Now it's about wrinkles

[Dogmama]

Where are these coming from? I don't remember inviting them on my face! But as a cyclist, even with heavy duty sunscreen, I think most of us can relate. I don't have really heavy duty lines, but lighter ones are starting to develop & if I'm going to do something, I think the time is now. I just don't know if I want to do anything.

I've been cruising through the internet looking at what dermatologists have to offer. I don't want surgery or a heavy duty laser treatment. But it looks like there are lots of peels as well as lighter laser treatments. I've done peels, but not regularly. I've never done anything else - except really good skincare products (Nia 24 right now) and tons of sunscreen.

What have you done? Anything that you liked? Or just said screw it - this is who I am...?

[tulip]

Or just said screw it - this is who I am...?

Pretty much. I can't afford specialized treatments (see House Renovation thread). I do use good stuff, but hey, I'm 43, I've been active outside all my life, and the notion of sunscreen in the 70s and 80s was SPF 2 Hawaiian Tropic and days on end stretched out on the beach. It's not that I wouldn't want to have smooth, dewey skin, but I don't is all. And getting it is not my priority at the moment.

[bmccasland]

It's windburn from our high speed riding. :rolleyes::D

There probably is something to the wind/sun combo. I've noticed my face was in worse shape from days on an airboat than days out on the water in a flat boad (slow speed). There were chapped parts that didn't see the sun. And all this boating was done in high humidity area - which probably helped save my skin to a certain extent.

[marni]

nutritionally eggs and vitamin C are supposed to help, as well as no soap, lots of warm water to wash your face, and daily or more often moisturizers with vitamin E and jojoba oil.

Plus sun screen, sun screen, sun screen.

[shootingstar]

I haven't figured this one out properly..because Calgary has alot more sunny days than Vancouver (or Toronto).

And to me, the sun is powerful enough with less humidity in the air.

My habits and tendency have always preferred greatly to do most of my riding in early morning...which coincides with a weaker sun. I do not want to weaken my skin by using facial peels.

Sunblock that I use tends to dry out my skin...which it was in VAncouver. Now here, I truly wonder since the air is even drier. Women do complain more here about the dryness of their skin.

Just to give you an idea: I'm moving into a place with laminate wood flooring. I was told I must have the humidifier on..or else the floors will dry up. Foreign to me when in Toronto one had to use a dehumidier to suck out the moisture in air.

[NbyNW]

I've been putting Bag Balm on the exposed parts of my face when I go skiing. Underneath 1-2 facemasks/balaclavas. Between cold temps, dry air, and wind, so far I think I've managed to avoid any major skin damage.

[sundial]

It's windburn from our high speed riding. :rolleyes::D

Beth, lol! :D I've noticed more fine lines around my eyes and I take it as a positive thing. For me it means that I am embracing life and the scars and wrinkles that I encounter along the way serve as my badge of honor.

[Biciclista]

I live in Seattle where we rarely get enough sun to damage our skin and I have plenty of wrinkles. i can't imagine doing anything about them either. It's the way I am. too bad if you dont like it... look at someone else.

[lph]

Or just said screw it - this is who I am...?

Yup. I love being outdoors too much, and dislike feeling I have to "prepare" for it, plus I'm blessed with fairly strong skin so I don't sunburn easily. I do use sunscreen, but only on the days I'm bound to get sunburned without. Otherwise I use a good moisturizer on my face after every shower and that's it. Wrinkles'R'Me.

[PamNY]

It's the way I am. too bad if you dont like it... look at someone else.

:DAh, this is great. I think I have a new motto.

[GLC1968]

My oily skin is good for something! I'm not very wrinkly for my age despite years of sun on my face, but unfortunately, I did inherit eyes that tend to bag pretty badly. I think it's what ages me the most, actually. There is absolutely NOTHING I can do about it though, so I try not to let it bother me.

The rest of my skin focus is still on not breaking out into a teenage-looking zitty mess...so I don't much think about wrinkles.

[SheFly]

GLC - me too! I would have thought that by mid-40s, the acne would have disappeared, but no dice.

My doctor once asked me what I used on my skin. My reply - soap. She was shocked, and insisted that there must be something else. But nope - just soap, once a day. Still.

And Biciclista/Tulip - I love your sentiments! They're ones I wholly embrace - basically, if you don't like the way I look/am, too bad for you.

SheFly

[Chile Pepper]

I live in a really dry climate, so my skin gets that papery look to it if I'm not careful (and I'm only 46!). I also have rosacea, which is fun (not). I hate the feeling of sunscreen on my face, but I do try to use it if I'm going to be out and about. I use Clinique moisturizers now that they have a redness line, but otherwise I don't do anything special. Except bangs. I used to wear my hair pulled back, which was not especially flattering on my aging face. I cut my hair about a year ago, and I love it. Better than Botox!

[Crankin]

This + the gray thread= too much :mad:.
I have horrible laugh lines. I feel like that's all you can see on my face, especially when I put my helmet on. I have to say, I've had them for awhile, so not totally age related. Both parents had them, too. Can you say dermal filler?
I really don't have a lot of other wrinkles and no saggy chin skin, etc. I use #70 sun block on my face and started using # 30 almost 30 years ago. Living in the Sun Belt made me more aware of skin cancer. I use Clinique "Deep Wrinkle" moisturizer, both day and night versions. Started using Cetaphil 26 years ago, just recently switched to Purpose, as the I found out Cetaphil has parabens. I still get zits, at age 57!

[emily_in_nc]

I have horrible laugh lines. I feel like that's all you can see on my face, especially when I put my helmet on. I have to say, I've had them for awhile, so not totally age related. Both parents had them, too.

I'll trade you a saggy chin & jowls for your laugh lines. My mother and both her parents have/had terrible "turkey necks". They were all overweight, which made matters much worse, but I'm starting to get one too despite being quite slender. Boy, do I hate the sagging skin, and if money were no object and my DH weren't vehemently opposed, I'd probably get a lower face lift and just be done with it. But, that's not going to happen so I'll just have to deal. I have lines around my eyes/mouth too, but the saggy skin is much more of an issue for me. I haven't done any kinds of fillers, botox, chemical peels, or laser treatments. I'm pretty much an au naturel kinda gal, but I have two close friends who have had facial plastic surgery, and they look really good, not fake at all.

This part of aging does suck! :mad: The wiseness part helps, though. :cool:

[chicago]

Pretty much. I can't afford specialized treatments (see House Renovation thread). I do use good stuff, but hey, I'm 43, I've been active outside all my life, and the notion of sunscreen in the 70s and 80s was SPF 2 Hawaiian Tropic and days on end stretched out on the beach. It's not that I wouldn't want to have smooth, dewey skin, but I don't is all. And getting it is not my priority at the moment.

tulip!,that is too funny!! So true for this 48yo babe as well... who had sunscreen in the 70's, noone I know!:rolleyes::D

[Crankin]

Emily, your choice of words, "turkey neck," made me laugh. I know it's not funny, though. I got some finer type lines around my eyes after DS #2 was born, from lack of sleep, but they have not really advanced.
I have a lot of freckles, always have, and I think those look worse as I age. I mean, it's one thing to have a freckled face ingenue, but an older woman? They have never bothered me, but something does now. That's why I am much more religious about sun block now.
I know I am in the minority here... while I wouldn't have plastic surgery, I am seriously considering Radiesse for the laugh lines; it's the one thing about my looks that I really don't like. I felt the same way about my teeth a few years ago, when the results of my teenaged ortho treatment totally went south. I got Invisalign braces and it made a real difference. I still wear the retainers at night. I know most here will think it's vain and that I should just accept the laugh lines and the gray... well, I just can't. I actually feel younger than I did ten or twelve years ago and some of the way I feel is tied up to the way I look. And some of it is not age related; the laugh lines have bothered me for 15 years; I just couldn't afford the treatment then.
Both of my grandmothers were gorgeous until the day they died (both at 91 or 92). While they did have "silver" hair from young ages, they spent plenty of time at the salon and having beauty treatments that helped them feel young and look nice, such as manicures, pedicures, massage. While I certainly don't spend all of my time doing that stuff, I do partake in those things. So does my closest cycling buddy. Being athletic and having a manicure are not exclusive of each other!
To each her own. I just get the feeling that this type of stuff is seen as silly by a lot of people.

[Dogmama]

Since I started this thread, I've been noticing how our society pushes us to be "beautiful." Last night's commercial - a girl with perfectly straight white teeth freaking out because she'd been invited to a concert & may not have time to whiten her teeth. Aw c'mon now...

So much is pushed on us (women) to buy products to make us look younger. How about pushing books so that we're wiser? Oh, I forgot. You can't "see" wiser and make snap judgments about a person's worthiness.:rolleyes:

Obviously, I need to get on my bike.

[Crankin]

I don't need a book to push me to be wiser. I have a healthy appreciation for intelligence. You can be wise and beautiful at the same time. Why are the 2 seen as mutually exclusive? It feels like that perpetuates the "dumb blonde" stereotype.
Around here, I have seen plenty of people make "snap judgments" about other's "wiseness," hence their worthiness, which had nothing to do with physical appearance. As in, "You went to a state university." Not so wise. No graduate degree? Not so wise. In my experience, what you are judged on depends very heavily on context. Having lived in 3 different states, the balance is tipped in one direction or another by geography and cultural values.
And men get pushed to be younger in different ways. I see a whole lot of ED commercials when I watch the national news :).

[Biciclista]

all I can say is think back and remember your favorite grandmother. You loved her despite her wrinkles, bags, sags, bad teeth. None of that stuff really matters. Certainly take care of your body, it's the only one that you get, but no one except for maybe your NEW lover looks at you that closely and certainly not that judgmentally!

[malkin]

Not only did I love my grandmothers despite their appearance, I loved their appearance. One had the most fantastic crazy white hair, and the other one...well, I was shocked to find out that the lovely colors and veins on the back of her hands were not universally considered attractive.

[Biciclista]

Not only did I love my grandmothers despite their appearance, I loved their appearance. One had the most fantastic crazy white hair, and the other one...well, I was shocked to find out that the lovely colors and veins on the back of her hands were not universally considered attractive.

exactly~!!!

[tulip]

Oh, I love a good mani-pedi, facial, and massage. I suppose I could get manis-pedis-facials every month instead if taking Pilates and yoga classes, but my limited financial resources go to what I deem most important to me. If I come into some bucks in the future, I'd be more than happy to be pampered as much as possible.

[Crankin]

Mimi, the thing is that both of my grandmothers did not have many wrinkles, bags, or sags when they died. They were both thin (certainly not from exercise!) and had beautiful skin. I know my mom's mom became gray in her thirties, not sure about the other one; but she was gray as long as I can remember her, too. They spent lots of time working on themselves. So did my mom; the difference was that she exercised, even when it wasn't popular. Aside from the fact that my mom died at a way too young age from a rare liver disease, she was so beautiful, petite, and youthful looking, there were many times when people thought we were sisters and my dad was her dad and my dad! We shared clothes until I was well into my twenties, almost 30. I didn't look like my mom, but I guess I am trying to say is that these are the role models I had, and frankly, I will be happy to be like them. The only difference is that I don't mind getting dirty and sweaty and like the accomplishment of sports. So did my mom, but she was really born a generation too soon.

[shootingstar]

Hmm...I know what /why my facial skin doesn't respond too well to the skin, by freckling etc. as I age, I just look at my parents. That's where I inherited it from.

No, I actually don't worry as much about the wrinkles, I'm getting them abit. I just have to be more attentive in using lotions. Yes, true there is an advantage now, to have abit oilier facial skin. Most of the women I know who had that tendency like myself as teenagers, look fine now in their 50's in terms of their skin texture.

I consider having a different different body shape than my mother (who had 6 children, gained 30 lbs. over the years, has back problems, etc.), a big switch. As long as I keep at a reasonable weight, that's a great foundation above all.

[emily_in_nc]

And men get pushed to be younger in different ways. I see a whole lot of ED commercials when I watch the national news :).

A bit OT, but this just drives me mad. Every frickin' night watching ABC World News tonight. I surely wish these ads had never been approved for television. You can't even watch the news with your parents or in-laws without getting embarrasshed now. Sheesh...nothing is sacred any more.

This is one of my pet peeves!

[emily_in_nc]

And men get pushed to be younger in different ways. I see a whole lot of ED commercials when I watch the national news :).

A bit OT, but this just drives me mad. Every frickin' night watching ABC World News tonight. "When the moment is right..." gagggggghhhh! I surely wish these ads had never been approved for television. You can't even watch the news with your parents or in-laws without getting embarrassed now. Sheesh...nothing is sacred any more.

This is one of my pet peeves! :mad:

[emily_in_nc]

Oh, I love a good mani-pedi, facial, and massage. I suppose I could get manis-pedis-facials every month instead if taking Pilates and yoga classes, but my limited financial resources go to what I deem most important to me. If I come into some bucks in the future, I'd be more than happy to be pampered as much as possible.

I don't do any of those things, but I have no problem with women who do. My choices are just different. I choose to retire at 50, and with that choice, a lot of other financial decisions flow. If I wanted to work longer, I could do a lot of those things, but I'm tired of working!

[malkin]

If I had retired at 50 I'd be homeless and pushing a shopping cart! Just imagine my hair and skin then!

[Crankin]

Yeah, to continue the off topic, I kinda get peeved at those ads, too, Emily. There is a running joke in my house about "bathtubs." Who the hell sits in a bathtub outside their house?
One time, a few years ago, I had taped some program to show my students. As I was fast forwarding through the ads, an ED commercial came on. Given they were 7th graders, the laughing commenced. I heard one of the boys say, "Get rid of those damn bathtubs!" Of course, I chuckled to myself, but I guess they saw it, because they all shouted, "Mrs. M is laughing!"
I think men feel anti-aging pressure about this more than we realize. They don't talk about it.

[emily_in_nc]

If I had retired at 50 I'd be homeless and pushing a shopping cart! Just imagine my hair and skin then!

Yes, I know how very fortunate I am to be able to do this. Chalk it up to going into a fairly well-paid field (software engineering), living below our means, and not being able to have children. I figured if I couldn't be a mom, I should at least take advantage of one of the perks of not having to save for college educations: early retirement. Things would be very different if we'd had children, and I'm sure I'd be working until 62 at least.

[malkin]

Way to go!

(It's likely that I'll be working until the day I drop dead.)

[Miranda]

Like the gray hair thread... and I'm letting mine go naturally gray... same with the wrinkles... just let em keep on coming.

I have friends/relatives who have spent lots of $$$ on various derm tx, and bottom line... they do not last. You may notice some slight improvement, but it's short lived, particularly for the money. Plus, if you are the unlucky one with ill side-effects, it a'int pretty.

Good luck though with whatever you decide to do.

:)

[Dogmama]

Like the gray hair thread... and I'm letting mine go naturally gray... same with the wrinkles... just let em keep on coming.

I have friends/relatives who have spent lots of $$$ on various derm tx, and bottom line... they do not last. You may notice some slight improvement, but it's short lived, particularly for the money. Plus, if you are the unlucky one with ill side-effects, it a'int pretty.

Good luck though with whatever you decide to do.

:)

I've been looking at women that I know have had "work" done. Seems like no matter how good the "work" is - I can always tell that they're older than their face says. Why is that?

I think that youth comes from inside. Don't you know people who exude enthusiasm & light? Then you notice - hey - they have gray hair & wrinkles! Then, there are those (I'm profiling here) who have a little $$ & have banished the gray hair & wrinkles but they just seem older. There is no happiness & a lot of tension in their (unlined) faces.

You're right about the botched jobs not being pretty. Many years ago, I decided I hated the lines on my forehead & wanted to wear my hair back. So, I had botox done by a board certified plastic surgeon who has a great reputation. The result was that my forehead relaxed but the extra skin hung over my eyes, so I looked like a gecko for three months. When I asked them how they could fix it, they talked about some procedure for glaucoma -- forget it. Also, the numb feeling was disconcerting.

[PamNY]

all I can say is think back and remember your favorite grandmother. You loved her despite her wrinkles, bags, sags, bad teeth. None of that stuff really matters. Certainly take care of your body, it's the only one that you get, but no one except for maybe your NEW lover looks at you that closely and certainly not that judgmentally!

What lovely comment. As I child I was fascinated by the loose skin and veins on my beautiful grandmother's hands, and I loved her grey hair.


I don't need a book to push me to be wiser. I have a healthy appreciation for intelligence. You can be wise and beautiful at the same time. Why are the 2 seen as mutually exclusive? It feels like that perpetuates the "dumb blonde" stereotype.

Crankin, I agree. Who said beauty and intelligence can't exist in the same person? I am amazed that this idea is still around -- plenty of highly intelligent, successful women have some vanity -- and why shouldn't they?

I also roll my eyes at the idea that "our society" pushes vanity and "the media" are to blame.

Human beings have always paid attention to appearance. Spend some time in a museum, or study a bit of history. We aren't the first to think about how we look to others.

I don't know if this fallacy comes from ignorance or egotism, but there's no reason to clutch our pearls over botox.

Other animals (and we are animals) go to great lengths to make themselves attractive to potential mates. Some of what we are talking about here is probably hard-wired into our brains.

It's also not true that everyone goes overboard with plastic surgery. I have two friends who had face lifts and they look just fine. Both are successful, professional women with active, interesting lives. One is a very strong woman whom I met doing animal rescue after Katrina. She's not a delicate flower, and she exudes life and energy.

[Crankin]

I had a friend who went to a fashion school for college. She used to come around and make presentations about how the history of fashion (and beauty, too) is intertwined with our actual history. I invited her to come to the high school I taught at and she was besieged with requests to speak to history classes. I used to sit in when I could. It was fascinating.

[badger]

I liked it when Dove had those series of commercials focusing on beauty being the way you are, especially for young girls who think they're either too tall, short, fat, skinny, have red hair, wear glasses, etc. A reminder that self confidence comes from within, not how you look - and that's how it should be.

But, that aside, I do hate that as I approach the age of 40, I battle zits and wrinkles at the same time, it's just not fair!! I've noticed the texture of my skin changing a lot over the past 5 years. It's just not as supple anymore, and especially on my hands, the skin looks so dry no matter how much moisturizering I do. And my hair's getting more frizzy, too.

Oh well, all part and parcel in getting older, I guess!

[lph]

I also roll my eyes at the idea that "our society" pushes vanity and "the media" are to blame.

Well... I agree that people have always been vain, and always will be. It's human nature to want to look good. But it's how a lot of mainstream media portray looking good as the single desirable attribute to have that bugs me. It's just way way out of proportion. Of course there's a huge industry pushing that idea. Just imagine glossy magazines pushing the idea of how to improve your soul, for lack of a better word - how to become kinder, or braver, or more insightful, or how to communicate better... how to improve the inside as much as we at the moment want to improve the outside. "Become a more moral person in 10 easy steps!" "Your quik'n'easy way to wisdom!" :D

It's a bit weird that in a lot of social settings it's perfectly acceptable to discuss quite drastic procedures done in the name of beauty while discussing any self-improvement "on the inside" is considered intimate, philosophic and reserved for close friends.