All of a sudden I look old!

[Samb79]

I’m 38,and have twin 8 year olds.
I’ve just spent an absolute fortune on make up after seeing an ad for beauty and the boutique on fb, and fully expected a miracle to take place after application.

But I still look oooooooold!

Have you got any beauty secrets? Tips to hide saggy skin, enlarged pores, uneven skin tone?

I find the dermawand great - bought it on offer around 5 years ago for £80 so I was a bjt gobsmacked at current price. For me it definitely keeps my jaw and cheek area lifted - I use it only 3 x week as I also have radiofrequency facials every 6 weeks which really lift.

So OP, lets do baby steps.

Your cleansing routine with milk cleanser and micellar water sounds ok provided you don't get spots - if you do get spots, reply back and I can give some help with that - I am the spot survivor queen!!

Morning
Micellar water
Hyaluronic acid serum - The Ordinary or Hydraluron are both excellent
Moisturiser - skip this if you have oily skin - if dry just use any day cream that you like the feel of - nivea sounds rich for daytime?
SPF 30-50 check out La Roche Posay - lots of people love, I don't but I have super oily skin so have to use Korean SPF.

Nightime
Clarins milk cleanser - but use it twice with a microfibre face cloth if you wear makeup
Glycolic acid pads - superdrug or pixi - just use one and sweep around face once avoiding into eye although I do take acids right up to lashline. If you have sensitjve skin, just use the pads 2-3 x week at first and build up to every night.
Then whilst your skin is getting used to the glycolic, that's it for actives so no retinols yet.
Then to seal it all in you could use hyaluronic acid serum you used in the morning, followed by any rich night moisturiser but avoid if oily. If oily, The Ordinary Squalane is fantastic for this last nightime layer especially round eyes - really reduces crepiness.

So wnust use this simple routine for a good month and then come back and we can look at more actives depending upon what your concerns are.
If you don't get spots, you can ditch the salicylic acid.
You don't need a separate eye cream.

Oh you are amazing, thank you.

Yes, I get spots, mostly on my chin and jaw line, which I'm hoping will clear up once I sort my diet out again. Day 1 of no chocolate and lots of water... The Salicylic seems to tame them but not get rid.

The Nivea cream is a light day cream - if I use anything lighter then my face feels tight, so I use just a bit, and I think it's SPF 15 - would I wear SPF on top of moisturiser?

This ought to be part of school you know...

JMAngel1 thanks for your reply,i have just started having the Promax radio frequency this week, going once a week, but according to one of the other ladies in the salon it Should be every 3 days, and according to another every 2 weeks,
What would you recommend according to your experience with it?

No Promax shouldn't be every 3 days - I had one every 2-3 weeks. It can make skin a little angry and flaky for the first 3-4 days so need that to recover before having another one.

OP, if you get spots, get 2% salicylic acid from The Ordinary - it is fantastic but only use it on spots or very spot prone areas as it can be drying.
Try the ordinary squalane fir your moisturiser - really moisturising but doesn't cause spots. The nivea may have pore clogging ingredients.
SPF 15 isn't enough - 50 is ideal especially when you start using glycolic and later retinols. I find la roche posay does break me out so consider Etude House Airy Finish SPF50 - can get it on amazon.

Just to add a couple of other recommendations for factor 50 products to go under makeup / on top of skin care. Both around the £30 mark I think- but they DO last and imo are worth the £ :

Exuviance factor 50, and Alpha H factor 50 moisturiser (not sure those are the exact names but I have TRIED to do links, and failed twice; I can normmally do links easily so not sure why it's causing my post to disappear before posting)
I think you can get Exuviance on Amazon. It's slightly tinted but the tint works for most skin tones. You can still put foundation over the top or just stick with the slight tint of the Exuviance. It's a physical block rather than chemical which some say is better. It does work because I put that and only that on my face everyday on a very hot holiday in Spain last year and gotnzeronsun damage (visible to the eye at least! )
Foundation can be ageing so perhaps you want to downgrade to a tinted moisturiser any way once your skincare routine has kicked in and your skin it looking good.

I'm getting my jowels permanently reduced with fat freezing- saving up as it's crazy expensive! No other options for that one I'm afraid apart from surgery which I will never do (too squeamish and too scared not to mention even more expensive). I'm quite a bit older than you though OP! Don't get freaked by This, I'm just posting for anyone that's interested.

You're only 38, dont forget. It sounds oldish to you now but in 5 years you will look back and think it seems youngish! If you invest time now, you could find that you look better than you ever have by the time you're 48! im not joking!

Ps I would ditch that nivea cream if I were you. Factor 15 is not strong enough. Once you've been doing the routine suggested by @JMAngel1 your skin will be more hydrated and you won't have that tight feeling. Anything with hyaluronic acid is good for hydration, plus the benefit of drinking more water will kick in soon.

Same age, struggling with this too. Would definitely have Botox but ttc at the moment so will wait til my 40th as that's my cut off date either way. Recent miscarriage seems to have messed up my skin too - suddenly got spots!

I ordered some stuff off the ordinary last week. I've got buffet and hyalorinic (?) acid for am and then liquid gold followed by buffet and rosehip oil for pm. Also have the retinoids but can't use them yet.

I've tried lots of serums etc - blew £80on ester Lauder night repair last year but don't feel it really did anything. The boots your good skin serum was ok actually. I have been using a moisturiser with spf between 20 and 30 for years but thinking I might need to up it do bought a nuxe factor 50 sunscreen yesterday.

JMA1 which Korean SPF do you recommend? I shine spectacularly during the day after any moisturiser.

JMAngel1 thanks for that, we are going to stick to once a week i think, the girl at the salon also suggested having a double session to hasten the results, but i think wouldnt be good
Only had one up to now, no or flaking etc, but feels a little dry
Also.sorry to be a pest,but meant to ask what frquency did you have? i had 6 my daughter had 8, but as im oldish, maybe higher would not be good for my skin
Having your jowls fat freezed sounds good,

My kin feels very dry nd tight now,is Hylauronic acid the answer,? it sounds as if it would be drying too

Thanks for this thread! Also starting to look my age (older than 38 though!) and although I've always followed a basic cleanse, acid tone, moisturise routine, I'm completely baffled by all the 'new' stuff.

@JMAngel1 Thanks for that routine, looks simple enough that I've a chance of sticking to it. I've ordered some of The Ordinary products you mentioned, and will get a separate SPF.

JMAngel1
You don't mention mist hydrate and oils? Are they not necessary or just not good for oily skin? Also, can you use a moisturiser with SPF or does it need to be separate?

It gets easier I promise doodlejump!

I look less tired nowadays anyway!

I'm 45 and it's happened overnight!

I have a wish list of expensive procedures: I think some things help make you look groomed (decent hair cut, nice nails) some things make you look better (.5 lip filler for 'smokers lines', surgery for hooded lids, filler for 11s) and some things make you look less dated (better more modern makeup, colours that suit your skin tone). I don't believe any cream or oil will roll back the years though.

Hi Can't think I don't use mists or oils as I have super oily skin. The squalane is enough for me.
The SPF I use is really good for oily skin- Etude House Sunprise Airy Finish SPF 50 - it's super light and doesn't sting around eyes. I don't need a moisturiser underneath but if you're not oily, then you might want one.

I've googled photos of Caroline Hirons and her skin doesn't look good to me so I wouldn't bother with her "cheat sheets" or anything else she recommends - and she actually recommends EVERYbloodyTHING

What's wrong with her skin?

It's not good - despite all the products she recommends.

I know what you mean but this is a case in point - no skin care routine will do anything for sagging etc, really deep lines need filler, jowliness can't be fixed with serums or creams either. If you look at the texture of CH's skin, it's good. That's all that can be achieved with skincare routines, sorry.

CH is best avoided I think. Her list of things to do is just bloody ridiculous. Skin does not need that much interference. I'm sure the plethora of products on the market benefits noone except of course the companies that make them....

Decent cleanse, moisturise, SPF. End of. Decent diet as far as possible but it's bloody boring so you need to have some treats. Small kids don't help but they grow up. Unfortunately you need to embrace that as you approach your 40s things will change (and not necessarily for the best) but you can't compare your 40s to your 30s. You are a decade older.

Genetics hugely important and there's not much you can do about that.

Her akin is very good for someone her age.

I must admit that I agree with EmGee . Beyond cleanse, moisturise, eat well, drink more water, exercise, I don't believe that any of these products 'fight' ageing. Of the wide range of women I know, every one of them looks roughly their actual age, regardless of which products they use. Although, obviously, you can improve the texture/look of skin. I would honestly recommend giving oil cleansing a go - it has made my skin look bright and clear again.

50 and still got boil-like hormonal cystic acne as well as now permanent naso-labial lines and big bags under my eyes.

What shocked me the other day was reaching up to the cashier in a shop to pay for something and seeing a pair of crone hands giving money to a relative child. 😭