If you are in your mid 30s-40s and your face looks good

[Anonymous]

I'm 39 and haven't done any botox/fillers/etc. I do use lactic acid (Sunday Riley Good Genes) a few times per week. I always hide from the sun and wear sunscreen every single day, year round, in every kind of weather. I don't smoke and drink alcohol infrequently. Sleep is terrible though (two very young kids, demanding job, long commute).

My skin is pretty wrinkle-free, mostly due to genetics (my mom still has fabulous skin and she's in her mid 60s). But I do have a few small sunspots that appeared during my second pregnancy last year and haven't gone away. I plan to have them lasered off someday, when I can afford it (childcare costs...) The last time I had a facial was in 2012.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most important thing you can do - after the obvious no smoking, Retin-A at night, sunscreen during the day - is Botox. Do small amounts of it and start early on. Do it twice per year. If you're starting to get the slightest hint of 11s or horizontal forehead lines, start getting Botox injected there. It will have a preventative effect. A lot of us started Botox too late. I wouldn't worry about fillers. I think 20s is way too young to start fillers. They can really make you look crazy over time. They're also more expensive and more medically risky.

You will get way more bang for your buck out of Botox, generic Retin-A and sunscreen than you will out of all the, say, Drunk Elephant or Skinceutical products you can find. You don't need that stuff.

Sort of agree sort of don't. For Botox, you should be going at least three times a year. It wears off in 3-4 months.

Not everyone can tolerate retin-A...so in that case, for retinol and also for sunscreen, I do think DA and Skinceuticals make the better products. Add in hormonal skin issues like cystic breakouts that can appear in your late thirties, and absolutely those high end brands make a difference.

NP. I'm only one data point, but I started at 25 for super strong crows feet and I only went every six months. By mid-20s, even strong lines aren't usually etched. It was 10 years before I needed to put myself on an every 3-4 month schedule. If cost is an issue for OP, I'd start Botox every 6 months. It is better than nothing.

[Anonymous]

I'm 37, and use RetinA, sunscreen daily, Vit C, etc. My skin looks pretty good but I can see where on my forehead I will get lines (they are very faint now or there when I frown). I am not morally against Botox and fillers but I don't really want to start because I think it will be a slippery slope for me. And more importantly, I don't yet understand how it works as you get older. It looks fine, if done well, on 30-40 year olds because its plausible that people of that age could have smooth skin on their faces, and it doesn't look too out of place. But what does a 60-70 year old woman who has done "light touch" botox for 30 years look like? I have seen the pictures of people who have done much more than that and I don't like it, but what do you look like if you have managed to keep it light for years? How does your face match up with other parts of your body that age, like neck, hands, etc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good skin care is expensive. You've got some time though. Agree with the vit C and sunscreen for you for now. Add in a retinol at night sometime before 30.

I'm 36, in a wealthy social circle, and don't know of anyone doing botox and fillers in my age range give or take a couple years. It isn't to say they don't..but they have never brought it up.

I don't do fillers or botox but good products are expensive, as are the facials I do every 6 weeks. I may consider IPL in the future at some point.

36? They're doing it, they just don't talk about it.

It is possible, but I know the ages of my friends and we all more or less look our age. Some have more sunspots/age spots but none of us have obvious wrinkles at rest, including me who doesn't do it.

[Anonymous]

35, have some crows feet but have had them for a long, loooong time - probably since my late teens - and they’re only slightly worse now than they were then. No forehead lines/wrinkles or smile lines around my mouth. I have more oily skin so I’m sure that helps. I don’t smoke, drink alcohol rarely, drink lots of water, and use sunscreen.

[Anonymous]

I am 39. I think I look good, no obvious wrinkles or smile lines. I regularly get carded and bartenders/waitstaff often comment that they didnt expect me to be that old.

I have pale skin that I have always taken care of with sunscreen, etc., even when I was young. I social smoked a bit as a teenager but that stopped at the end of college (which was also when most smoking bans went into effect).

I moisturize AM/PM and always wash make-up off my face at the end of the day. I went to a dermatologist about 2 years ago to check a mole on my back and get an overall assessment. She said my routine was fine, offered to sell me a special $80 cleanser, I declined. Have not done botox or any treatments. I sometimes will use a serum if I get it as a free sample with a make-up purchase but I havent bought any on my own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The most important thing you can do - after the obvious no smoking, Retin-A at night, sunscreen during the day - is Botox. Do small amounts of it and start early on. Do it twice per year. If you're starting to get the slightest hint of 11s or horizontal forehead lines, start getting Botox injected there. It will have a preventative effect. A lot of us started Botox too late. I wouldn't worry about fillers. I think 20s is way too young to start fillers. They can really make you look crazy over time. They're also more expensive and more medically risky.

You will get way more bang for your buck out of Botox, generic Retin-A and sunscreen than you will out of all the, say, Drunk Elephant or Skinceutical products you can find. You don't need that stuff.

This x1000. Nothing else does much.

[Anonymous]

Moisturizer with 50 sunscreen every single day on face and neck. Started in my early 30’s. Best decision I’ve made. Wish I had applied it to my hands as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For everyone recommending vitamin C, which product do you recommend?

would also like to know folks' recommendation for a good vitamin C serum or oil.

I like Skinceuticals and Drunk Elephant.

[Anonymous]

When I first went, my dermatologist said my skin looked better than 95% of her patients. She did not say the same to my husband.

Sunscreen is the secret. I have worn it daily since age 15. I started wearing SPF eye cream at 20. I can’t always find an affordable eye cream, since they tend to be discontinued. On beach or pool days, I reapply every two hours, and wear a hat.

I won’t be doing Botox or fillers because I want my kids to have realistic beauty expectations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moisturizer with 50 sunscreen every single day on face and neck. Started in my early 30’s. Best decision I’ve made. Wish I had applied it to my hands as well.

+1 Be sure to get your upper lip and under eye as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m 33 and honestly, I do nothing. Neutrogena anti-acne face wash when I can remember, but that’s it.

46 and same. I don't wear makeup, have been vegetarian for 40 years, don't really drink - and don't have kids. I'm sure all this contributes. I'd say the main thing is genetics. My parents both have young looking faces, too.

Or maybe I look old and haggard and just don't realize it! Oh no.

What a sad, sad post. You avoided having kids so you would look better? Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m 33 and honestly, I do nothing. Neutrogena anti-acne face wash when I can remember, but that’s it.

46 and same. I don't wear makeup, have been vegetarian for 40 years, don't really drink - and don't have kids. I'm sure all this contributes. I'd say the main thing is genetics. My parents both have young looking faces, too.

Or maybe I look old and haggard and just don't realize it! Oh no.

What a sad, sad post. You avoided having kids so you would look better? Wow.

PP never said she avoided having kids in order to look better. She only said that she doesn’t have kids.

[Anonymous]

I am mid 40s and think I look ok. Not great because eventually age catches up to all of us despite what procedures we get. But I think I look ok for my age.

Sunscreen since 18
Wash my face every night and use heavy moisturizer
Retin-A on and off (off during childbearing years)
A few extra pounds (not by choice, metabolic issues)

Products are simple. Oil of Olay, Cerave and Retin-A Rx. Although I am second guessing Oil of Olay since the last time I got something from Olay, it was marked Made in China. !!!

My hands look bad though because I did not put sunscreen on my hands all those days spent hiking outside in my youth!

This marked difference indicates to me that sunscreen is really the key. But it can only make up for so much when it comes to the sleeplessness of having kids. Wouldn’t trade them though

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am mid 40s and think I look ok. Not great because eventually age catches up to all of us despite what procedures we get. But I think I look ok for my age.

Sunscreen since 18
Wash my face every night and use heavy moisturizer
Retin-A on and off (off during childbearing years)
A few extra pounds (not by choice, metabolic issues)

Products are simple. Oil of Olay, Cerave and Retin-A Rx. Although I am second guessing Oil of Olay since the last time I got something from Olay, it was marked Made in China. !!!

My hands look bad though because I did not put sunscreen on my hands all those days spent hiking outside in my youth!

This marked difference indicates to me that sunscreen is really the key. But it can only make up for so much when it comes to the sleeplessness of having kids. Wouldn’t trade them though

I agree with you that age catches up with all of us one way or another. If it’s not your face, it’s your hands, neck, or whatever giving you away. People are supposed to age, and I wonder about all the people who post on here saying they look 20 years younger and get carded everywhere. Either they or delusional or just don’t dress their age, and ppl assume they’re younger.