Skincare advice for 50 plus - haven't really bothered before so not a clue!

[Sheepareawesome]

At the age of 51 I have finally decided it is time to start looking after my skin. Apart from occasional foundation with SPF and daily facewash in the shower,
with moisturiser about one a week when I remember, I don't really do anything. I am pretty low maintenance!! However I would like to start trying a little now but there are so many options I don't know where to start!

I don't want anything that takes too long, as I know I just won't do it. Ages ago my flatmate gave me some Decleor oil which I quite liked but I don't know if this is actually any good? (This was about 30 years ago).

Don't want to spend a fortune but could afford something decent if it works. My skin gets greasy around my nose/glasses but otherwise no issues eg not dry or flaky.

Suggestions please! Thank you

Oops! Didn't mean to post twice then.

Botox is great if it works for you, but I would never consider that. Firstly I don't mind the lines so no point and secondly injecting my face with poison doesn't really appeal for some reason!! I think I'll try the moisturiser instead!

I like a cream/balm cleanser with a warm flannel, as you get the added benefits of massaging the cleanser into your skin, and then some gentle exfoliation from the flannel, as well as the warmth opening pores to get more gunk out. Like PP I've got a stack of cotton flannels under the sink - use morning and night, then chuck in a basket for washing.

I'd go steady with anything that claims to have active ingredients like Vitamin C or retinols - they can be quite irritating if your skin isn't used to them. No7 does a good overnight retinol but you have to start slowly, using a couple of times a week, and make sure you're wearing SPF during the day. It sounds as if your skin's pretty happy as it is, to be honest - no point bombarding it with a lot of startling new chemicals that might make it freak out. I'd stick to something simple and nourishing at night (M&S's Formula Ultimate Sleep Cream is brilliant), and a moisturiser with SPF for day. Then see how much more you can be bothered to add...

Ah, so you’re a bit blotchy and HA made your face pink? You might have a touch of rosacea. In which case you need to very very gentle with your skin now and yes start with a hypo allergenic SPF every day. La Roche Posay would be ideal. Your skin needs a bit of TLC. Cerave is a safe bet or more affordable is the excellent Simple range, that you can ven pick up alongside groceries, usually.

I haven't ever used HA (assume you mean hyaluronic acid). Pretty sure I don't have rosacea.

Maybe using retinol peptides twice a day might be too much then? Oh this is so hard when you don't know what you're doing! Maybe I'll just use it every other night for now to see what happens?

Ok op we get it, knowing how to look after your skin is a bit beneath you.

Fgs, go to Boots and pick something with a pretty label because who knows what your skin is like and what you would like.

Clean, moisturiser and spf, its not rocket science!

also I 100% agree about botox, absolutely no need for expensive anything after a bit of botox!

That's a weird reaction. OP has said she doesn't have knowledge of something that is an absolute minefield and has asked for advice. She's not been interested in the subject previously and now is. No idea what's prompted your snarky reply.

Someone pissed in your moisturiser this morning Horseapples?!?!

Oh how I love MN.

Because its ridiculous to say its a minefield?

Horseapples my love, you do realise that not every other person knows everything you know, right? That's why we ask questions, to expand our knowledge.

Oh gosh.. sorry..it must be somebody else who got a pink face from HA! So what do you think the blotchiness is? It’s not pink? Is it sun damage.. brown ish marks?

I have those and they are tough to keep in top of. If you don’t have reactive skin, don’t flush pink from using actives, then you’re right, you don’t have any rosacea! In other words.. as you were, ignore me, I’ll get me coat!

It is! There are hundreds of products out there claiming all kinds of things.

I’m also surprised at how popular micellar water is as a cleanser, I always feel like it leaves a film on my skin.

My routine is:

Cleanse (a.m. wash-off in the shower or balm cleanser & flannel in the evening)
Exfoliating toner twice a week
Serum (vitamin C in the morning, advanced night repair at night)
Moisturiser (SPF in the morning, night cream at night).

I have been doing this for years now and am really happy with my skin.

Not sure tbh. It just seems paler in some places and darker in others and there are what I think are a couple of brown areas like large freckles, which appeared over last few years. I mean there is some pink bits but mostly pasty beigey bits. Think 'just dug up' look. Not including the huge eye bags of course. Painting a pretty picture here I realise! Don't get your coat, come stay and be blotchy with me!

It's so difficult to find a regimen that works for you. So many products out there claiming all sorts of wondrous results. Also, what works for me, even if we have very similar skin, might not work for you. Start simple. And as I said above, always wear sunscreen.

It was me who got pink with HA. Yes rosacea is definitely a potential problem with my skin.

Yes, I have been remiss with the sunscreen I do realise that!

I had a thread somewhere on here about 6 months ago asking for similar. Some people just dont get it - I basically ignored any response that suggested more than about 4 products, or used terms I didnt understand. Some oeople were brilliant, and really got quite how basic things needed to be.

I've ended up with:
Morning: face cleaner in the shower (improvement from bar soap), and moisturizer with SPF. Both Neutrogena.

Evening: wash face with water.
I think ideally I should be using moisturizer at this point too, but my skin wont take it right now.

So, I think you should make the moisturizer with SPF a daily morning thing, make sure you wash your face at night, and put some moisturizer on after that. Do that for a few weeks/months and adjust after that.

Evening
Wash with Cerave foaming wash or hydrating cleanser
Tretinoin
Vaseline healing cream
Day
Wipe skin with micellar water on pad.
Hyaluronic acid or peptide serum
Altruist SPF 50
Subtle eye liner.
No other makeup.

I have recently overhauled my skin care (58) - I need to keep iy simple so am using this one product in the mornings after a shower - it is a brightening moisturiser, vit c and SPF - it looks and feels great for me.

https://www.boots.com/soltan-protect-and-moisturise-brightening-face-lotion-with-vitamin-c-spf30-50ml-10362382?traffic=paid.shopping&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21319764377&gbraid=0AAAAA-AdmwRvCOtrIrIG_1OP4_zsmuI7D&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_L3El93xjgMVdIhQBh1lDSUtEAQYASABEgIKevD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I am not sure there is any reason to cleanse in the mornings - as you've only been sleeping indoors with a clean face.

I use miscellor water in the evenings (I dont wear makeup) and then a prescription tret from Skin&Me followed by a Liz Earle oil

https://www.lizearle.com/skincare/shop-by-collection/superskin/F33302.html?currencyCode=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=shopping&campaignid=22194563209&adgroupid=182876216548&network=g&device=c&devicemodel=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22194563209&gbraid=0AAAAAD-VnDOhHsmEH5cz17DPZGjmWLCrQ&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1OaboN7xjgMVc4ZQBh1AAgmjEAQYByABEgKXePD_BwE

My skin is looking much better these last few months.

I’m the same. I read about some acid pads on here and i bought them but don’t really know what to do with them. So far I’ve just wiped them across my cleansed face. They feel nice to use but not sure if I’d recommend them yet

If you’re using acid pads (or a Vit C serum, or retinol) make sure you use a moisturiser with SPF or ideally sun screen during the day - skin that’s been treated with any acids is more vulnerable to sun damage.

My skin is quite greasy in the middle so it needs cleansing.

Oh heck, I wonder if maybe I just should use a bog standard cheap moisturiser then! I definitely don't want anything that makes skin sensitive to sun! Why is it so difficult to work out what to do? Everything seems to then impact on something else!

Worryingly, my FB is now full of skincare ads!

I've got to my 50s without being an expert - except that I am not a sun worshipper and have always worn SPF so the worst sun damage has been averted.

I like Superdrug's vitamin E range - I use the hot cloth cleanser and the SPF 15 moisturiser in the winter.

I also like La Roche Posay for summer SPF.

I sometimes buy the odd beauty box which gives me serums and masks etc to try - sometimes I find they don't agree with my skin but I will try them out. But I always go back the cheap and cheerful Superdrug!