Looking older than my age

[stargir]

Age 53 with nasolabial folds and dryish skin. I have never really worn much make up and have been using a tiny amount of Bourgois gel foundation to even out my skin tone along with Olay retinol 24 night cream and Olay regenerist day cream. I have tried all sorts of moisturisers and foundations but I am feeling really low with how old I look and wondered if anyone could recommend some sort of tinted moisturiser or other product that could give me a bit of glow, I was on the point of ordering some trinny London BFF de-stress cream but that has mixed reviews and I can’t afford to waste money. I hate thick make up and would never consider fillers or Botox as I have a fear of needles and don’t have tons of money to spend on beauty. I do wonder if years of running have caused the sagging of my skin so know I mainly do cycling and gym classes. Any suggestions?

Prescription Tret. Retinol is useless. Takes 10 years off. I get it very cheap overseas but you can get it from Skin and Me or Dermatica.

I’m not making light of your concerns but I bet you don’t look as bad as you think you do. I think once we hit our 50’s it’s a bit of a shock 😁 we suddenly don’t look how we use to and our faces start to change shape, but if you look at other women our age, you’ll see that the majority are all going through the same.

However, nothing wrong with wanting to make the best of what we have and as PP has already suggested, Tret is a good start but won’t get rid off the heavy lines, but sounds like you need to really up the moisturiser too before you start the tret as its very drying. I use Cerave which certainly helps to keep the dryness at bay. I also use a small amount of tanning drops to give me a bit of colour and I’ve recently purchased an origins spf which is tinted and gives a nice glow without the caked foundation look.

Dry skin will respond well to a consistent routine. I use cheap products, a vit C serum (brightens) and a hyralouric acid serum (helps trap in moisture) both under £5 from B&M. Then whatever moisturiser I fancy, I tend to swap around a little. Nivea Q10 is nice as is Aldi caviar day cream. Both cheap. I then use a tiny amount of coconut oil to seal it all in and I think this helps fill in my lines a little too. The only dramatic improvement for the folds are filler in your cheeks or threads to lift the sagging skin back into position unfortunately. But modest improvements can come from using a home RF device (around £300 initial outlay) or from sleeping with silicon patches over the folds, pulling them out and sticking the patch on top iyswim.

Agree with @Lentilweaver …prescription skincare will definitely improve your skin and isn’t expensive on a monthly subscription basis compared to trying lots of other ineffective, money wasting products. Trust me, I’m in my 60s and have been there. I’ve been using a custom formula from Monderma (Tretinoin and Niacinamide) with great results. Be patient as your skin can take time to get used to these powerful active ingredients. Apply once a day at night to cleansed skin and follow with moisturiser a little later as necessary. It speeds up
skin renewal and will get rid of that dull, dead layer of skin that’s the reason for your lack of skin glow. For a great daytime product, I recommend Trinny London BFF cream; a lightly tinted, lightweight cream with SPF30 that enhances glow whilst protecting skin (really important to do so daily when moving to active, high strength ingredients). Good luck.

Oh yes Tret doesnt help with sagging. I have just embraced mine. It's also a very long game. May take months to see results. I am happy with it though.

My skin care bill is less than £25 a year. All I use is Tret plus sunscreen plus any ordinary moisturiser. Stopped wearing foundation too.

Lentilweaver, do you buy it in person overseas or are there sites where it can be ordered from?

I get it from friends in India who buy OTC. If you have any Indian colleagues it is easily and cheaply available. I would advise seeing a dermatologist first though. Not suitable for everyone.

I looked into getting it from Spain, but I don’t trust the websites. I went to pay with my debit card, then it said it would only accept bank transfers. I cancelled my card. I know some are happy to pay this way,but I’m not risking it. I certawould not use websites in India. If you’re fortunate to have friends in these countries, then that is the answer. It does irk me that Tretinoin is so cheap otc in Europe, but costs £24.99 for subscriptions in the U.K. High time it was available otc in the U.K. It’s been tried and tested for years. It would certainly put these firms out of business! No GP will prescribe it for anti ageing purposes!

I’m going to mention it because no one else has yet, but do you drink plenty of water? That can make a big difference, hydrate from the inside.

I would recommend something along the lines of:

1. La Roche Posay tinted spf50 for a healthy glow and protection
2. Monderma custom formula with tretinoin to clear age spots and brighten
3. Q&A hyaluronic moisturiser to firm skin

Tretinoinworld sells it online but requires a transfer. I wouldn't but I've seen others on Reddit get it from them.

No makeup.

I use tretoin.

Do you look old for 53 or are you comparing yourself to women who have had Botox & fillers?

Amazing!

I don't wear makeup very often, last time was maybe two months ago. Before forking out on something expensive try elf Halo Glow. It's about £12 I think and just makes you look super healthy. If you then want to tackle the underlying reason your skin is a bit meh, then these ladies have provided some great things to try. I just use hyaluronic acid and retinol that I get from Amazon and bog standard less than a fiver moistureizer. I do have a tiny bit of filler in marionette and nasolabial lines for transparency not that you know me!

Is that real? Odd picture. Duck pouting clearly not just for the gen z's if it is !

I would definitely agree with others-tretinoin is a game changer for your skin. Don't waste time on retinol. I've been using tretinoin for about 10 years (and spf 50 daily) and it makes my skin really glow. It's very irritant though and I layer lovely Korean toners and moisturisers each morning which give a real bounce to my skin. Would recommend it. I get mine from Dermatica.

Have you tried stepping back from the mirror? If you go back about 2 steps and you'll see yourself as others see you.

I agree with trying Tretonin, I get mine from Dermatica.

Sorry to jump in op but re dermatica, in finding it very opaque as to what you get for your budget .it wants me to sign up before telling me what I'm ordering.

@Phase2 Dermatica is the same price no matter what prescription they recommend. It's £24.99 per month or you can drop it back to every. 2 months if you like. They email you to ask if you agree with what they recommend so you will know what you're getting.
I agree it's a bit of a faff but it's a 'prescription' dermatology service so you can't really click to add prescription items like tretinoin, hydroquinone, antibiotics etc without a dermatologist or pharmacist reviewing your skin. However even saying that you'll get what you want if you query it when they email you with your prescription.

If you want something that gives your skin a nice glow I recommend Origins Vitazing. It's a lovely tinted moisturiser.

Thank you, I was expecting to see something like what type of products/routine etc like is it cleanser, toner, serum or just one prescription treatment - I feel like I'm committing before I see what they suggest

What jumped out at me was that you said your skin was dry....so thats a clear call that like lots of us getting older, you need to reframe the matte make up look of the 2000s as the standard for beauty, and embrace the need for luminosity. Glow and a more natural look will instantly make you look better and younger (I acknowledge the two are different and not necessarily the same!) You need to hydrate from within (drink water), add moisture through your skincare, and then add some glow with some simple make up products - maybe a tinted sunscreen, or maybe a light hydrating foundation - there are so many lovely products formulated for mature skin at every price point. I would also add, one commonly overlooked tip is to remember to add some colour to 'lift' your complexion - not powders, but some nice cream blush that you tap on and blend easily with your fingertips. Its easy with minimal practice and makes a huge difference....and bets of all, you wont look too heavily made up, just fresher and glowier :)

This is a super weird thing to do, the OP didn't ask for people to post selfies of them also looking older than they are and pouting like a 19 year old on Instagram.