has anyone else hit 40 and suddenly had rubbish skin?

[shelley72]

or is it just me? am 2 weeks into my 40s and my skin in terrible. lots and lots of angry red spots (think teenage skin). at first i thought it was monhtly spots but they havent gone at all .

so did this happen to you? how did you manage to get it under control? i am going to try VERY hard today to drink lots and lots of water and eat mostly fruit and not biscuits.

or is this one of those inevitable things about getting older ?

Count me in, if you count 38 as close to 40.
Although some of the spots have turned out to be ingrowing chin hairs - not sure which I mind more

I was getting spots around the chin area. I've changed my skin care products which seems to have helped a bit.

My previously fairly clear skin sudden turned red and rashy and angry when I turned 37 - after subjecting it to a lot of mortified 'acne' treatments, the dr diagnosed rosacea. I changed skincare to a sensitive range with a sun block (Avene/LRP, etc), was prescribed Rosex gel, and lo and behold, it's cleared up. Apparently it's not uncommon in pale-skinned women over 35+ and I find that alcohol and stress trigger repeat attacks - other people have different triggers, eg, spicy foods, hot weather, caffeine. Might be worth a trip to the GP to check you're not suffering from that too?

should also mention that spots around the chin/jaw area are to do with hormones so bear in mind your body will be starting to prepare for middle age /perimenopause/menopause stage. oh the joys

Yes me! Using Aloe products from The Body Shop sorted me out.

oh no the spots are mostly side of face, jawline, side of chin area. surely 40 is too young to be menopausal . could explain why there has been no TTC success though. oh god. i'm officially 'past it' arent it . i'm not ready!

saying that, i did find myself walking through per una yesterday...

oh no please don't panic I didn't mean you are menopausal right now! I meant your body will start adjusting just the same way as it does before puberty. I hope I'm making sense! The spots are just part of that process.

I really meant it as a lighthearted comment not to worry you!!!

I agree with wildfig - it sounds like you could be developing rosacea, particularly if you get flushed aswell. Worth getting GP to confirm. If it is..... Have a look at the Mumsnet article about rosacea and products. If you trawl the threads it can sound a bit depressing but after some trial and error you will find things that help and you become great at covering up! I've had it for 3 years since I was 40 and it is now much better. I went down the better diet root (especially cutting out sugary stuff), changed to anti redness make up products etc and I have avoided the antibiotics which the doctors usually prescribe. Taking anti biotics long term is never a good thing (especially for your teeth) and what I found was that they temporarily clear your skin but it comes back once you stop taking them. One of the best things that happened to me was meeting someone else with it and realising it can get better. I would say that you often end up forking out on lots of products trying to find one you like - perhaps a good place to start is a cleansing face wash that you can get cheaply from Boots (I found out about via Mumsnet talk) - it's called cetaphil. And make up wise I have been using Clinique redness range which has lasted for ages (the green base is good under foundation to reduce redness) - it was expensive outlay but has lasted 18 months. My foundation is running out so I am about to try Bare Minerals as it sounds rather nice.
Good luck and don't get too fed up about it.

I have to change my facial care about every 3 months ( and shampoos) my skin gets horrible, when I change moisturiser etc it all gets good again!

Just swapped from l'oreal to Nivea and I love Nivea.

thank you. my skin isnt really that red and i dont have any flushes to speak of. i have 5 isolated spots at the moment (on one side of face only). apart from having lots of sugary things lately (cake, cake and more cake) the only thing i have done differently is try out a no7 foundation which i didnt like. though i also have chopped and changed my cleanse moisturise routine a bit thinking about it just to 'use things up'. will ask DH later though if hes noticed i am more red than usual and book an appt with the GP if so.

my forehead has become more wrinkly since I turned 40 last year. I can't decide if it's because I am getting old, or because I spend so much time frowning at the children or the nearly empty wine bottle.

Yes, yes & yes. My problem is that the skin around my chin & jaw is becoming suspiciously rough, like the hairs are thickening. I've got very fine hair and have (so far) not had a problem with facial hair but I am very worried this is the beginnings of a beard . Oh and spots too that I've not had before. I'm 42 and also suffer from night sweats .