How to undo all the damage and have nice skin in your late 40's?

[harrietpot]

I am going to be 45 this year and over the past few years my skin and face have aged quite a lot and in the past year it seems to be even worse.

I do and have always liked a drink at weekends, I'm still single and so going out has always been a big part of my social life and in my 20's that often meant hanging out in smoke filled clubs and bars. I was a sun bather into my 30's and that hasn't helped either. Now I am dealing with actual wrinkles, not just fine lines but deeper wrinkles round my eyes and mouth (lips are also thinner) and on my forehead. I have some facial sagging as well and my eye area is quiet bad and I know I will probably need surgery if I want to correct the protruding bags I have. I also have hyperpigmentation, sun spots that no longer fade away in the winter on my forehead and cheeks, I feel it makes my face look dirty. My skin also often looks sallow or even greyish and the texture has changed to so my pores are larger. I am also dealing with increase facial redness, thread veins and small red bumps or spots which I suspect could be rosacea as it seems worse after I've had alcohol.

I always wear full make up and so the past I was able to use a high coverage foundation to hide any skin issues but now I find that higher coverage foundations just settles into my wrinkles, lines, pores and looks awful.

One of friends who is 2 years older than me is still very fresh faced at 47 but she has never drank alcohol, or done any sun bathing and been a skincare devotee since her teens so was always diligent about things like cleansing properly and a using high factor spf daily. Her skin without make up (which she rarely wears) is very smooth, plump, even and clear, I can't see any fine lines on her face at all, not even round her eyes or lips.

Her skincare is pretty basic but she's been doing it since her teens and so its been all about prevention and I think not sunbathing, drinking or hanging out in pubs and clubs with all the second hand smoke is probably the main reason her skin still looks so great. However its too late for me to prevent all the damage I have to my face so I want to know how can I get skin more like her now? How do I undo all the damage?

I'm still dating and feel confident enough with my face on but once the make up comes off I feel really bad about myself. I do have some money to spend on this but no idea where to start with it all. Should I see a private cosmetic dermatologist? Should I go for a consolation at one of these skin clinics? I just don't know!

Can’t comment on procedures which would fall under the ‘plastic surgery’ heading but hydrafacials are a great thing - no downtime and instant results.

I could not recommend skin & me enough.! It’s proper dermatologist prescribing you individual skin care for your needs and sent monthly. It’s completely changed my skin. Have a link to try for £3.50 if you’re interested. https://www.skinandme.com/?promocode=VICTORIP5MUK

just to add because they are actual dermatologists then they can prescribe tretinoin which is prescription only and will really help with skin aging x

Some of it is down to genetics - but I recently went to see a consultant dermatologist and they very kindly and thoroughly explained that no over the counter cream, lotion or potion will turn back the years, only stuff like botox can. However, retinol and vitamin C can help slow down new signs of aging (as well as a good sfp, obviously, especially if you're using retinol).

@Loveskincare2024 So my friend uses tretinoin and has for about 20 + years and so did make me aware of it a few years ago. I really struggle with it even at a low percentage as it makes my skin look so thin and dry and then I panic that its making me look older. I should try again but I've never yet had good results from it.

@NewyearNC I do go for facials and have had a HydraFacial which I loved but then the results wear off pretty quickly in my experience and at least for me there was no lasting improvement. I would have them again but I think I need something more drastic, some kind of resurfacing.

@Trahlalalala Yeah I kind of agree, I think this is why my friend looks so great at 47, she's been using that stuff all along, she used to chide me for not wearing spf and sunbathing and I'd roll my eyes at her but now I wish I'd listened!

There will be things that might help but realistically you can't undo decades of damage unfortunately.

Retinol does not thin the skin, it quickens cell turnover so you get fresher smoother skin. It’s a lobby term thing. Other good things are niacinamide and azelaic acid. The dermatologists (or any) at skin & me look at photos of your skin and you fill in a detailed form and they will prescribe the right stuff to help. It’s either that or Botox. I’m trying skincare first before Botox x

Long term not lobby 😅

Also it’s not too late to use spf. It will help with your skin tone as well as preventing further damage. x

Fraxel can undo sun damage, although you'll have about a week after the treatment when your skin will gradually go darker, then the dark patches will go flaky and then they peel off. It does work though to remove freckles, dark spots and deeper sun-related damage and I can recommend it. It's worth getting into the habit of wearing 30+ SPF every day from now on - even in winter - to prevent further damage.

I had one Hydrafacial in August and it made me look amazing for about a week and then I returned to how I looked before. I see you found the same thing.

It's hard to undo damage, but if you can find a really good cosmetic dermatologist I'd go and have a consultation and see what they say. I'm not talking about a beautician who's had an hour's training, I mean a really good, professional clinic with medically trained personnel.

Also with tret you need to start off low dose & add a layer of moisturiser first, this will stop you getting flaky skin x

Please @Loveskincare2024 would you stop ending your posts with an x

@Theemptydollshouse gosh I’m very sorry for bothering you

@cheezncrackers I do think I need something like this to give me a decent base again or at least some improvement.

I will start with the spf now and look again at the retin a although I think i need to see someone about the laser as I believe its better to do that in the winter months so perhaps i need to see about that first.

Just thinking, in terms of makeup, check out eborian cc cream ( the green one). It’s a lovely formula for older skin and the green one helps cover redness. The consistency is really nice & light and not at all cakey. They also do nice primers to help with pores (I like the blue and pink one). There’s also a great serum I use from beautypie called Japan fusion, I add over my moisturiser, just before makeup and it makes my skin dewy.

Sorry you are feeling like this, another thing to add is I bet no one has noticed the things you do. We all tend to focus on our imperfections and other people just don’t - I certainly don’t go around looking at peoples wrinkles.

For the pigmentation I really recommend REN overnight glow dark spot sleeping cream.
I’m amazed at how it has faded some of my dark spots. In a short period of time too.
The whole range looks good. I’d like to try the toner too which apparently speeds up cell renewal.

too add eborian do cc creams for different skin tones. The green one is good for redness and light skinned.

I so would have stuck an x on the end of that 😂

On you tube, there is a woman in her 60s who has improved her skin over the last 10 years to get rid of sun damage .. she has just done a video on this ..

Can’t link but channel called hot and flashy ..

Nothing helpful to add OP as am pretty much in the same boat but grateful for the thread, am taking notes!

@Loveskincare2024 and @solsticelove Thanks for those recommendations I will certainly check them out!

@Queenonfleek I have seen her channel but she seems to do so much I have no idea where to begin!

I’m dyslexic so very conscious that my writing is generally awful! I’ve had comments my whole life, one develops a thick skin with these things 😊

Following with interest!

@SomethingSpangly Not fun is it? It feels like one day you are getting away with it all and the next its all gone to pot!