Aesthetics... What would you get done?

[Tropicalturnip]

I'm pushing 40 and have some hang ups about my appearance, particularly my face, tired eyes / massive bags, beginnings of lines and wrinkles. Also, loads of long spidery hairs on and under my chin!

I know there's so many aesthetics to be done out there, but I'm clueless. I want to invest in maybe one or two things, my thoughts are maybe...

Under eye fillers?
Laser hair removal?
Weird facial peel things?
I'm not keen on Botox or lip fillers etc, but what else might I want to look at to help me feel a bit better about myself? That actual works and isn't just pissing money away?

For context just starting to get my life and self back a bit now kids are both nearly school age and the absolutely relentless toddler years nearly behind me 😂

I'm hung up about my body too but I know I can sort that with diet and exercise. My face not so much!

I'm 47 and ust living with it tbh, no particular reason for me to look younger. The one thing I might consider one day is fillers around the lip, bc I do have a vanishingly thin upper lip and I can imagine if one of my kids were getting married or something big like that it might be a goer. It's discreet and natural looking and would stop my lip being invisible as it probably will be in 10+ years' time!

I've taken the plunge this year and am getting my teeth straightened, Invisalign treatment.

Other than that I'd probably go for lip fillers but not overly important or feel that it's necessary

It depends on what you are wanting to achieve and available budget. An example would be OBAGI nu derm system. This costs high hundreds and 3 months of commitment with a period of looking quite rough, but the results are like nothing else. This will completely change your skin, remove virtually all sun damage and blemishes along with fine lines and wrinkles. There is also a great treatment called a Photo fabulous facial (or variations on this). This is around £400 but amazing results on renewal of skin and removal of sun damage. Carefully placed botox and subtle lip fillers can look great, but it's very easy to get a fake, frozen look or filler migration if you don't use somebody skilled with a more mature face (I know you are still young!). It's all about good skin and not trying to look younger at the moment, and there are some great treatments available.

I’ve had CO2 laser, ouch but worth it.
Two years later had LazeMD laser x3
I thread and tint brown/lashes
Get a 12 week blowdry in the summer.
Use cheap cleanser and moisturiser but an expensive serum.
I wouldn’t get filler, I tried Botox but it only lasted 12 weeks so I’m
going to maybe get it for the summer only also.
Nice haircut/ colour I don’t spend a fortune on mine but I do use good shampoo & serums.
Wear colours that suit you.

Best to look after yourself as well as possible without getting anything injected - natural faces look younger, even with lines, and especially if you are healthy and happy. I know not everyone agrees with this.

What was the laser for? Hair removal? Sorry I haven't heard of those!

My budget isn't huge, I would probably spend a few hundred for something worth it, but definitely not into the thousands.

The OBAGI thing is also on my list of things to Google next!

@Tropicalturnip

The Nu Derm system is fantastic. Not for the faint hearted, and it's expensive so you must commit yourself to the few weeks where you look like your face is falling off, but stick with it. It is 100% worth it 3 months down the line. You will have to be very careful with sun protection though. The Obagi Clear alongside the Obagi 15% Vitam C serum are excellent after any sort of "expensive" facial involving IPL or lasers (after the initial healing stages are completed). I'm all about good skin nowadays because I've found as I've gotten older, the more makeup I wear the older I look!

The CO2 and laseMD are skin treatments possibly similar to Nu Derm. Do the neck too if you can afford it I’m so happy with my results. I have threading done once a month for facial hair, I has laser but the hair wasn’t very dark so I didn’t have a good result.

@Echobelly (great name- love the band) - go for it. I had nearly invisible lips that looked like a slash if I wore lipstick. I'm so glad I got fillers - I just wanted to look like a normal person who could wear lipstick when I got dressed up for a night out. I wish I'd done it earlier. I had it done in 2018 and it seems to have stayed forever.

You could consider a home IPL machine for your chin hairs, depending on your hair colour and skin colour. You can then use it on other body parts as well if you wish, so it would probably be a better investment financially than getting laser. I have a home IPL machine and I love it.

If money was no object I would get a facelift. Years of stress, illness, pain and grief show on my face. I'd love to have a facelift as a reset and a new start. I would consider botox, but I have stress/sagging rather than lines, and I wouldn't want filler as I believe it migrates within the body, and I'd rather not get into all that.
I'm also interested in semi-permanent makeup. It would be freeing to wake up in the morning and have some eyeliner and lip colour already in place. I feel it's too risky though. Getting undesirable results could be very costly and difficult to get removed, so I haven't had it done. I'm definitely open to the idea though.

You can get similar products much cheaper than Obagi or other expensive brands - looks for active ingredients like tretinoin, hydroquinone, niacinamide.

If you check out Dermatica or Skin&Me they do monthly subscriptions that are about £20 or so and they will formulate a treatment cream for you.