Reducing face lines and tightening skin, what do I do?

[GreenGodiva]

Hey all looking for some help. I’ve recently lost a ton of weight and gone from Almost 18st and now I’m currently in the mid 12st range and I expect to lose another 14-20lb.

feeling great etc but while my skin is in great condition for a 46 yo, with not a lot of wrinkles etc, I seem to have developed jowls and Double chin that’s a bit empty. Oddly my cheeks are still pretty chubby/fat and this is a family trait. I’ve also got these two shadowy lines that have appeared that run down from the corners of my lips…. Like a ventriloquists puppet? Totally knocked me for six when I realised yesterday.

what can I do here? I’m totally at a loss and not sure where to start. Creams? Pro threads ( don’t even really know what they are)? Later c02 resurfacing? Do I run out and get a face lift right away? What about the fat hamster cheeks? I’m totally out of my depth and no idea where to start

Get Botox (no filler) and save for the face lift. Find a practitioner who is experienced in Lower face Botox.
I would spend a little extra and go to someone really good with excellent reviews.
I would invest in a good red light mask and use vitamin c in the mornings. Many people rave about retinal and tret but unless you are militant about suncare, you could do more harm than good. Invest in a good spf 50.
It’s likely your skin will bounce back a bit, but if you’re really unhappy with the sagging, only a facelift will do unfortunately.

Well done with the weight loss. Try facial exercises.
Search for 'eva fraser facial workout', 'facercize', 'face yoga'.

Don’t do threads! Lots of credible doctors and surgeons will advise against this. It’s risky and short lived.

My DH gave me £80 towards purchasing skin care while I’m saving up for Botox. I did loads of research and I did buy a load of stuff from John Lewis by The Ordinary but then Evri have lost/destroyed the parcel so it’s been returned and they’ve just refunded me and I can’t bring myself to order again as I’ve never spent £80 on skin care in my life. I feel like the universe is laughing at me even trying which is really unlike me.

So just to clarify here. I need cleanser, toner, moisturiser ( a day and a night cream?). What about other things? I’ve got a factor 50 face cream already and I’ve been taking a proper decent 5 type collagen for 3-4 months and never missed a day. But what on earth am I supposed to be putting on my face at 46 yo? I’ll attach the stuff I purchased that’s now been lost. I think I might be better going to the local shops instead of ordering online as it’s just SO overwhelming when you don’t have a clue what you are doing.

Is profhilo a possibility? No fillers. I too have lost weight and this is where I’m leaning!!

I’d probably look at cheap generic tretinoin, and speak to someone about whether polynucleotides would work in your case

Who do I need to talk to about this stuff?

I’ve got to say for the last week I’ve been using my daughters Cerave cleanser twice a day, then adding some cheap dragons blood thing she told me to use and then sun block moisturiser in the am( not that I’ve been out side 😂🤷🏼‍♀️). Then every other evening a prescription dermatica cream (azelaic acid possibly?) that was a Xmas gift specifically for me but it’s a bit ouchy and apparently takes some getting used to . And a collagen face mask every few days under my 17yos instruction. My skin definitely looks plumper? Fuller? My forehead lines from raising my eyes brows to applaud the idiot in my extended family are actually looking great. But I think it’s just a bit like injecting meat with water?

is there a place I can go to that can talk me through this and just give me an idiot style plan and take my money in exchange for products that will help me? My 17yo dd is great but she’s not wrinkly or approaching 50 and has a totally different skin type to me.

also stress very nicely given me a worry stone thing that is apparently called a gwasha ? Sue claims I’m supposed to run it on my face not in now terrified senseless I’m going to make everything worse and end up like an elephants testicle.

Are there any places that offer polynucleotides in your area? My dentist does and two salons in my town. Ask for a mini consultation to see if it will work for you. Google tretinoin, I got a dermatologist to write me a prescription, and you can just get that refilled after if it works for you. I think you can also get it from other places now

Honestly? Just calm down. The less you worry about your face, the smoother your face will become. Drink water. Sleep. Chill out. Your skin will readjust after the weight loss and then you'll know what you're working with. All skin care is the same gloop in different pots.

Having a few lines in your mid 40s is completely normal and not something to panic about. The lines are the traces of all the smiles you’ve made and nothing to be ashamed of. Getting older is a bit of a shock but not something we can stop with cream.
sunscreen, not smoking and drinking water are key. I’m a bit older than you and have been trying to ‘upgrade’ my look, but focusing on looking well groomed rather than trying to stop the clock. I’ve been using micellar water to cleanse, moisturiser from avene, a vitamin c serum. A bit of boots hydraluminous foundation and blusher and I think I do look a bit more put together.
You dont need a face lift!! Or Botox!!

Basically think of your skin, which is the largest organ in your body, as a factory. Your skin makes itself with fibroblasts (fibroblasts make loads of stuff) and those little machines need supplies: amino acids (protein), zinc, vitamin C, etc, to synthesise. So you need to supply your system with nutrients, the building blocks of skin production, and you need to stimulate the process by a) increasing the rate of turnover in cell production, and b) increasing the deployment of fibroblasts.

Tretinoin acts as a signalling hormone, calling fibroblasts to the region. It also increases cell turnover to clear out the damaged skin and produce more.

Microneedling triggers the migration of fibroblasts to the region by initiating the wound healing cascade safely.

Sufficient nutrition supplies the materials to build good dermis once the fibroblasts get there.

That's actually what is going on underneath all these different potions and lotions, to a greater and lesser degree: increasing turnover (all exfoliants do this), signalling fibroblasts (all retinols), and supplying materials (vit c, zinc, amino acids, etc).

Lots of water, electrolytes, microneedle, some good serums (copper, vitamin c)
Sunscreen and a peel.

I do all these at home and I've done all the fillers etc and botox before.

is there a place I can go to that can talk me through this and just give me an idiot style plan

Have you thought of using Dermatica’s prescription service. They ask for photos and prescribe to meet your needs. Tret included.

I have found this service really straight forward, they ask for more photos and information overtime and alter the prescription. They are easy to contact and it is simple to defer despatch if you have cream left. Really takes out the trial and error (costly and time consuming). Even my beautician friend asked what I was using on my skin!

I did some reading on here, including some longer running threads. Discount codes included.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5160597-has-anyone-tried-dermatica

Have you tried Monderma for Tretinoin? I believe they're the only brand in the UK who sell micronised. It's vegan too.

I am 15 years older than you
-wear factor 50 SPF sunscreen everyday
-I had some filler vertical lines above my lip
-think about tretinoin
-microneedling is a game changer.

Sorry for not getting back to you all , been laid low by this awful flu that’s going around.

I’m all sorted now, and thank you all for your input. I’ll report back in a few weeks and hopefully be able to tell you I’m looking ten years younger 😊😂