What did you do to help you look less exhausted post baby?

[k80pie]

My second baby is 7 months and waking lots at night - I am tired and I feel like I look bedraggled.

Puffy round the eyes, wrinkles galore, hair falling out and fuzzy round the temples. Zero time for makeup or maintenance.

I'm curious about retinol creams - does this actually make a difference with wrinkles? My period is back now so the oestrogen returning should help matters somewhat, but I still need all the help I can get. Collagen supplements? What actually helps (if anything)? I'm all ears!

Following for tips. My second is 4 months old and I think I have aged about 25 years in the last 4 months 😂

Sleep, rest, hydration, gentle exercise good & nutrition would do way more than a pot of cream (although SFP and moisturising is a given) if you can build some time for yourself into your day?

I think you need more hydration than retinol now, as it can dry your skin.

I tried to exercise everyday on mat leave (even if was a 15min walk), I used a boots moisturer daily and tried eat better (inbetween the donuts and cookies).

I do think I looked better with DC2 than DC1, slightly better sleeper but I think getting out doors helped a lot

Retinoids/ retinols will not take away the look of being tired, sadly. They are incredible in terms of their ability to reduce pigmentation and lines but they will not make you necessarily look less tired. As others have mentioned, sleep, hydration & diet & exercise (you already know all this) are key. However, I wonder whether a quick facial might help make you feel better? Microdermabrasion or hydrafacials take 60-90 minutes and they make my skin glow. You might even get some shut-eye while you have it done!

Thanks @MarieBiancaPMU -this is promising, re the retinoids reducing lines! Yes I do realise sleep and everything will help me with the looking tired - I suppose what l meant to say is that through the whole second baby thing, I’ve had so little time that there have been many nights where I didn’t put any kind of cream on, so I feel my wrinkles have worsened and I have aged 25 years as a pp said (solidarity @Tisfortired !) Do I need to wait to stop breastfeeding to use them? And I love the of a facial. I think I can escape for one at this point!

I wouldn't worry about the fact you haven't put creams on :-) Lines can be due to dehydration and stress. It is not possible to get wrinkled in just a few months. Once this very challenging phase is over, your skin will soften and you will feel better. The one thing I would always do, though, is wear SPF. I use Heliocare Advanced Gel SPF 50 and I find it really soothing on my skin. It is oil free. If I'm feeling really tired and wake up drained of colour, I get a facewasher, soak it in fairly warm water, and hold it over my face to steam the skin and it really works wonders. It's like a mini facial because it gets the blood & lymph flowing in your face. It's also cheap and doesn't harm the environment! Then I apply the SPF. Re the retinoids/ retinols - they should not be used during pregnancy/ breastfeeding. But if in future you're interested, there's a company called Dermatica (check them out on Instagram) who do prescription-strength retinoid and it works wonders. They are not easy to use because you need to be consistent with them and also due to flaking, dry skin. It is vital to use SPF as they make the skin more photosensitive. But they do work! I'd avoid expensive brands that make great claims.

@MarieBiancaPMU Thank you so much for this! I will be getting out my facewashers! Really appreciate your kind, thoughtful reply 🌷