Face aged really quick over the last year. What is this?

[localnotail]

Hi, I was always quite lucky with my appearance and never felt like I have to worry about aging. Genes, I guess? however, over the last year I noticed that I really started to look like an old woman. I'm 50.. so not that young - but also, not that massively old. So why I suddenly look like this?... My face looks heavy, eyes look small, face looks big. All droopy, lined, jowly. WHF is this..? Any shared experience would be welcome.

I agree about aging in spurts, I hit menopause and then my DD died at the same time and I aged ever such a lot over a few months. I really had looked a lot younger than my years till then. People do still think I’m younger by a little but if you look at pictures the difference is very noticeable.

Yes, but the non-surgical treatments are lower risk. I looked up the risk of a surgical facelifts and there is a one in thirty chance of nerve damage to the face which may be irreversible. The nerve damage basically gives you a facial disfigurement which causes you face to droop in the area of damage, like you would see in a Stroke victim.

That's really high risk.

To add to this, my mum always looked incredibly young - people used to assume 20s until she was in her late forties. Then she went through the menopause about 50, and aged loads. I've also seen it happen to other women. I think it's hormonal, loosing the estrogen etc

Apparently HRT can help keep you looking younger, according to studies

I do a lot of exercise and eat ok, try to get outdoors, good skincare religiously, as well as the Botox.

i think I look well rather than young, and it hides the stress inside!

@againstthestorm I think you'd have to do a ton of research and most people who have one need to have further surgery to maintain results at some point, I am not sure what the impact of cutting though layers of tissue on the face is for how you age going forward from the surgery.

Can you post this link? I’ve had a look but can’t find these statistics, thanks.

Same, I'm 44. I've always looked young for my age up until the last year or so. Now there's just an old woman looking back at me in the mirror! My daughter even bought me anti aging skincare for mothers day 😂

I agree with this.

I'm 52 this week and have definitely noticed a change in my face. Eye wrinkles and jaw is a teeny bit different. I'm a few years post menopausal. Neck is ok and the rest of me (still have soft skin elsewhere) but face is definitely changing 😢.

Me too!
Turned 50 last year and my skin seems to be separating from the underlying bones and making a bid for freedom via my belly button.
I'm basically just very baggy now, like I've shed myself, snake skin fashion, but I'm still in here inhabiting the crumpled casing.
There's no topical solution that could hoik any of it up at this point, it's got a taste of liberation and it's going for it...
Having trouble adjusting to the fact it'll only get worse!!!

Am 49 and peri so the estrogen is, I guess, still there. I look pretty OK wrinkle-wise as I've SPF-ed almost my entire adult life. I have started face yoga recently as I've noticed that thing about looking OLD sometimes. I really like it. I definitely think I look better - not 35 - but like a human-looking late 40s.

Not sure it'll see off the menopause proper but for 10 mins here and there, it's got to be worth it.

This is the age that we see the changes and hrt does help as helps gets hormones up. Make the best of what you have and think people age if they lose too much weight. Also less make up is more as we age and don't be so hard on yourself as we all seem to focus on one thing and get obsessed with it. Bet you look lovely.

Definitely! Went from someone who always looked young for my age to someone with hollow eyes and jowls which run in the family.

I went down the route of injectibles and the results have been amazing.

@Merrilydancing - does it work by lifting the cheek to decrease jowls? I think this is the thing that will really age me. Do you worry about injecting stuff into yourself?

Hormones. Suddenly I’d aged overnight for no reason. My hair had thinned even though it had always been thick; my skin looked coarser; my eyes seemed more hooded and crepey no matter what I did.

It was perimenopause. I started HRT and look far more like myself now. I also feel much better, and I think that makes a difference too.

I have found that it takes more effort now. If I’m tired, it shows more on my face, particularly my eyes, and I’ve had to upgrade some of my products and cosmetics.

I recommend Eva Fraser if you want to try some facial exercise. My mum did them years ago and I could see the difference in a few weeks (she was a bit jowly and ‘droopy’).

How weird. I’m in my early 60s and recently had very strong cravings for cottage cheese with pineapple. In fact just had it for lunch with chips and salad!

I had a vegan and 2 x vegetarian friends and maybe the lack of protein took its toll with two of them.

I think alcohol and sugar is ok in small doses (I would say that though) and think an overly punitive approach to diet is VERY ageing, both in mind and body. 25 years ago, due to serious illness, drinking and smoking I looked pretty terrible 😔 .

I’m in my early 60s and people always think I’m younger, 10 years younger a woman told me last week. I myself find it hard to tell and honestly think I look about 80 in the mornings - before a bath and make up. I also have health issues which mean I rest a fair bit. I don’t smoke anymore, but I have a glass of wine every day and sugar in my tea.

Also just started weight training and I’m a convert. I see what I’ve been missing. It can also help a lot with balance and stamina.

I’m intrigued by collagen supplements. Personally I don’t believe in botox, fillers etc. It’s like starting the embalming process when you’re still alive 😂 and sometimes I think that’s what it looks like.

@BreatheAndFocus I notice my hair is thinner and that’s a tricky one, I’ve found there is very little I can do on a day to day basis.

@LoggyLeggend To be fair to veggies and vegan (I'm veggie) its usually easy to get plenty of protein on a plant based diet but you just need to be a bit more organised. I do eat dairy and eggs so it is easier again for lacto-ovo vegetarians. There is also some evidence that to much protein isn't great, the high amount of amino acid methionine in red meat is thought to accelerate ageing for example. On the other hand you do need protein as you age to maintain your muscle mass and other research shows red meat and dairy may protect against certain cancers so its all about a balance.

I do think lots of vegetarians who rely on ready meals can be deficient in things though but perhaps that could be said for anyone who eats too much of that kind of thing.

I think with a good diet and the weight training you are on to a winner and a little of what you fancy isn't a bad thing either!

This is so well described! Baggy all over describes me at 52.

Will Google facial exercise and yoga!

I've been having caci facials- in fact, even just the eye revives are good - it's definitely made a difference, and you can feel it.

Also take liquid collagen (although keep going through periods of forgetting) - not sure if it's helped my skin but I'm definitely seeing new hair growth so might help with thinning hair.

@Corksoles yes the injections go into the cheekbone to lift them up.

I had always been wary about Botox/injectables until I was recommended to a dr who is performing this which gives me a lot of comfort. If it wasn’t someone medically qualified I wouldn’t go near.

It’s always good to see another viewpoint, and I concur. I’m in my early 60s and finding ageing a little bit fascinating anyway. In my 50s I don’t think I looked that much different from my 40s (though perhaps I was just blind to it!). However by late 50s I started to notice and I think certainly by my mid 50s I was starting to struggle as to what to do with some aspects of my appearance eg what to do with my greying hair and some hair appointments were tense, and still are!

Perhaps it’s also the period of transformation that is tricky? You’re in between later middle age and the beginning of older age and finding where you fit can be a little confusing.

There are things I miss occasionally of course. But there are or can be compensations eg. time for yourself and other things, hopefully with less distractions. I also think there are beautiful women in their 70s and 80s (admittedly some down to genes). Sometimes presence and style come into it. Also you meet an authentic personality I always find them attractive somehow; they can be far more compelling and interesting than a bland, wrinkle-less face belonging to a duller person. Finally, some attractive people are not nice people; a relative of mind is well groomed and looks younger I guess, but what is under the bonnet is not so pleasant. And vice versa, occasionally some plain people who just exude pleasantness and calm. Most of us on this board I guess want the outside to look as good as we reasonably can, but it’s true that it really is the inside that counts. ( In an ideal world some kind of match or congruence between the two? )

Gosh, I hope I didn’t come across all Pollyanna-ish, not my intention, just trying to look a bit deeper and find some balance 💓✍️

Alcohol will catch up with you very quickly at a certain point. Running, also (though all the MN runners will deny "runner's face" is a thing).

Sorry, I can’t. It was about a year ago and I really can’t remember. It was on the ‘patient information page’ of a hospital offering face lifts though, so it was where they were communicating the risks for patients considering this. I then found a further site in case studies of people this had happened to, with photos and it put me right off.