If you met a woman in her 50s without many wrinkles or "11s"....

[CaliforniaDrumming]

.... would you assume she had had Botox? This isn't a stealth brag btw, I am not referring to myself (though I have not had Botox). Just a general and random question.

Also, would it make a difference if the woman was Asian or black?

I think this is very true. Some people just give off a youthful energy and as you say most people don't look at the finer details too closely.

I'm 50 something and don't have eye wrinkled or 11s but I do have what I call downward daggers going down at the sides of my mouth (don't know the correct term, but Angela Merkel has them, although she's a lot older...). No botox or anything.

In general I never look at someone and assume they've had work done, because some ppl are blessed with good skin.

A friend of mine is going through a divorce and when we last met i did think she looked a bit different in the face and it did occur to me that she might have had botox.

I agree, @5128gap , it’s the overall appearance that forms the impression.

I don’t think that many people have wrinkles until they’re much older, IMO, 70-plus, perhaps? Fine lines, yes, but actually creases and wrinkles come much later. At least that’s the case with people I know.

Some people hardly get any even when they’re elderly. My Dad (85) who wouldn’t recognize moisturizer if you threw it at him, doesn’t have many wrinkles. Lines, yes, and a saggier jaw, but not much wrinkle-wise. He’s always had a young-looking face though. We’re all different.

Yes my paternal grandfather had an unlined face even well into his 80s. He certainly didn't moisturise and smoked a pipe.

I don’t think that many people have wrinkles until they’re much older, IMO, 70-plus, perhaps? Fine lines, yes, but actually creases and wrinkles come much later. At least that’s the case with people I know.

There's a difference between dynamic and static wrinkles - you're thinking about the latter and these develop much later usually.

Yes, I'm thinking about static wrinkles.

I’m mid forties and I do actually have fine lines around my eyes, some forehead lines and the beginnings of marionette lines. I’m not smooth and flawless at all. Yet I have been ‘accused’ of using Botox and filler by several random people recently. I was going to start my own thread about it as it’s really bothered me.

A colleague asked me if I’d had lip filler (no! Never!). An old colleague I met at a function asked me where I get my ‘filler AND Botox’ done (I don’t!). And the wirst was a random woman in a shop who thought I’d pushed in front of her on the queue and then started slagging me off for my ‘face full of fillets and Botox’. It’s really fucking weird! I don’t think I look particularly young for my age and my face moved and is expressive. Odd.

Excuse all the typos. I don’t have any ‘fillets’ in my face either 😆

@BonnyAndBlythe If you had actual fillets, as in fillets of fish in your cheeks, I could see why that would elicit comments. 🤣🤣

You obviously just have good skin. No 🐠 involved.

I'm 57 without wrinkles and have never been a sun lover so yes have avoided it

I would say my skin is rubbish in other ways, I was spotty as a teen and prone to greasy-ness when younger so didnt use moisteriser. I was also very reactive to products so have never put anything on my skin until the last couple of years when its become dryer post meno

I am 44 and have been accused when people find out my age of having botox etc to my face because I don't have any fine lines, sagging, pigmentation, wrinkles, middle age skin texture and so on. I just really looked after my skin, I've used retin a for 20 years and high factor SPF and UV protection since i was in my teens, also a natural sun avoider all my life, never smoked or drank alcohol not to make my skin nice just not into either activity.

My skin does look good and I use good skincare but never had any tweakments, I've had grief from some women over my lack of forehead lines and crows feet, apparently everyone has them at my age unless botox / filler. I think I have good genes plus good lifestyle, sun protection is everything but you must start young.

My aunt looked to be in her mid 40s when she retired in her mid 60's so a good twenty years younger than her actually age, even now at 70 her skin is bright and smooth with hardly any lines. My Dad is very similar so I'm hoping I will be the same, so far so good. In my aunts case she never went in the sun much no beach holidays and didn't smoke / drink also a good cook so lots of healthy foods pretty much the same with my dad no booze fags or sun.

That's ridiculous of them. What rubbish. I know plenty of people in their 40s without lines.

I'm in my 50's and have never had botox and dont have many wrinkles, good genes. However I am aghast with my colleagues in their 20's & 30' s who regularly have Botox,I mean WTF will they look like in 20 years?

I have a couple of friends that often say they have no lines, sagging etc on their faces. They do, but you know, no one says otherwise to them.

Some people in their 30s do have static lines. So many posts, with photos, on here. 32 year old with static forehead wrinkles was a recent one, the botox almost got rid of them but not quite, massive improvement anyway.

I agree about people in their 20s, or early 30s, without lines. Though I'm thinking more about fillers than botox. It ages them considerably in my opinion - badly done cheekbone fillers and lip filler - and overfilled.

I think its down to several things:

Diet (sugar and alcohol are killers)
Staying out of the sun
Genes
General lifestyle - i.e. stress levels
Smoking
The amount of water someone drinks. Lack of hydration has a big effect
Using a good skincare regime. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it needs to be thorough.
Not wearing makeup every day. As in, I think the skin needs to breath and be left alone at least a couple of days a week.

I do have a work colleague who is about 44 or 45 and has amazing skin. Looks early 30s. She doesn't drink or smoke or drink caffienated tea or coffee, and always looks carefully made up (so probably has spf on daily). She is quite a stress head though.

@Daisyroseandhyacinth I agree that sugar isn't good for you in general or your skin but apparently suger intake is responsible for only 4% collagen degredation as oppsed to the sun which is way more and then drop in estrogen as we get older which is why skin ageing often hits us like a ton of bricks when we get into our 40s as its the cumulative effects of sun exposure and estrogen drop off (which is happing even during perimenopause) combining to cause those typical signs ageing.

I’m in my fifties and have never gone in the sun, I hate it and hide. I have a forehead full of frown lines sadly, I’m a ginger.I think pale gingers are unlucky with lines.

that said I’ve never had spots in my life.

I've been peering at myself in the mirror as a result of this thread - I'm early 50s & very little in the way of wrinkles. I doubt anyone would imagine I had botox though unless I got a better haircut and some smarter clothes

I have to say I think it's really about genes - very much linked to estrogen drop off as yourclone says. Although I've not had periods regularly for maybe 4 years, I've only very recently had any symptoms of menopause.

Truthfully, other than not smoking, I'm not sure other things make much difference - I don't do any kind of skincare beyond washing my face (water only, I have real allergy issues so don't use any soap/body wash etc), haven't worn makeup since my teens, work outdoors all day. I do wear a hat pretty much all the time & kids factor 50 when it's proper sunny, as I'm prone to sunburn, but I'm definitely quite tanned just due to amount of time outdoors.

Pondering, I wonder whether maybe fair skin also less likely to wrinkle - my super-pale auburn haired friend looks much younger than her age (late 50s) and I think I can safely say has also never had botox! (She also doesn't wear makeup / do skin care stuff, and definitely doesn't have a stress free life)

Oops - cross post Cervinia - my theory clearly wrong

@Cervinia I do think forehead lines are genetic to some extent, I'm lucky not to have them, my mum is 70 and doesn't have any and on the other hand I've seen children with the start of them so it is genetics. Also for lines dry non oily skin is worse for lines and as you say gingers do tend to be paler and so even out of direct sun unless you were wearing high spf its still going to affect you but I do think redheaded people have some of the most beautiful skin when young, very fine texture and no pores!

@Sadik my aunt is a red head and looks way younger but in general I do think red heads do show sun damage earlier and have less resilient skin, but as always there are no absolutes.

Ah but red hair does keep a colour (it fades but my sister is 67 and still has her red-ish hair - more foxy than flame these days)