Anti ageing recommendations

[valentinaxo]

Late 30s, sensitive oily skin, likely perimenopausal now. I have a very basic skincare routine-Olay cream works best for my sensitive skin, no makeup, never smoked, occasional drinker. Don't cleanse or tone as it irritates my sensitive skin. Factor 50 in summer.

I've tried Charlotte Tilbury miracle cream but found it no better than Olay. Same with L'Occitane cream. Are more expensive products contains hyaluronic acid/collagen/retinol/vitamins etc really worth it? Do collagen supplements work? I don't mind paying extra for a product that works. Love to hear from those of you with recommendations for products that really halt the ageing process/rejuvenate tired skin, especially if you have sensitive skin. Thanks x

I use The Ordinary and I have eczema-prone skin. The way it works is you order the serums and moisturizer separately off their website, meaning you get a more effective regime. It's a bit bewildering at first - take their quiz to find out the best mix for you - but it works well.

I'm 39 next week and I've started taking my skin care much more seriously over the last few years- I've always been a skin are freak but I started using skin+me about 3 years ago for the Tretinoin you can only get it on prescription in the UK. I think my skin has never looked better. I use that at night followed by a moisturiser. To cleanse I use a superdrugs fragrance free melting balm. In the morning I've been using simples SPF 50 oil and boots new Collagen moisturiser which is SPF 30.

This is a link for a months free trial of skin+me you just pay £3.50 p&p

www.skinandme.com/?promocode=LAURENS5YP3

There's also Dermalogica, which I haven't tried but also has good reviews.

Truly turn back the clock by drinking lots of water, cutting out alcohol, not smoking, take a good multivitamin, get plenty of sleep, take off makeup thoroughly and double cleansing, exfoliate, eat a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables.

Don't label yourself as perimenopausal just yet. You are still young. Youth can come from attitude.

Diet and exercise will do wonders.

Expensive face creams feel nicer and smell nicer, but its the active ingredient that matters.

You can't stop ageing. I'd carry on with what works for you.

I'm nearly 60 and I've met people in their 40s who look older, all I use is a magic cleansing cloth, nip and fab dragon's blood serum and whatever moisturiser I'm on the mood for. If my skin is feeling extra dry I use 2 moisturisers one ligh and one creamy

Expensive fave creams you are often paying for the brand & advertising etc. often perfumed which irritate my skin.

i use simple creams with least chemicals in them such as Q+A, Evolve beauty etc.

diet & exercise important as is sleep & drink loads of water.

other

Pretty sure I am peri. Lots of symptoms (periods shorter/more erratic, vaginal dryness, drier skin, worsened anxiety, weight gain). Bloods were normal though. I've always looked younger until about mid 30s when peri symptoms started. I feel I've aged 5 years in 18 months. Maybe HRT worth trying?

I do most of that already although diet needs improving....

Thank you, I'll look into this

Genetics is going to do the majority or work for you assuming you don't drink much or smoke. That's just the luck of the draw.

It depends how much change you want to make. Drinking water and eating fish oils will help to a degree but to see any dramatic change in your skin you are going to need a bare minimum regime of Tretinoin, vitamin c serum, a good moisturiser suited to your skin's needs and an SPF.

That's really all you need on a basic level ( as well as a cleanser, obviously). It

... sorry posted too soon

..it will take about 3 months before you see an improvement but it will be a dramatic one. And after a year or so your skin should be transformed.

Anything else is down to tweakments and surgery.

So tretonin is a type of retinoic acid? Which really works? Roughly how much is it? Thanks

I have sensitive skin that was oily and prone to cystic acne when I was younger. My skin looks about 10 years younger than the rest of me, mainly because it was oily for much of my life. I’ve tried lots of middle of the range and luxury products. I use Clarins cleanser and toner and I moisturize daily. I try to remember to use serum but mostly forget. For moisturizer I have gone back to Crème de La Mer which wasn’t really effective in my 40s but now in my early 50s is really working wonders. It is kind to my skin (no redness!) but I am not expecting an anti ageing miracle. I don’t think many of the creams with retinol etc actually work as the active ingredients are too weak as they are sold over the counter, and I’m pretty sure drinking collagen is a big beauty industry joke. I’d also avoid anything with retinol etc if not prescribed by a dermatologist as it can make sensitive skin worse. A good and simple routine with decent products has worked for me.

Tretinoin is prescription only in the UK so you'll need Dermatica, Skin+Me or buy online from Spain or Andorra if you know what you are doing .
You HAVE to wear SPF when using treat so @Cotswoldmama 's collagen moisturiser with SPF is pointless.
You need proper standalone SPF, applied properly and reapplied every two to three hours. If you're not going to do that don't bother with tret.
Tret is the only product with scientific evidence for reversing the signs of aging.

The only thing that is anti ageing is dying.

Tret can only be prescribed ( in the UK) so your best way to access it is through a subscription service like Dermatica or Skin and Me. They will ask you to submit photos of your skin and tell them your areas of concern ( anti ageing, hyperpigmentation, acne etc). You keep uploading photos every few months so they can assess your progress. As your skin responds, they increase the % that your skin can tolerate, as at the higher percentage you will see a more dramatic result.
There will also be other ingredients like azaelic acid or hydroquinone in the cream.

I used Dermatica for two years, only came off it to save money as we are moving house and trying to cut all unnecessary spendingI I can already see the difference in my skin now I havent used it for 4 months or so.

That said, not everyone can tolerate it, so it's not a magic bullet for everyone. But it's really worth a go to firm up your skin and clear your complexion.

Skin of any age needs to be clean, hydrated and protected from the sun.

The spf50 needs to be used all year round.

Any cleanser you like is fine. Any moisturizer you like is fine.

Think about adding a vitamin C in the morning - lots of cheap ones around. Look for l-ascorbic acid at 12-15%.

An entry grade retinol at your age would be fine. Look for 0.3% . Work your way up for a few months then think about Tret. (Tret is the nearest thing to pure vitamin A) The referral code pp has been given gets the poster a discount/perk. Which is fair enough but they always seem to forget to mention that. 🤔

PS, @LadyOfTheCanyon is also right in that retinoids are a long game. What they do is help you obtain the best skin you can FOR YOUR AGE. They aren't going to knock 20 years off it.
I started with 0.3, then moved to 0.5 and 1% retinol, and now use 0.05 Tret. Over 3 years. I now look at my skin and think, feck I'm looking good for my age. But it takes time.

With skin+me I started with 0.003 and now I'm on 0.027, I did get up to 0.03 within a year but found it was too much for my skin so I've stuck to 0.027. I found an interesting article about tret

www.dearbrightly.com/blog/are-higher-strengths-of-tretinoin-always-better/

I was eager to get to a high strength asap but it really is best to be slow and steady.

If you have sensitive skin consider serums with propolis, I use tret and my skin is really reactive, currently only using it once every 4 days trying to build up usage very slowly. I’m using skinfood propolis essence and found it really soothing, it’s a bit tacky but once you layer on moisturiser (for me it’s cerave at night) it’s very moisturing (I don’t know how available it is in the UK). I’m waiting on my order of crosx propolis toner. Double cleansing is great but be wary of foam cleansers many are quite drying.

But in terms of actual help with ageing retinoids are the only kind of cream that are long established as having a significant effect. Even with retinol from no7 I had to go from once every 7 days, once every 6 days etc to build up use so er on the side of caution with sensitive skin.