Please help my dehydrated, ageing skin

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I am 41 and have in the last 6 months lost weight and now am a much healthier weight with a normal BMI.

My face has changed significantly, from very plump and round to slim and I look so much healthier weight wise. I have had fine lines around my eyes since late 30s and I accept these. My skin looked good I think for my age but in the last month I have noticed it has become more dry and my already thin lips seem to have all but disappeared and I have developed very tiny but there, lines around my mouth. My marionette lines are more noticeable now too.

I have always had hooded upper eyelids and these look much worse too now.

I appreciate I am ageing and the weight loss hasn't helped by removing some of the fat from my face but is there anything I can do to prevent it getting worse?

I have considered botox/fillers (not for my lips) as well as collagen (but know nothing about this) so am open to any advice.

My partner is very much 'you look beautiful and it's normal to age' and I love him for that, but it is making me a little sad when I look in the mirror.

I am trying to drink more as I definitely could improve my hydration.

I am willing to spend some money if I am buying things that are going to help so if anyone can recommend any products or their experience with botox/fillers I would be very grateful.

Thank you in advance.

it sort of depends on budget really. The CACI treatments have some results but you have to do a course of 10/12 treatments over 2 weeks to start you off and then maintain it every 4 weeks. You have the NUFACE machine that has some positive results. And is you wanted to go all out you could go for an ultertherpy treatment that really is amazing.

I look a lot younger than my 52 years (although that's not allowed on MN).

I used Tretinoin (retirides from Spain) every few days (it causes a bit of peeling so I wait for that to stop until I apply more). You have to use a high SPF with it and use it in the evening.

I also use niacinamide serum and vitamin C from The Ordinary (order directly because Amazon has a lot of fake products). It's very good value. These can be used in the morning. The vitamin C really makes your skin glow.

I also do facial exercises sporadically. I couldn't tell you about botox etc because I've never had it....I tend to communicate a lot with facial expressions so it wouldn't work for me.

Definitely drink more water. Loads, every day. Let your skin drink from the inside.

There are zero quick fixes unfortunately! Hooded eyes can be fixed with straight forward day surgery if you have the means, or could start to save for that. Do the research if this option appeals. Other ‘tweakments’ in this fragile area are far less effective (and expensive too). But rejuvenated eyes can have a massive impact on our overall look - they’re the first place we show age/fatigue. Hydration is so important for perky, youthful skin. Be sure to increase water consumption and add lots of colourful fruit and vegetables to your diet. A moisturiser that includes hyaluronic acid, ceramides or glycerin will help plump up your complexion. These everyday ingredients really help. Otherwise, it’s easy to spend a fortune on skincare with little to no results. Too many options and few of them make any medium to longterm impact on your skin whatsoever, even if they smell lovely and feel nice when you apply! My daughters and I (teens, 20s and 60s) all have a monthly subscription to Monderma, who create personalised formulas based on what your skin concerns are - for nighttime application. Dermatica do something similar but I haven’t tried them. Add a simple cleanser, moisturiser and daily SPF to this formula (important when using high strength actives) and you will definitely see improvement. Do be patient! No matter what anyone will tell you, skincare is about consistent use of just a few effective products, good sleep, fresh air, reducing stress as much as possible and a healthy diet.

I've ordered some bits off amazon today, inkey list and cetaphil and am really worried these might be fake!!

Micro current device, hydrating serum, very gentle cleansers, vitamin c, retinol or tretinoin, best SPF 50 you can afford to use plenty of daily. Perhaps peptides.

Biggest difference in my skin is hrt, microcurrent, retinol and vitamin c. Haven't tried tretinoin yet.

Not much to add other than hooded upper eyelids are lovely. Why do you think they look worse?

I've just turned 50 op and similar to you have lost weight and feel it's really showing on my face. I've always had good cheekbones but I feel my eyes do look haggard and I have hooded eyes , I hate them as I like a little cat flick upper eyeliner wing and of course it's harder to do with hoods. I'm so queasy when it comes to eye surgeries though so not sure what to do regarding them.
There has been some great suggestions on here I'm going to take notes

Some things I've always done (it helps that I like them, so it's not a chore) - drink water, eat oily fish, olive oil every day (I have it on steamed vegetables, I know that's not for everyone), use a facial oil every night.

What I'm not so good at, and it's a biggie, is avoiding sugar. The times when I have managed to do this, my skin has been radiant. But as I say, I find this one hard.

Get yourself a glossy box or look fantastic box monthly subscription, that’s a great place to start! 💐

Tretinoin formula pm, vitamin C and SPF am are a complete game changer. If you set up a simple routine, you’ll see a real difference. It does take patience for Tret to show results but will deal with the fine lines etc, the other elements are quicker.
Lots of water, a toner, a moisturiser and SPF that suit you is a great start. Korean skincare is also awesome.
You can add ‘tweakmemts’ but a good routine is a great start.
if you want to go more complex, follow Ashley S Mixon on insta - great routines and recommendations.

if you want to try Dermatica Tret formula- referral link below (£2.90 first month, plus £10 off your next month) -
www.dermatica.co.uk/referrer/4VR5JE

I too have lost weight and noticed a big difference in my face. I'm in my late 50s and although my face is slimmer I've realised that the fat was keeping my skin plumped up and now I'm seeing not only wrinkles but a change in the structure of my face; Underneath my eyes are very crepey and hollow and my cheeks have dropped. Also I have prominent jowels and a turkey neck.

I've addressed these with a new skincare regime of cleansing, vitamin c serum, quality moisturiser with ceramides and hyaluronic acid and tretinoin from Skin and Me. Also have lip fillers - not Russian or anything looking unnatural. I'm considering a brow lift and a little bit of cheek filler too.

As PP have said, definitely get your skincare routine going. It helps massively. There's lots of things you can have done by an aesthetician if you wish to try that route. If you do just make sure they are reputable and use quality products.

Tretinoin is a must-have and gives your skin a 50% boost. A tired/dull complexion is because of slower skin turnover and a buildup of dirt, oil and makeup, not necessarily age. Some 50-60 year olds boast a better skin glow than many in their 30s simply knowing that. Products like Monderma and Skin+Me are excellent £25 choices to address this. Otherwise botox can subtly give your brows a lift. Drink plenty of water and moisturise your skin to stay hydrated both AM and PM.

Thank you everyone.

I Will have a look into these options.

Oh, and prioritise your moisturiser with hyaluronic acid and glyercin in it.

A second rec for Monderma here for general skincare.

Re your upper eyelids, I know a friend who had a bleph (I believe this is what it’s called) minor surgery, and it looks incredible. You can’t see the scarring at all and she’s undeniably more confident.

Which vitamin C btw? And the suspension?

I'm using this one.

May try thanks.

I’ve had to have some treatment (more treatment) for my face as one side looked to me as though it was collapsing through a lot of rapid weight loss. I have Botox every 3 months anyway and a little filler every few years where I feel I need it. Whilst my cheekbones are really pronounced and I now look like I’ve had buchal fat removal it was going a little far in terms of some parts on my face. I had a tiny bit of filler and have tried profhilo structura which I haven’t had before and it’s targeted at the fat pads in the face to give support where it’s lost. I had this almost 2 weeks ago and need another lot in another 2 weeks. Unlike filler it isn’t instant so can’t tell you of the results yet. I think it does take a while for the skin to catch up with the weight loss certainly on the body. I thought I’d gotten away with any adverse effects on my face but clearly not a lot it could’ve been a lot worse and seemed to happen overnight. It might be worth having a consultation with an aesthetics doctor or nurse to see what they recommend. There’s also reviews on various treatments on YouTube from some plastic surgeons which may influence you in terms of what you want to spend your money on or not. Dr Amir Karam may be a decent place to start on YT. You can’t hide your face so research as much as you can before going ahead with anything. As for hooded eyes there’s a few non surgical options but the effects are minimal such as a tiny bit of Botox strategically placed and or filler in the eyebrows. Surgery will give the best results tho

Filler only every few years? That's not bad.

Did you see any benefits from Profhilo Structura?

A little yes, I’ve had 3 lots now as my face continued to decline due to my ongoing malnourishment. There hasn’t been a massive difference but I think if I hadn’t done anything at all I would’ve looked a right mess. If you want quite dramatic results I couldn’t hand on heart say go for it. Filler is prob still my preferred way of support but I can’t have filler anymore due to muscle wastage in my face. If it’s more of a tweak then yes I think it’s good. It does sting though, more painful than filler.

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I did have bog standard Profhilo a couple of years ago - I didn't find that painful at all - and I honestly could not see a benefit BUT I'd changed my hair to a pinky colour at around about same time and I kept getting loads of compliments from people saying how the colour had really freshened me up. I did wonder if actually it was the Profhilo working some magic. Now no one comments on my hair, I had thought of having it again to test my theory but it's an expensive test! So this new one might be worth a try though I suspect a lot more expensive still. Sorry to hear you're having problems. I wish they could come up with a miracle cure for us all.