WTF is going on with my face?

[Aroundtheworldinaday]

I’m 52, menopausal (on HRT). I’ve always had good skin, but this past 12 months I seem to have lost ALL the elasticity.
I look back on photos from 12/18 months ago and I look so much better.
I’ve tried collagen powder, cheap creams, expensive creams, serums, retinol and vitamins. Not sure they’re doing much, well, clearly they’re not doing much.

I don’t smoke, I drink when out with friends / family. I know I don’t drink enough water, something I’m trying to alter.

I am this holds fingers together close to getting some work done. I don’t want a glass like forehead, I want to still recognise myself, i definitely need to be able to frown and move my face, but I’d like it to look fresher.
I’m thinking profhilo - anyone else had it?, would Botox be better. I don’t want to look ‘overdone’

I never thought I would be bothered about getting older, the changes in my body etc , but I genuinely hate the way I look at the min.
I exercise, I eat well, but can’t seem to find anything to make my face look knackered!

No clue but watching this thread!

Prescription Tret has helped me greatly for glow and texture.
Doesn't help with sagging. Decided to live with that.

Not heard of this, if it’s not too personal, how did you qualify for a prescription?

Try Renew and Me (online and very easy). which is specific for women of our age. I use the full strength tret but although it helps it's not the holy grail sadly. I think "work" is the only option..

I began using it as prescribed by a dermat for adult acne. I now get it from overseas tbh. But you can also get it from Skin and Me or Dermatica. Numerous threads on this if you search.
Doesnt suit everybody and it's a long game.

Have you lost any weight? I'm the same, lost a little bit of weight over the last 6 months and coincidentally my face feels like it's suddenly aged!

I suppose it's going to happen at some point, we are going to lose elasticity and collagen so perhaps it's the tipping point where it wasn't as noticeable before?

I've recently swapped my cheapo peptides serum for a more potent expensive one (lancome) so hoping that makes a difference.

Moisturising morning and evening really helps.

I do have a glass like forehead btw. Partly Tret, partly maybe because I am Indian.
I still look my age, I think. Not interested in injectables so I am cultivating acceptance. It's not like DH looks great either.

I lost over a stone quickly earlier this year due to digestive issues and my face has noticeably aged! I've now got a lovely set of bingo wings to go with it.. I'm only 37!

Were you taking a decent amount of Vitamin C with the collagen? I've only learned this week that collagen can't be absorbed unless it has Vitamin C as well. I've just started on the Nutrition Geeks Glow Collagen.

Got to 50 a few weeks ago and had some botox in forehead and crows feet and some filler in my cheeks where my malar pads had split. I agonised over getting it done for ages (years!) I can notice a difference but I don't think anyone else can tbh. I won't bother with getting it done again.

I'm going to concentrate on healthy diet, supplements, exercise, reducing my stress levels and trying to get on top my awful insomnia.

No answers, but this is quite normal. According to the American Academy of Dermatology

"Studies show that women’s skin loses about 30% of its collagen during the first five years of menopause. After that, the decline is more gradual. Women lose about 2% of their collagen ever year for the next 20 years."

Tweakments - a little Botox, a little filler, is the only thing that will make a real difference, no cream can combat gravity - although hydrated skin will always look better than not.

People (on here) seem to think botox/filler means blowing your lips up and having a frozen face. It really doesn’t.

Personal choice obviously.

Nothing can fix sag. Texture and lines can be helped with botox microneedling and tretinion.
Have you suddenly lost weight? Sadly post 40 it makes the face age quickly.

Hi OP.

I am 51 and suddenly everyone was asking me what's wrong. I've been accused of scowling at people at work when I wasn't thinking negative thoughts. I was developing resting grumpy face.

I had my first Botox two weeks ago by a nurse in a doctor-led clinic. I only did my 11 lines. Nobody has noticed, including my husband, who has been passionately anti-Botox, or my eagle eyed daughter. Everyone comments that I look really well. I cut a couple of inches off my hair, so I think that stops anyone from looking too closely for what else is different.

I told the nurse that I don't mind looking my age, but I don't want to look angry all the time. My forehead still moves, just less so.

I am going to do my crows feet next and am considering a tiny bit of filler to perk my mouth up. When I do that, I may cut a fringe to really throw everyone off in the short term.

The droopy eyelids are mine. I don't think I can manage a surgery.

thank you for the replies, I haven’t lost weight recently so it’s not that. I think it’s just getting older - it just seemed to happen so fast!
I know a few of my friends have a bit of help with injections, so maybe that’s why I notice my age more. I’m not ruling that out as something I may try.
if anyone has had Botox or profhilio, how uncomfortable is it on a scale of 1 to 10?

I’m going to look at re starting collagen I think, make sure it’s got vitamin c in, I used to take the vitabiotics tablets perfectil so may re start those as well.

if anyone has any collagen recommendations please let me know

if anyone has had Botox or profhilio, how uncomfortable is it on a scale of 1 to 10?,
Botox= nothing to it. No pain, just a ti y pin prick.
I do t know about the other one but will be interested in reading the replies.

I had a botox headache on about day 2, but otherwise painless.

This is odd from a medical source, in that your menopause is a single day that falls one year after your last period. So what does 'during' mean, I wonder. Maybe it means the five years after that date.

But also I think if you are on HRT which the OP is, you might expect this not necessarily to be the case given you are replacing your estrogen.

You need tretinoin for texture and hyaluronic acid cheek filler for sagging. Botox for the 11s, if you have them.

Mine is more laughter lines around eyes, which seem to spread to my cheeks.
I don’t remember finding anything so funny to give me this many laughter lines 🤣

Hi. Botox is relatively pain free (quick injections). I'd advise researching well as it's an unregulated industry at present. A good outcome is that you look well/fresh but not 'done'.
Morpheus 8 is really good. Unlike botox results take sometime to show but it does work. Good for sagging, Judy Murray is a great case study for it. Fairly pricey and you will need a course of 3 initally and then 1 annually. Collagen can be snake oil territory but I think it does work. I use Edible Health Marine Collagen. Two scoops daily in my coffee and don't taste it. Friends who have tried it all rave about it and I even have a friend who has given it to her arthritic dog with good results.
Prophilo, I personally think is over rated and wouldn't have it again.
Derma rolling at home gives good results but go easy! Gin Amber does great tutorials on you tube (they are a bit long but shows you how to do it properly).
Ask away if you have more questions :-)

I felt the same at your age, so I had a modified one stitch lift of my lower face. The results were amazing. I also tried botox just between my brows but didn't get on with it. I was very sick the following day and I hated the heaviness of it.

Fast forward a few years and I had a bit of filler in my cheeks and in my marionette lines, which I was very happy with. I'm now, 8 years on from my lower face lift, contemplating having it done again.

I have loads of laughter lines, which don't bother me at all - I like them! So not sure my experience is much help if that's your main issue.

Ooooh… not heard of a modified one stitch lower fave lift but I think I want it! Can you tell me more?!!

I had Profhilo. Absolute waste of time. Could see no difference. Go for the Botox, much better!

😄, I've posted about it before over the years under different names. It is surgery, so invasive, and not for the feint hearted. The surgeon cuts In front of your ears (actually he cut in a loop front to back of my ears - that was the "modified" bit), pulls the muscle up and stitches it in place, then trims excess skin and stitches you up. Here's a before and after...