If you're nearly 50 how is your skin?

[dailyfix]

I thought mine was OK but I looked in a friends illuminated magnifying mirror and it really isn't.

I have lots of bumps including possibly a wart on my nose, a few blackheads, a couple of melia and black bruising for dark circles. Matched with the eye wrinkles it is not a pretty sight.

I've been oil cleansing, applying a good moisturiser & drinking gallons of water.

I'm quite confident that my decent makeup covers most of it, but is there anything else I could do?

Regular facials or a miracle cream?

I'm 48 and my skin has three age spots, blackheads around nose and skin and signs of wrinkles on forehead, eyes, around mouth and over lips and dark circles under my eyes. Money has been very tight recently so my diet and skincare have gone to pot, which I'm now trying to rectify as best I can.

Money is still tight, but I've recently been trying to improve skin by drinking more water and trying to eat more fruit and veg (including having a raw carrot every day which contains beta caratene which is meant to promote healthy skin). I've gone through my cupboards and found all my skincare products and am making a point of using them daily (surprising how much you can find!), and I'm sure this has helped with my blackheads.

Trying to keep money aside to buy some skincare products - can anyone recommend anything good that's cheap please?

I've discovered that I look so much better without my reading glasses on. It works miracles.

I'm 58 and have been lucky to inherit good genes and skin from both sides of the family. I do have a few wrinkles, but nothing too deeply creased yet, and as long as I follow Bakeoff's advice of only using magnifying mirrors for detail jobs, I don't think the effect is too horrendous. I use Dermologica Special Cleansing Gel, which I've used for years, and rarely occasionally their Microexfoliant, followed by Bioderma Hydrabio in the mornings. At night I remove any make-up I have on with cleansing oil, and wipe over with Bioderma Crealine, then use a facial oil -- at the moment it's a Marula Oil that I found in TKMaxx, which seems to be a big success.

Oh god stay away from the magnifying mirrors!! Horrific things.

Madmog, I can't really recommend, I only use what I use and have v little interest in the rest. I wouldn't bother spending on cleanser or moisturiser. Sunscreen at least SPF30 is the biggest favour you can do your skin. LRP do good sunscreen, often on offer somewhere. If you can get your hands on Retin-A, it's the dogs. But it's getting harder to find.
If you've blackheads you prob would benefit from an acid toner/serum. It will keep the turnover of cells at a good speed, like an exfoliant. It will help the age spots. Salicylic is better for blackheads than Glycolic but either will help. For a cheapie cheapie salicylic look at Neutrogena or Clean and Clear. They have a good bit of alcohol in them but they do the job. For glycolic, the Olay one I linked above isn't bad, and it has a few anti-oxidants and the like also, which we live in hope do something but realistically do nowt, more than likely. Better off eating your anti-oxidants.

Actually, my skin could look a lot worse.

I'm coming to a tricky moment, though. I've only got enough Clinique comforting cream cleanser left for a month or so and it's been discontinued. I need something gentle, as my skin is sensitive and prone to dryness, but I don't like anything rich and heavy, as I still get the odd spotty breakout and can't tolerate anything perfumed and react badly to anything with spf. I don't wear make-up but do moisturise and simply don't feel clean if I haven't had a good splash with some warm water. Avene looks promising, but I wonder if anyone else has any recommendations.

I really like LRP Physiological Cleanser. They do a milk for drier skins and a gel for combination. Really non-irritant.

Thanks for the comments.
TBH I don't look too bad with makeup on, but bare faced is a different matter.
The bumps are my problem, I always used to have oily skin but the drop in hormones has definitely made it dryer. I do wonder if I've gone overboard on the oils. Will have a look at Dermologica, it seems very popular.

I tend to go slightly nuclear on bumps and flakiness when they're a problem - either a good weekly deep cleanse with something containing salicylic acid or a scrub with, of all things, and a rare exception to my no scent rule, Lush Dream Wash. I find the dead skin comes off in rolls when I use that, then I moisturise really thoroughly and my skin looks really lovely.

And thanks, lurking. I've ordered the Avene cold cream Gel to try, as it's quite reasonable and I figured that if it's no good, then I've either got a really lovely body wash or something to try on DS1 who is getting past the age when just water will do. The LRP stuff looks reasonably priced, too, so will be next on my list. I've seen mixed reviews of Cetaphil, with some people finding it irritating, but that's a faint possibility.

Try Bioderma Créaline - it's a miracle cleanser IMO!

Never had good skin teenage acne then just a bit shit really.

Nearly 50 open pores , eye wrinkles and number 11s

Broken veins and turkey neck.

However still got a 24 inch waist and always had good hair !!

There are always positives and negatives

Thanks for the advice luckingaround - it's so hard to know what to try, this gives me something to focus on and will help. It's my b'day soon so I might treat myself to one or two facial luxuries!

Frankly, it's shit. Despite using Dermalogica on my face, neck and hands for years and not drinking or smoking and generally leading a healthy lifestyle.

I have fine crows feet which go down my cheeks too, giving them a look of having been cut in half; hyper-pigmentation marks (which seemed to appear all at once in December) including brown patches, red dots, spider veins etc. plus a dry AND oily T-zone (greasy and scaly at the same time meaning that I have to exfoliate every other day - not great for the spider veins which - being fair skinned - I'm very prone to.

I'm also sprouting long dark hairs on my chin (1 inch growth overnight!) and the peach fuzz is getting worse.

My cheeks have sunk (as have my eyes into their sockets), my eyebrows have drooped and the cheek fat has migrated to my jaw giving me jowls and a turkey neck. all in all it's a sight to behold.

I have an appointment at the laser clinic tomorrow and an appointment with a gyne Dr the week after next to get HRT in the hope of turning back the clock slightly or at least arresting the downward spiral of decay.

< weeps >

On the plus side,my acne and rosacea have gone away and the rest of my face is smooth and unlined. I have no visible pores. I have a high forehead, strong jaw and great cheekbones so have good scafolding and my nose and ears are still small at the moment

everythingsgonegreen

24" waist? How? Where do you store your organs?

24" waist??

at your post Frosty. I do agree tho, it's a bitch. I have some tear troughs, loathe them too, but I'm relucatant to fill just yet, if ever. I would love some fat on my face, again wouldn't do fat transfer in a fit, so I suppose I would only love it to a degree.

I have done a few Fraxels, 2 in the past year. They're good, (hurt tho) but expensive and you can only expect so much. Your skin is backlit for about a month tho, it's fab. And it does help collagen production a bit. Only a bit tho.

Any of the acid serums/toners will help pigmentation, spots, skin appearnace. But get a decent one, as high a percentage as you can tolerate. The Olay one I linked above has 8-10% glycolic so it's not bad for the price. And with salicylic 2% is good. Some of the teenage-aimed stuff has 2% and is lovely and cheap.

But Retin-A is the dogs. Seriously. It will halt and reverse some ageing changes.

Madmog it is a minefield

if you ask me you need a fairly limitless budget for this stuff.

Nooo not the magnifying mirror!

It's the same with the 360 degree mirrors at a bra fitting shops. It's not a 'look' that's easy on the eye and can cause lasting trauma.

But washing the face with a good product is far better than milk or cream cleansers. I've had far better skin since I started to wash it daily; very few blocked pores and hardly any breakouts now.

lurkinghi can you tell me LRP is available in boots etc or is it online only, also hope I am not being cheeky where do you get retin a from, as I think I need this stuff im 55 & not in bad nick, but the last few months my crows feet, seem to be heading down my cheeks, have some open pores round nose & chin, also a couple of age spots dotted around, just want too look after my skin better & if I can slow up the years on my face, then yipee, currently using miceller water, hot cloth cleanser, toning with clinque & started nip n fab pads, last week but have got a few spots last few days, any advice you may have much appreciated
sorry for epic post

LRP is available in Boots and other pharmacies. Some have a better range than others.

Retin-A, funny you ask cos I'm running out and need more. Last time I was lucky and the pharmacy was able to get it for me (on prescription). I'm going to ring them today to see if they can get me more but I've heard it's harder and harder to source. If they can't get it for me I don't know. I'm v reluctant to go the ebay route.

Glycolic does help promote collagen production, but not as well as good ole Retin A. Glycolic is good. Just to note it took me ages to be able to tolerate Retin A. Ages. But I can now use it about 5 nights a week.

Dontcall, what you're doing sounds fine. I'm not a fan of complicated routines. Cleanse, glycolic, moisturise when needed, SPF SPF SPF. Retin A would be a great addition of you can get it.

lurkingmany thanks me too, bit afraid of going down the ebay route would you know if the LRP redemic(sp?) reteniol is a weaker version of retin a? As I think your right, retin could help lines etc.
Must admit have become very confused by all the products/regimes
& dont have the funds to buy endless products, once again many thanks for your help.

Retinol is quite a bit weaker than tretinoin (retin-a's magic active ingredient), but it's easier to use and tolerate and will have maybe some benefit. But my own opinion is don't faff about, if you can persist with and tolerate Retin A, then that's the one to go for.

Yy, dontcall you're so right, the amount of products and ingredients and regimes is utterly baffling. But my own philosophy is spend cheaply wisely on few products, and save my money for the big guns that definitely work (botox, fillers, laser) for when I want them.

My skin is good apart from forehead which is lined I frown loads i assume! Had botox a few times and it was like a new face but decided to just go with the flow this last year or so and the difference is noticeable to me and I do get tempted to have it again! I use a mixture of things mainly decleor. And I use a diy version of frownies with artist tape which has been amazingly effective when i remember!