late 40s - skin starting to age - help!

[countrylanes]

Ok, so I have to face up to the fact that I am starting to age - what can I do to slow this down as much as possible. Don't have much of a skin care routine at the moment - SPF 15 moisturiser in the day, light night moisturiser. Skin starting to sag too.
Any advice greatly received! I have heard of retinol - anyone any experience of this and what I do with it (is a cream/ a supplement?)
Thanks!

Oh god me too. I looked in the mirror this morning and saw my grandmother staring back at me. Up until this year I was feeling quite smug by my good skin and minimal skincare routine.

Watching this thread for all the tips!

Using an SPF is good practice, but the only thing you can do that will make any real difference is surgery. All of those celebrities with great skin who tell you it's Olay or genes or something else they've slapped on their skin are lying - my cosmetic surgeon told me as much (and he's treated quite a few). I like my older face (58 now) as my cheekbones are much more prominent having lost the fullness in my cheeks, but I hated the sagging! So I got a neck and lower face lift 2 years ago and I'm delighted with it. I personally wouldn't have fillers or botox. I look at Madonna or Carol Vorderman and think "what have you done to yourself?!).

You will now be told everyone ages, it's better than the alternative and work on your inner happiness then the outer won't matter.

@jumpingatjackdaws I do quite a lot of work on my inner happiness. I have had to when my life collapsed and I lost almost everything almost three years ago! I am proud of putting myself back together when I was near broken. Would still like to delay signs of ageing though.

How did you find a surgeon? If I do go down that route, I am worried about getting a crap one. What age were you when you had surgery?

@Llareggub Ha! It's worse than that for me! I am starting to see my dad's face staring back at me! (insert The Scream face) My mum's body is appearing in mine though - that has been a shocker!

@llareggub are you in Wales? If so, me too! Hullo! (double ll made me think you are)

I use a routine with a maker called Environ. It was made by a South African doctor for people who suffered burns. It is actually amazing stuff and my son who is 13 uses it and his teenage skin has cleared up also. It is expensive but worth every penny?

@Oliphantitus, so does it help acne too? I still have acne. Acne and sags and wrinkles - a winning combination.

Has it helped you with ageing skin?

@Oliphantitus
Oh god, there is loads of it - what do you use?

It's amazing stuff and does help acne too! My skin is sensitive and it's the only one I can use...it's amazing! I use the face wash and then I have the level 5 moisturizer and vitamin c . They start you on level one moisturizer and then you work your way up the levels. The vitamin c is used as an extra so I use that at night with the moisturizer. I use it morning and night but sometimes I forget!

Ps I also have sags and wrinkles but using this deletes the wrinkles a bit and the skin gets fat somehow!! And since using it my acne is gone!

That's amazing! Thanks @Oliphantitus

You need to introduce more moisture and a retinol. You should also up your spf. Look up Caroline Hirons blog there’s loads of great info there. Start with the cheat sheets.

I use Retinol from The Ordinary. There's different percentages of it, it's about £8 I think. I love it, I also use their Hylaronic acid and vitamin C. I use Holland and Barrats Vitamin E oil at night, rinse face with cold water. My skin is pretty good, I'm 55.

Not sure of brands but the ones recommended sound good. The reason is I don't use anything special myself so I don't know! My skin is quite good, but face has started sagging. You've probably got this part covered, obviously a sunscreen of some kind, but staying hydrated, eating well and exercise all help.

Oh and a good cleansing routine.

The Ordinary. That's all you need. Vit C, Buffet, retinol... all you need for very cheaply (for now) It's a miracle skin doctor (I'm 49)

Google A313 it's a slightly weaker version of retin a. It's sold in French chemists you can get it online. It still does the same job but is not as harsh on the skin.

If ur interested let me know and I'll try and find the website I bought mine online from.(which was a few years ago now).

Thanks everyone!

@priya38 - that would be fantastic if you could find me the website! Thanks so much!

@countrylanes

This is the link ...😊
https://thefrenchpharmacy.co/products/a313-pommade-50g?variant=13330746212396&utmsource=subscribe-it&utmmmedium=email&utmcampaign=stock-notification&utmmcontent=A313+Pommade+50g&siid=519577_13330746212396

Thanks @priya38 that's so kind of you!

I'm lucky, that even as I approach 51 this year, I don't have bad skin, and apart from my goatee, I have plenty of hair, and almost no greys.

Oh, my skin routine?
Fuck all!

I done it all wrong when younger.. tanning oil included! Oops. Oh and I smoke too! Double oops.

Just relax, and enjoy your aging, and stop fussing, or you'll end up looking like Sharon Osbourne (refering to how she looked on the One Show last night (28/05/20)).

Admittedly, I don't have foreign holidays to worry about skin damage, but for the last twenty years, I rarely just sit in the sun. If think with today's knowledge, just sun tanning (even naturally) is not good for skin (admittedly neither is smoking!), so use a good sun protector, and wear a hat ... One that has enough to it, to shade the face, I personally wear a nice fedora style hat.

Here is the old mug!

You need to start taking collagen supplements or make your own bone broth apparently there's allot in it

I use a nice night cream, but I don't kid myself its going to stop ageing in any way. I just like the smell and comfort. There is an argument that "too much cream" can even stop your own skin producing skin oils. So totally counter-productive. The bald fact is you can't slow ageing, apart from the usual lifestyle things.

I'd never put anything harsher chemically on my face, ever. I think retinol can damage skin, but I don't know the full story on that one. Or bother with botox/fillers/plastic surgery. IMO it works only rarely, and feeds into the myth that women have to spend hundreds or thousands to maintain a completely false presentation of themselves, interfering with their own natural beauty for something that is usually inferior, into the bargain.

I saw a photo of Patsy Kensit the other day - she looked like a Primark dummy (puffy and generic) and had lost all her natural beauty in the process, which she could have actually retained, even if older, in a different way. If you watch Britt Ekland on the Real Marigold series at the moment she has also ruined her looks with surgery - but she openly admits it and regrets it.

I hope this doesn't come across as a rant. Its really not meant to be! Just be careful. Sorry I can't suggest anything that you might be looking for.

Just watched Sharon Osborne on The One Show.

Not a wrinkle on her face for sure. But she looks like a waxwork puppet out of Thunderbirds "you rang M'lady?"

Clearly, you can be too thin and too rich .

After reading a lot on here I decided to use retinol. I don’t use it religiously but my friend does and swears by it.
We get it when we go on holiday as you can buy it without prescription.
It’s price varies from £3-£6 from the pharmacy’s in Spain and Portugal.
My daughter uses the ordinary retinol and bio oil it has cleared Her acne scaring up.