Charlies Angels, lovely clothes, perfect make up etc etc, but she had the SMOOTHEST, MOST FLAWLESS, MOST PERFECT SKIN I HAVE EVER SEEN on a woman over 40.

There has definitely been work of some sort, though not a facelift. Fillers almost definitely, especially in her lips, but they looked nice not freaky. Botox most probably, but it was about more than that - it was the texture and even tone of her skin. She had no fine lines or wrinkles whatsoever, no eye bags, no jowly sagging, and I could not see a single pore. And I looked. Trust me, I stared for hours looked hard.

And annoyingly, although she had a face that said 'Expensive, High Maintenance and Quite Vain' she didn't look plasticy or frozen or expressionless, she could still frown etc, but she only had frown lines when she frowned. The rest of the time she looked like a vision of smooth alabaster or porcelain, the bitch.

I want it. What is it? Dermabrasion? Acid peel? What? SOMEONE TELL ME NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I just started on the Obagi nu derm skin regime. I'm exactly a week in. I'm only doing my forehead, as I couldn't bear the thought of the whole of my face peeling off in one go. So I thought I'd do it section by section. So far, it's done exactly what the doc said it would. Feels and looks like sunburn, flaking skin, dry and rough with spot breakouts but already, the hyper pigmentation is starting to fade and peel off, although it's a long haul regime and it'll be like this for the next couple of months. On the other side though is peachy soft unblemished skin. Yippee! Can't wait.

Have any of you heard of MSM supplements? I'm taking them for anti ageing, they are making me break out alot on my jaw line but the info I read on them said it would. it's old toxins being released and the spots are going down really quickly whereas before they would have taken ages to erupt and ages to go.

They are meant to help collagen production I think, I do look younger somehow but I cant pinpoint why. Sort of glowy.

I got mine off amazon, I went for solgar as I think they do good quality supplements.

I still get asked for ID when I buy alcohol.

Oh don't we all want airbrushed skin! I guess it starts from the inside out. No sun, alcohol, caffeine, sugar or smoking(good luck with that). You can try fraxel, which is a laser that burns off the top layer of skin which can remove sun spots, freckles, signs of aging, acne scars and stretch marks - i'd definitely recommend this. A good night cream as well slather a whole lot of that on at night and a tinted moisturiser for a glow.

MSM is a solvent. Taken as medicine, it provides forms of sulphur to the body. People used to take sulphur to 'cleanse the blood' although it causes toxic build-up over time. There's no empirical evidence for health benefits to MSM, not even as an arthritis treatment which is its major claim. You can get dietary sulphur from onions, garlic, cabbage, broccoli and eggs as well as other foods.

I couldn't take it because I have a sulphur allergy, however there's no evidence that MSM causes side-effects. If it seems to be helping, go with it!

Hilly you need to join the aciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid masses!

And OnlySkinDeep, I'm afraid you lost me at "NO alcohol" :o

am sure alcohol is a preservative isn't it???

my thought exactly, ggirl

for gg, garlic and meeeeeee :o

My doc says to go for Fraxel (there's a more up to date version which is better) before any botox or fillers as it usually buys you five years before you have to go down their route.

Feck the lifestyle advice! No smoking, eating well, no alcohol and plenty of sleep might help this woman and her lovely skin, but that only helps a bit. Good genetics are a plus. I know many of you believe cosmetic products do wonderful things but they're limited enough. She's probably had laser, in the form of IPL or Fraxel, plus botox, plus or minus fillers, acid peels, and heaven knows what else. And she possibly started this in her 30's.

What we should be asking this woman is: who is her doctor and how much does it cost??

i very nearly booked tear trough filler but my sensible dd came home lasst week and told me to stop being so ridiculous and that I didn't need it ..lovely girl

I look younger than I am. Probably about 10 years younger. Not boasting just do. I put it down to:-

Minimal alcohol, think twice a year if that, since I turned 30.
No red meat, hardly any meat actually, veg and fish mainly, lots of salmon and tuna
2 litres of water a day or thereabouts
Don't drink tea or coffee
Don't smoke
Hated the sun and never sunbathed in my twenties and rarely in my thirties
Always been mad about exercise
Clarins skin regime since early twenties

I've been lucky because these were mainly not conscious choices eg I just don't like meat or being too hot and never had tea or coffee since I was a kid.

Mind you it'll probably all collapse in 5 years! I need to get on with hooking my millionaire ASAP!

Christ all that sounds like a nightmare. I think I will just try and age gracefully. I'm not giving up boozing and eating rubbish food for anything

I agree AngryFeet

There's no point in looking great but being miserable.

My mum & aunt have fantastic skin and they are in their 70s.

Unfortunately, I take after my dad

I am told I look early 40s , tops. I am mid 50s. I have no wrinkles, very fair skin, and complete strangers compliment me on my " glowy" skin.

I agree about lifestyle and no sun, booze, caffeine and sugar. Eat fish maybe 3-4 times a week and red meat maybe once a fortnight.

It's partly genetic but also down to careful living!

I am pushing forty and have no wrinkles at all. A couple of tiny crows feet around my eyes if I squint them really hard.People are always asking if I have had work done, Botox etc.I have a joke forehead because it will not wrinkle!
I do drink lots of water, smoked for twenty years, but always hated being in the sun/sunbathing. Drink alcohol twice a month-usually get pissed but pregnant at the moment so having a year out!
Always take make up off at night, no matter what state I'm in.
At the end of the day your genes are your genes....

But I'm not miserable .

I don't tolerate hangovers and am depressed for a week after heavy drinking so I don't drink.

I actually enjoy everything else I do, exercise etc.

Each to their own and all that.

it is just as I feared then Lurking.

I had no wrinkles when I was pushing 40

I don't like fish.

I have noticed an improvement in my skin since I went gluten free (diagnosed coeliac so not a lifestyle choice as such).

Yy, post 40 is when my wrinkles started appearing.

akaemma I meant that I would be miserable - not that anybody else was

As it happens - I looked quite reasonable up until the menopause (I had gone through it by age 48) then it slid very quickly. I am still told I look younger than my age but I have never had "lovely" skin.

Yy, you go along from 20 to 40 or thereabouts, and everyone says 'you haven't changed a bit', then you pass the post (age 40) and all of a sudden, you notice stuff, the odd wrinkle multiplies, patchy skin tone, a bit of redness, and then you start to notice that people don't say 'you haven't changed a bit'.
And then you know: you aren't immune to the ageing process.

Folks in their 20's: don't smoke and use sunscreen, as the song goes.

what's OCM?

This is the OCM.

Haven't tried it myself.