late 40s - skin starting to age - help!

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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!

Hi OP! One small change I would make to your routine is to ditch the SPF 15 and swap it for an SPF of 50 and wear it every day. Not sure what your budget is but a good budget one is the Body Shop Skin Defence SPF 50. However there are plenty others for you to have a browse.
Do this before making any of the changes mentioned above

I use retinol, firstly indeed labs but have switched to revolution as it’s half the price.... retinol is used at night and it helps to refresh the skin by helping get rid of dead skin.... during the day I use hyaluronic acid then a moisturiser.... I have used the £30+ ones and they work no better than the face creams from Aldi

Talking of skin routines.

Anyone else hear, that exfoliating too much is bad for your skin.

They say something along the lines, that removing too much of the top layer, is what's causing the problem, as the top layer helps protect your vulnerable lower layers.

Hi OP, I’ve too noticed a recent decline - I’ve been reading a lot about face yoga so just started doing that. Loads of tutorial on YouTube. I need to tone up my saggy looking neck.

@livingit38, I also bought some collagen peptides - like that in your link. It’s not cheap. I was all up for using it but I read somewhere afterwards that it depletes your own Natural ‘stores’ so if you stop taking it you could be more worse off than before! How do you find it?

For those on here who have mentioned The Ordinary retinol and other products is @Flibbitygibbit can you tell me more about what you use and when? I am a beginner with retinol so which one would I use?? Thank so much!

@Puffinhead tbh I actually make my own now but I know this isn't for everyone I make from beef bones or chicken basically it's a stock that I put in slow cooker for a day let it cook out and reduce then keep in fridge and drink it's really nutritious and like a nice soup.

I live in Australia and am sun-phobic. I’m 48, and compared to other women my age, I think being a sun-dodger has paid off. I think you definitely need to switch to a higher SPF. 15 is probably adequate for hanging out the laundry and coming straight back inside. This product has made the biggest difference to my skin’s appearance - The Ordinary Vitamin C powder which is bloody brilliant because it is as cheap as dirt, and remains stable for ever (unlike other vitamin c products) and you can mix a tiny bit in with your serum products. It is L-Ascorbic Acid which is non-irritating, but start with about a quarter of a scoop and gradually work up to a full one. It dissolves fully, so you won’t be left with gritty residue. It will quickly brighten and firm your skin and help with textural issues, while also improving the efficacy of your sunscreen. I would also recommend that whatever serum you use contains niacinamide, as it is an amazing ingredient too. I would look to someone like Nadine Baggott (YouTube or Instagram) for sensible skincare advice if you are in the UK. She always suggests affordable, easily available products and has no time for marketing BS like crystals, gold or unicorn snot. (She prefers science.)

Spf 50 start a vut c snd retinol product. Watch Caroline Hirons You tube. Best no nonsense professional skincare advice youll get!! And a good few laughs along the way.

As others have said a good cleanse & moisturise is the start of it and I buy the best that I can comfortably afford. I also use an alcohol free toner in between, always have done. I alternate every night with retinol and ceramide capsules ( Elizabeth Arden) before my moisturiser and really happy with these and they suit my skin. I’ve used the ordinary’s retinol too, which is also very gentle. Some retinol products can dry out skin so be careful and go slowly with some that are higher concentrated. As you already use SPF, make sure it’s a high factor, as you need to up that when using retinol.

Retinol. Or rather Retin A, the real deal. It's about the only thing which has been proven to have observerable anti ageing effects on the skin.

Maybe start with retinol - the less potent version that you can get OTC in Boots or elsewhere. The Ordinary, as mentioned above, is very good, as is the Indeed Labs retinol which you can get in Boots ( and it's always on offer). When your skin adjusts, you can then progress to the real thing, retinol. You need a prescription here, but you can get it OTC in Spain and some other European countries. I think there are some online pharmacies where you can get it?

Ok so I spent a solid week researching constantly what I should use. Reading blogs and reviews and talking to friends. It all felt really overwhelming and confusing. There’s so much choice and so much differing advice!

I wanted something uncomplicated and achievable that I would actually be able to keep up long term.

I should note my routine before was washing my face in the shower with water (and shampoo residue) and using toothpaste on spots (I’ve always had some acne even now I’m 39). I also never took my make up off.

Eventually I went for:
glossier milk jelly cleanser which is an absolute pleasure to use it’s smells gorgeous and feels amazing

Glossier solution which is a mix of 3 acids (dilutions not disclosed)

Glossier priming moisturiser

La Roche posay antihelios sunscreen

The ordinary 0.5 retinol in squalene serum

It sounds a lot I know! And was a big investment for me even with the budget serum... But it’s been really easy to follow.

Morning
Milk jelly face wash
Solution toner
Priming moisturiser
Sunscreen

Night
Face wash
Serum

My spots have gone. Like GONE!
My dark spots look lighter
A deep ‘excitement furrow’ on my forehead has almost gone

Honestly I think I hit the jackpot. It’s all so personal to your skin type

@livingit38, funnily enough after I posted last night I was looking at bone broth recipes. I think I’m going to go down that route too.

I know th feeling, check out Nadine Baggott (a beauty journalist) She has a facebook group and a you tube channel and reviews all the latest beauty products and gadgets, worth looking at before you spend a lot of money. Her recent video on her own skin care routine is one I have adopted myself with good results xx hope that is helpful

Hi Op, so I use Matrixyl 10%, Retinol 0.5%, caffeine solution and ascorbyl glycoside. I use vitamin E oil at night and Hyaluronic Acid from Amazon . None of these are expensive ☺️

Need some advice please. Thanks for all tips. Until last year everyone guessed my age 36/37 in reality I was 44. It happened overnight. I am 46 and I aged a lot. Wrinkles at my cheek line, my chin, gravitation just pulled everything down and the dark circles (I never had them). My self-esteem is below zero. I always had acne and I had issues finding treatment for acne + anti-wrinkle and since 40 I have allergic reaction for every cream except Simple. I thought I would try Ordinary. But they have so many products How do I start? Which percentage of retinol and acids? Which acids and again percentage...sorry I really don't spend too much time on myself. I wish I did

@Heidi1999 - again, check out Nadine Baggott on YouTube or online. She won’t lead you astray. She’s older and has sensible, science-based advice and always has reasonably-priced suggestions. I have learned so much about what works and what’s BS from her.

Hello anyone tried Facial massage/ facexercise / face yoga ?? I’ve always had good skin. I’m of Indian origin and approaching 50 - past year noticed pronounced jowls and deep marionette lines. My weight has fluctuated a lot and have always had chubby cheeks no matter how much weight I lose or gain.
I’m throwing my lot with face massage simply because suddenly there are many free tutorials on Instagram. I’ve started doing it every other day. The immediate result is mind blowing but I don’t know whether it will be long term.

Anyone ?? Thanks.

@Usecoooomonsnse I am going to start doing the face yoga. I have found one very small research study showing modest improvement from it - but it can't do any harm.

Thanks @alittlelower I have started as well. Might update on this thread how I get on. All the best.

You need a much higher SPF and it needs to be separate to any moisturiser or makeup.
Spend on serums and treatments rather than cleansers (but use a hot cloth one) and moisturisers.
An acid toner- (glycolic for ageing, salicylic for spots and oil) and a Vit C serum (I use Vichy, the Ordinary one was foul on me, like rubbing wet sand on my face) will make a massive difference.
I use a retinol serum from GOW just a couple of times a week. I bought proper retinol online and tbh the Vit C serum had a more noticeable effect.

I want to try face yoga! Can anyone recommend one? I started Lisa Eldridge's facial massage thing but life got in the way. May try that again too.

Use- which instas are you following?