I need a verdict please ! Is expensive skin care really worth it or not ?!

[ginorwine]

Age 50 skin looks dull and sad . No spots . No vitality . Pale .
I did try clarins double serum once and it seemed to improve matters but stopped as I read that the improvement was just a visual and it didn't actually treat the skin . I used their creams once and thought they were great but stopped as too expensive as I read that moisture cream can't really do much to improve skin and therefore something cheap will do a similar hydration job .
So Amy comments ? Does money buy better products ( if so which are good ) or do cheap ones do the same ( and which are good!)
Please tell me your views 😄

I am 55 and my skin is looking at it's best for years. I a also a cheap skate.
Every evening I cleanse my face and neck with aqueous cream and a clean flannel and hottish water. I give it a fair scrub to exfoliate. Moisturise with almond oil that sinks in overnight.
In the morning, I rinse with cool water and moisturise with
Lidl anti wrinkle cream. The glamour! My skin loves it and it is rich but not greasy.

I eat well, walk a fair bit and keep my bmi around 23-25. Any thinner and my face collapses !

Not worth it. I'm 44 and my skin is good- partly genes (thanks Mum!) but also mostly down to a good diet, never smoking or sunbathing. I love an acid toner like Nip and Fab, and the hot cloth method of cleansing. But I use any old cleanser and moisturiser with an SPF, whatever's on offer in my local pharmacy or Aldi. I take fish oil supplements which I also think make a difference. So you do have to look after your skin but don't have to spend loads of money, I believe. The thought of a 50 quid moisturiser makes me shudder!

If you are a fan of Clarins it's worth reading the verdict on Paula's Choice website ( aka Beautypedia) for one of the most damning reports on Clarins ever. She's done a hatchet job after looking at what's in it. There is a HUGE amount of perfume plus loads of botanicals which can be highly irritating.

My honest opinion is you are buying a dream and the low-end equivalent is out there for a fraction of the cost- you just haven't found it yet.

Also- we can't expect to have 25 year old skin at 50+. Falling oestrogen levels do alter skin. (I'm on HRT but not for vanity reasons.)

OP are you using a good foundation? I have good, unlined skin but without make up I look half dead- very pale and terrible purple under eye circles (hereditary).

What's your diet like? You should aim for 2-3 portions oily fish a week, almonds and walnuts daily as snacks, daily avocado, olive or rape seed oil daily on salads etc, a little bit of full fat dairy each day , and practically no sugar. There are research articles from dermos showing how sugar destroys skin by damaging collagen.

It depends. When I was 16 I bought Imperialis moisturiser from Lush which had a very similar smell to calamine lotion and within weeks all my teenage spots were gone. Obviously something in it worked - I think it mattified while not encouraging more oil production.

Now at 32 I can use anything (Superdrug Vitamin E day cream is great and about 3 quid) with no difference but I don't smoke and work out 6 days a week which is where the good skin comes from!

PNgirl, I am older than you, run 4-5 x week, don't smoke, drink alcohol rarely and have a reasonable diet but still suffer from spots every now and then.

I do an at home glycolic peel once a week, follow up with coconut oil. I clean my face with micellar once a day before bed and follow up with la Roche posey correcting stuff on spots/discolouration. Little dab of coconut oil for moisture.

My skin has gone from being spotty, dull and dry to shiny, smooth and bright.

I spent a fortune of creams, serums, lotions and potions. No more!!! Glycolic acid was 9.99, baking powder to neutralise it was penny's, coconut oil 4 quid for a huge tub. La Roche was 11 quid but lasts forever.

Micellar water is sold everywhere, about 2 quid in Superdrug

I still get the odd spot (have one on my nose!) but I'm talking about the glowy, not-dull finish the OP is referring to.
Genetics and not wearing foundation also help but I'm not convinced slapping on something expensive would stop all spots ever.

Thanks all .
Have had good skin all my life and since hit 50 it's changed to dull and pale - no glow or ' life ' in it .
Sounds like a better diet is inorder as well as oils and exfoliation - either via manually or those nip and fab things that seem to get a mention . I want start Retinoids but scared of reaction and I f can still go out on the sun ?!

Remote what peel do you use and what result do you get please ?

I think that the interactions between the skin micro biome and the products that you use will play a part

It definitely leaves my skin soft and supple for far longer than moisturiser (even the LRP hydriane Riche) so I use it a couple of times a week or if I feel I need a boost

Eg used it yesterday morning and this morning skin is still soft - usually it would feel/tight dry by now

It seems to cleanse too (takes some mascara off) so if I'm being lazy and haven't had make up on I'll just swipe that over

My mums friend used to use it and her skin was amazing so I thought I'd give it a go. Just wished I'd started younger!

Not worth it. Good diet, lots of water you're fine. A serum with hyaluronic acid in it, a spritz and a moisturiser/facial oil, you're fine.

I don't believe the hype of the Ordinary stuff. The founder used to say that any acid bar salyicylic wasn't worth the long-term inflammation it caused, but now lactic acid features heavily? And £9 is still a massive mark-up for 30ml of organic rose hip oil...not as much as Trilogy mark it up but still a lot more than say Fushi or Akoma.

I will try and find the link later but it's just bog standard glycolic acid, 30%. No brand name. I'd advise watching YouTube videos and reading up first but it's perfectly safe to do at home.

Wash face with water a few hours before hand, no products and leave so skin can go back to natural ph. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and two tablespoons of baking powder, have a clean flannel ready (I use a baby muslin).

Buy a cheap fan brush! Pour acid into a bowl and brush over face with the fan brush/acid starting from the forehead down. Avoid the eyes!! Start a timer from the first brush and leave for 1 minute (you can work upwards after a few weeks). I don't do longer than 3 minutes because it stings like anything. Soak flannel in baking powder water and wash acid off. Then splash with cold water and put a load of coconut oil on. I do it an hour before bed and then wipe excess oil off before sleep.

There is a thread on here called sizzlers where a load of us were doing them a while back. It's made a huge difference!

"Aparently by 50, 90% of women no longer believe in anti ageing cream"

what an interesting point

just to say OP, I haven't got experience of using pricey stuff but a lot of the stuff I see touted here contains stuff that I was given to treat eczema scarring and that was really harsh stuff. I realise the active ingredients are in a lower concentration but sometimes not by much. I'm amazed that people seem to want do this to their skin.

I'm 40 and - please don't hate me - still have a bit of a baby face, probably genetic. I can tell you that my sister spends an absolutely fortune on skin care since she turned 40, she looked fine before, she looks fine now (44) there is no difference whether she spends £5 or £50. My friends around the same age are all using pricey stuff and does it stop anyone ageing - of course not. Does it slow it down - not that i can see.

I don't think chucking money away on it makes much sense. If it makes you feel good, then obviously your choice.

Using products to remove the top surface of your skin is not a good idea. These products may help reduce some wrinkles ( depth of) but long term they aren't going to do your skin any good AT ALL. They create inflammation which is the worst thing you can do- same effect as eating sugar.

I've spent a lot of time reading stuff from dermos and the message is always the same: use something to take off dirt and make up, then something to stop the water evaporating. If they have added silicone, or ingredients to 'trap' the water in your skin, all fair and good.

But you can't make a huge difference with creams, lotions or potions.

I used to buy Clinique at £45 a pot. I did so because I have quite sensitive skin and don't want anything with perfume in it. But am finding Olay does the job and it's £10-£12 on Amazon.

PS I have raging insomnia and sometimes watch QVC at odd times of night! I often look at their skincare demos with before and after and think, seriously, hardly any difference, certainly not one that could be seen without a TV screen and who is peering that closely at your skin anyway?!

OP- not being judgy but if your username is true (!) alcohol is one of the worst things for skin. It dehydrates it terribly.

Poly
Yes I am a bit of a party animal who has become 50 😄
I see that up post some think re surfacing of skin is good , whilst others say it will damage ! Ooh confused now 😳

For many people 40 to 50 is the age where the lifestyle damage from earlier decades really starts to accumulate

OP, I should have explained better
I tried to "resurface" because of eczema scarring - in fairness my doc told me she wasn't happy because she said "You have delicate skin and these products are harsh". starting me off on the mildest stuff, there was real sense of skin being stripped away and I just can't understand why anyone would do that.

If you try it and you feel your skin benefits, great, I'm sure most people have tougher skin than I do, but I'm just interested because I feel they are selling products to strip skin, resurface skin - then of course alongside selling a bunch of stuff meant to replenish it.

I did eventually get referred to a dermatologist and asked about anti ageing out of curiosity and she also said it was all marketing, but in fairness this was before the current raft of products came out.

You need to determine what skin type you have and what skin issues you want to address then choose products which contain ingredients that are known to address these issues. For example my focus is on anti ageing and pigmentation so focus on products containing retinol, aha, vit c, niaciamide and arbutin. It doesn't have to be expensive by any means ( I usually buy from the Asian market as they are better quality and cheaper). If I just slathered my face in nivea as others have suggested I'd be a congested, greasy mess (tried thus once with the blue nivea which caused a hideous breakout)

If your looking for skin brightening then you are prob best starting with a vit c serum or an AHA like Pixi glow. If you do start using AHAs or retinoids you will need to use a sunscreen every day and stop using a week before any prolonged sun exposure such as holidays

It really is down to lifestyle. Your skin just doesn't absorb very much at all - can you imagine what would happen if it did?

It's all snake oil, except for prescription strength RetinA creme, which should be used according to the pharmacy information leaflet in the box

Just check the adverts. All the high end products undertake to do is 'minimise the appearance of wrinkles' - just like the ordinary stuff. I think it's safe to assume they would make more grandiose claims if they thought they could do it without getting their arses sued.

Also overloading your skin with products (at any price point) can do more harm than good. I found that out the hard way and suffered from very sensitive skin ever since.