Do you really need to moisturise?

[FriedEggOnMyFace]

I stopped using any kind of moisturiser on my face years ago. I used to have oily skin and I found it makes my face look more greasy. Now I've started worrying though that my skin will age and get wrinkles faster. I'm reading conflicting information online about whether a moisturiser is necessary at all or of it could even cause more harm than good.

I'm 45 and my skin definitely looks dull and not that tight anymore. I tried using a night cream for a few days but it made my skin break out.

I've read that the only thing that helps with wrinkles are prescription creams with retinoid, ie vitamin A. Do I need that or which moisturiser do you recommend?

Do I need anything else? I don't wear sunscreen either. Somehow I can't imagine it's necessary in the UK (though I religiously apply it on the kids) and I work from home anyway so don't spend much time outdoors anyway during the week.

Sorry, this sounds like an idiotic question but I'm just wondering if a few years down the line I'll be kicking myself for not doing something as simple as moisturizing. Do I really need to?

I’ve never used moisturiser either. The reason is simple. My face feels nice and confortable like this. As soon as I start using some moisturising cream, my skin feels tight and uncomfortable 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

im 50+yo and until about 10 years ago, people were often commenting I looked much younger (not anymore. I developed a chronic illness and look unwell with massive dark rings under my eyes….).

I would not say that I looked good because of using it not using face cream. But rather genetics have a lot to do with it. My parents still look younger than their age and they are close to 80yo. So pure luck there.

Btw I wouldn’t use a facet cream with spf in the U.K.

we hardly have enough sun to get our vitamin D, let alone if you use suncream all the time.

It's still recommended even in the UK to use spf

I thought I could get a moisturizer with retinol. Also, from everything I have read the only consensus is that yes, retinol does help. I'm trying to reduce the amount of effort it requires because otherwise I won't do it. So if I have to apply two products I probably wouldn't. I know it sounds silly. I've got ADHD so sometimes building good habits is ridiculously hard for me.

Even for Asian skin? And on cloudy days or in winter?

On the other hand it might just be easier to take a vitamin d supplement and slap on sunscreen anyway every day if I need it or not. It's just again the effort and also most of them make my skin break out.

I'm 63. People are usually surprised. My nearest and dearest say I pass for 54/55.

Having a good life helps. Struggle and poor nutrition show most in the face.

@FriedEggOnMyFace try a tinted moisturiser for day time - that will come with an spf and yes you do need the spf.

Personally, I don't think day/night creams matter as long as, if needed, you have something you are happy with. If you are reading peer reviewed papers about this, check if they are sponsored.

I'm currently using some No7 face cream on my heels. It expired about three years ago because I forgot to use it. I have some Estee day cream which came as a free gift. Improbably remember to use that twice a week because it's really nice.

I have never had time to faff with body lotion.

Good luck. Smiling and good teeth are as important fkr aging well!

OP, I also find most moisturisers make my skin break out - I have oily/combination skin. It also leaves my skin feeling very greasy. In winter my skin does get a bit drier so I use cerave day moisturiser sparingly - it’s non comedogenic so doesn’t block pores and cause break outs. I use it at night rather than in the morning. I use their face wash too. I wear la Roche posay spf in the summer which again is non comedogenic and feels light/non greasy.

if you feel like your skin looks dull, you could try a lactic acid - it’s a gentle acid that just kind of makes my skin glow a bit more - I use it once a week. You leave it on for a short time at first and then can put it on for longer as your skin adjusts. I get mine from Bravura, it smells like rosewood.

yes, decades. I was still being mistaken for a teen in my thirties, ( to the point where it caused problems if I invigilated exams 😂because other invigilators who didn't know me assumed I was a candidate)

and am still now regularly taken for in my 40s now in my 60s, and am well used to the shock and disbelief whenever I mention retirement.

I do think water must be a massive thing, as it hydrates you from the inside instead of just applying things to your face.
I had a facial and the woman told me to drink at least 2 litres of water a day, cleanse my face and use vitamin C serum then apply sunscreen. Told me I don’t need day/night moisturiser, eye creams etc. Sunscreen is the best thing for your face apparently and that vitamin C helps the skin to absorb the sunscreen better.
I’m going to give this a go and take multivitamins to ensure I’m getting everything I need (I’ve already switched to a healthier diet) and see if it helps, although I’m probably past the stage of these things helping as I should’ve used them as a preventative measure. Now I have the lines, there’s probably not much I can do about it, other than preventing more from coming as quickly as they have.

I thought genes played a huge part, but my mum and dad have never looked their age. Dad is 75, but looks about 60 and mum is early 60s but looks late 50s and has smoked since she was 11, but I’m pretty sure I have more forehead lines than she does and I’m early 30s! You’d think they would’ve passed on the youthful genes, unless today is when I find out they’re not my actual parents 😂

Thanks for sharing. That sounds like a lot of work. Please do let me know if you notice a difference!! (And which products you are using...).

My mum is late seventies and definitely looks about twenty years younger. I think for as long as I remember she has used a moisturiser at least once a day but nothing else. She eats much healthier than me as well.

My dad has never used a moisturiser and now in his 80s his face is very wrinkled though I do think he looks much younger but that's probably bias.

In the U.K., About 80% of people from Asian descent are deficient in vitamin D @FriedEggOnMyFace

Regardless of the face cream issue, I’d consider taking vitamin D. You can have your level tested cheaply (about £30).

By who?

Yes, I've had my levels tested and I'm quite significantly deficient. I really need to take a bit d supplement but again, it's just something I struggle to do.

OP please don't wear SPF in the winter, especially if you have darker skin. This may not be the consensus on here, but it is the predominant view among medics. Medical guidelines say you should actively seek the sun (without SPF) when UV levels are below 3 and only use protection at 3 or higher. In the UK there are months when the UV never gets this high. If you are not going out until late afternoon then you are safe without SPF for much of the year. And bear in mind that this advice is for a population that includes people with much paler skin that yourself. If your lifestyle is as you describe, I'd suggest you ask your GP to test you for vitamin d deficiency.

If you are looking for a useful resource that brings lots of research together, vitamindwiki is a handy starting point. https://vitamindwiki.com/Health+Problems+and+D
It has summaries of the evidence on sunshine and disease, plus calculators to figure out how long you should spend in the sun, based on your skin tone and time of year.

I second what other posters such as @JaninaDuszejko are saying about systemic factors having a much bigger impact on your appearance than skin creams. This doesn't mean avoiding all interventions that are purely cosmetic. But doing something that harms your health in order to try to look better (like totally avoiding the sun) will probably be counterproductive in the end.

If the idea is to protect your skin looking ‘old’, eat well. Eat plenty of vegetables, nuts etc…. Drink plenty.
Consider bone broth (for the collagen).

re the efficacy of face cream. Research seems to think it’s all a marketing ploy…. From research paper

Conclusion: It can be suggested that, in the case of retinols, the "positive" trials should not inform clinical decision-making but rather may serve as tools for advertising. Until at least one high-quality clinical trial of retinol-containing products in the treatment of (photo-)aged skin is published, there is very little, if any, trustworthy evidence available to support the use of over-the-counter cosmetic retinol-containing products to improve the appearance of aged skin.

Link for those who want to read it.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34980969/

Not sure about decades but my dad easily looks 15 years younger
That's not recommending his routine as I've seen him wash his face with fairy liquid so I'm just hoping for his genes
He also has never used floss, interdental brushes or an electric toothbrush and doesn't have a single filling which frankly is rude

Haha @ your dad washing his face with fairy liquid!! Sounds so much like my dad!!

Yes in spring and summer maybe. In autumn/winter we are often hardly outdoors anyway and there is often 1 hour or less of sun- if you do an outdoor job on the other hand then you might need it year round.

I think the jury is out on it for autumn and winter but I'd rather take the very tiny risk of cancer from being outside maybe one hour a day or less in autumn/winter and wearing ordinary moisturiser and think there is a greater risk of not having enough Vitamin D.

@CeeChynaa Well you learn something new every day. I had no idea black people needed to moisturise more. I always assumed you would need less moisture because of your skin being more resistant to the sun. Very interesting.

How do you know it makes a difference if you've always done it since you were 12? Unless you only moisturised one half of your face for decades and compared the 2, surely you have no idea how your face would be if you never moisturised 🤔

As you have low Vit D and Indian skin I really don’t think you should be using SPF in the UK, except in high summer. Indian skin will generally age less quickly than white anyway.

Moisturisers (by themselves, without spf or retinol) don’t have any long term effect, they only change your skin appearance while you are wearing them. So try some moisturisers and see if you feel your skin looks better for it? You can often pick up small samples at chemists if you want to try a range.

Personally I have oily/combination skin - zero dryness or tightness- and I find a tinted moisturiser does make me look better but that’s due to the tint. A plain moisturiser does nothing for me, except making me a bit shinier. I don’t moisturise my body either, don’t need to, except if I have tanned or shaved and that’s caused temporary dryness.

I think a lot of the responses above are knee jerk without reading what you’ve said about your particular skin!

Just applied moisturiser after washing my face. Just something I had at home in my bathroom cabinet called no 7. I seem to have both the day and night version. It's been there for years so no idea if it's gone off. I've got no idea what's in it because I don't have the outer packaging anymore. Anyway, it feels all right. Felt a bit wet at first but it smells nice. I'm still not xonvinced it's needed but it felt a bit like doing something for myself. Just hope it won't make my skin break out.

I also found a tub of something called ReVitalift? Is that any good?

Could you try habit linking? Would that work for you?
EX: Brushing your teeth plus moisturiser?

So you add on a new habit you want to instill on the end of an existing habit.

Honestly 49 and not a single wrinkle? Wow! Could you post a photo? Pretty please, it's just that I'm not much younger and I'm dying to see a wrinkle free 49 yo, besides it's so interesting to compare one's self with contemporaries

I don't see why no wrinkles at 49 is impossible. I'm 48 and one tiny wrinkle.
Skin is drier but still not at level of needing moisturiser.

Good genes, no smoking, not a lot of sun damage, bit fat = minimal wrinkles