Anti ageing help!

[HappyHoppyHippo]

Hi,
I’m in my late 30’s and need to start doing something about my skin.
I’ve noticed I’m getting a few fine lines and a deep frown line 😩 also my skin just looks a dull and tired,
At the moment I use a skin cleanser from face theory that I like and cerave moisturiser.

I have tried to research an anti ageing routine, retinol etc but so I really need 10 different creams! All I’ve done is confuse myself.

I need to do something, just really aomw help and advice please.

I would go vit C and some type of acid depending on skin type and/or tretinoin. Also daily spf

Acid toner such as glycolic pads, moisturiser with h. acid and a retinol serum

I'd go to Skin & Me for a tret prescription and keep everything else pared down and simple. Oh and plenty of water.

You don't need 10 creams, don't worry.

The only 2 anti-ageing ingredients you need are a Vitamin C and a vitamin A (retinol)
You need to:

Cleanse (with anything you like, as cheap as you like, it goes down the plug- only thing is, take your makeup off first, then cleanse, so you can use the same cleanser twice, or something like a micellar water- though remember that leaves an oily film on skin so you need a different cleanser after)

Vit C (check % needs to be around 15% to do anything and should be L-Ascorbic acid for prime effectiveness)

Moisture- again, anything you like will do.

Retinol -read up on it, watch Nadine Baggott video on retinols, start slowly, be aware of companies leading you on to think there is more ingredient in their product than there is. (the Ordinary are buggers for this but I think have become more transparent. Most creams containing retinol /vit C won't have enough active ingredient to make a difference)

Sunscreen.

If you want to also add an acid every so often, an acid toner after cleansing on the night you don't use a retinol initially.

The N7 ranges are surprisingly good. I've used vit C serums and retinols from much more expensive ranges but now changed to N7 and probably won't go back.

Thank you all, it’s a relief I don’t need so many!
What brands/products do you recommend?

I’m going to have a look at N7 now :)

Just had a look at the website, seems like this takes the guess work out of it!

I asked this and was advised 2 things. Botox or tretinoin. As I did not want to go the botox route, I ordered from Dermatica instead.

I have started it and I do not know whether I'm just wishing but my skin has started looking a little better. Could be because I have started using sp50 sunscreen which I never did before.
If you can afford it, I would give this a go. I cannot swear by results because I am only in month 1 but so many people recommended it.
All else I do is use cleanser,( any old) and moisturiser. That too just a cheap one.
Dermatica looks at your skin and adds what else you need in their tretinoin cream.
So it is actually just for you and what your skin needs.

Ooo yes a PP has mentioned sunscreen, essential if using tretanoin/retinol. I really rate the glossier one as it smells nice.

Dermatica or Skin and Me are reputable if you want to go the prescription route and the prices are reasonable for what you get.

Remember that retinol/Tret is a long game thing. I started with an entry level retinol (0.3%) then moved to a 1% and am now using a tret 0.05.

You don't suddenly go "wow" but after a couple of months you look at your skin and think "for a 56 year old, my skin is looking pretty damn good"

So I’ve decided to order from dermatica, seems like it’s an all in one cream? Ordered the cleanser and moisturiser too

Be very careful if using more than one item at a time as some can react with others and dermatologists are seeing more and more people who have damaged their skin by using too many products, especially acids.

The dermatica cleanser and moisturiser look fairly reasonably priced. Skin and Me's are quite expensive I think.

Make sure you are religious about using SPF everyday, especially with prescription strength tretinoin. It's not a quick fix, and you may get some peeling/ irritation for a few weeks, but it passes and your skin will start to look better. In about 6 - 9 months you will see the proper results.

Thank you for all your help everyone :)

Treatment

Tretinoin 0.015% / Niacinamide 4% / Azelaic Acid 4%

this is what I’ve they’ve suggested.

Can be bewildering!

Basic cleanser, daily SPF 50, day moisturiser if you need it. I like to use a hyaluronic acid on damp skin.

Something to remove make up, Dermatica prescription. Occlusive basic moisturiser if skin dry. I use a Vit C mask rather than every day.

I didn’t like Azelaic acid in my formula, made it drag and was too thick. Will have more slip without it and don’t think you need it.

My skin is lovely if I do say so myself! I'm dry tenancy so depending on your skin type might not work for you.

I use

Am
Medik8 Vitamin C
Spf50

Pm
Dr Sam Cleanser
Tretinoin from Dermatica
Beauty Pie ceramide capsules
Shea Butter / La Roche Posay moisturiser
Vaseline or a few drops of face oil

I've found my holy grail products! Main important thing is consistency and Tret!

If you fancy Dermatica this gives you money off www.dermatica.co.uk/referrer/Y2K0NE

That’s good to know thank you.

Thank you!
😂 I’m hopeful I’ll soon be able to say the same!
is vitamin c fine to use with Tret then? Honestly it’s so confusing, I think I’ve confused myself more!

@HappyHoppyHippo

I know it can be totally confusing!

There's no simple answer. It depends if your skin tolerates it. I saw you're using 0.015 which is a nice low start point. I would spend 2 weeks only doing cleanse, Tret, moisturise in the evening and cleanse, Spf in the morning.

See how you get on.

If you feel like your skin is happy and stable you can add vit c in the morning. But don't rush it.

Can take months to see full effects of tret, marathon not a sprint!

@BryceQuinlanTheFirst thank you so much, really appreciate it.

I would agree with BryceQuinlanTheFirst on introducing products slowly, that way if your skin reacts badly to any of them you know which one it is.

Also, you may end up peeling a bit from tretinoin for the first few weeks/ months so your skin might be a bit more sensitive, so vitamin c serum or acids might just irritate it more. Basically it's a bit of trial and error, but once you have found a simple routine that works, it's fairly easy.

For example in the Morning I use:

Geek & Gorgeous Vitamin C serum
SPF 50+ sunscreen
Cerave Moisturiser.

In the Evening:
Pixi Rose cream cleanser
Prescription strength tretinoin (0.05%)
Cerave Moisturiser.

Both take around 5 minutes morning and evening and this routine really works for me as it's easy and no fuss.

I have been using tretinoin for about 3 years now and I really like the results. I usually apply it 5 or 6 nights a week, but I have been on it for a long time so I can use nightly with no irritation - I had to start out at once a week, then twice a week, then three times etc. to build up tolerance over several months, I also started out at a lower strength and moved up slowly.

Tretinoin has decades of clinical research behind it to show that it does give really good results, but only if you use it consistently over a long period of time, so be patient. Your subscription service should increase the percentage after a few months to a bit stronger. It's not a miracle cream, you're not going to look 20 years younger or anything, but my skin is brighter, clearer, and any dullness and fine lines I had starting to appear (I'm 38) have definitely lessened. Mostly my skin just looks plump and dewy and better than it did a few years ago.

On nights I don't use tretinoin, I will sometimes use Glycolic acid for exfoliation, but I only use it once a week or so and I don't find I really need it that much, also don't want to over irritate my skin. I also have a few other serums which I use sometimes (niacinamide, peptides etc,) but I feel like those are in the category of 'nice to have, but don't do that much'.

I am 52. I cleanse, tone and use the clarins double serum and moisturise. Skin is fab. I also use sunscreen and a separate neck cream. I am always told I look early 40s.

I don’t bother with all the individual bottles of this, that and the other. Can’t be bothered.

I would strongly recommend frownies patches or the cheaper alternatives you can buy. They won't eradicate your frown line, only botox can do that, but act in a similar but temporary way by stopping you frowning so you look smoother for a few hours after wearing them. If you wear them regularly, they also stop it getting worse.

thank you for all the info- I really need it! Ahh, so I don’t just start off putting tret on every night then! I didn’t realise that.
your routine sounds perfect, just the kind of routine I want.