Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always heard that Retin A is not a good thing for women of child bearing age. But maybe that's not the case?

Yes! Don't use if you're planning on getting pregnant or breastfeeding:
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-1192-Retin-A+Top.aspx

(You only need to apply a tiny amount of Retin A at a time if the above doesn't apply to you.)

Also, OP, you need a sunscreen with moisturizer not the other way around. Make up/moisturizers with sunscreen added usually are sufficient as a sunscreen b/c they're not in high enough concentrations.

Most of the damage had been done b/c sun exposure is cumulative. And yes, we all get wrinkles forehead lines, crows feet. You'd look worse if you smoked. True melasma has more of a mask look. You just have sun spots. You're probably feeling more wrinkly if you're sleep deprived.

Anonymous wrote:The 48 year old is very sweet and has also failed to share the real reasons for her no spots, no crows feet and no wrinkles.

Genes
Melanin (I guarantee pp is not Irish or British)
No smoking no or ever, probably
Sun avoidance in youth (unless she's black or v dark skinned)


All the egg whites and coconuts in the world can't correct or even improve damage done by sunscreen-free lifeguarding as a teen; a college spent smoking marlboro lights; and being 100% Irish.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 48. I have very good skin. No wrinkles, spots, very faint crows feet (when I laugh). I do not have large pores and I look much-much younger than my age. I have had periods of bad skin (after childbirth) and have used retin-A, to rapidly exfoliate some of the skin. I used it for 10-15 days only. It will mess up yr skin if it is dry, but it does speed up exfoliation. I stopped, because the way the skin was peeling, looked as if I was diseased. I do not use makeup - using a bit of Olay CC cream for parties as it makes my skin look very good.

Here is what I do -
1) No smoking, No sun exposure. Showering with tepid water. No baths.
2) No washing face with soap at all. If I need to take any stuff off of my face, I put coconut oil, and wipe with a damp cloth.
3) Put coconut or olive oil all over body and face before I shower. Very limited use of soap on areas that need soap.
4) I put a mixture of 1 part glycerine : 1 part water : 1/4 part lemon juice in a bottle. I put it all over my skin and face after my shower. Let it dry for 5 minutes. This is DA BOMB. If you have to do 1 thing for your skin. This is it. Cover skin with body butter/lotion and face and neck with Oil of Olay with SPF 15 lotion.

If you are in a very bad state and want some rapid change in your skin - try these remedies for 3 days. You should see significant changes in your skin.

1) Before bath - Take 1/2 cup milk + 1 teaspoon table salt (I also add a few drops of rose water or vanilla essence). Warm it up a bit in the microwave. Dab generously on your face and entire body. Let it dry some (5 - 10 minutes). Do not talk or smile/laugh when you put any mask or mixture on your face. This is gentle enough to put in your eye area. When mixture has dried a bit, smooth over coconut oil and rub off the milk mixture. Take a shower with tepid water. Wipe down and put the glycerine mixture and moisturizer. Use a good eye cream for your eye area after putting the Glycerine mixture.

2) Take a teaspoon of raw egg white and apply on your face avoiding the eye area. (In the kitchen, when you make eggs for your family, take the egg white that sticks to the egg shell and apply over your face, avoiding around the eye. I do this everyday) Rinse and pat dry. Moisturize with the glycerine mixture. Use eye cream and moisturizer. This makes your skin shiny and bright - just brimming with good health. Maybe do this once at night and once in the morning.

Do this for 2-3 days and let us know if this has made any difference?

Lemon juice has vit c and milk provides lactic acid. They are as good as anything expensive in the market.

I only use glycerine soap on my body, and very little of it. And shower with tepid water. I also always use different towels for my hair and skin and face.

All the other inputs about sleep, multi vitamins, good fats, hydration, avoiding soda etc is spot on as well.

Try this remedy for 3 days. Let us know if it worked for you.

Wow, thanks for posting this. Do you wash your face at night (with coconut oil)?

Anonymous wrote:I always heard that Retin A is not a good thing for women of child bearing age. But maybe that's not the case?

Anonymous wrote:I am 48. I have very good skin. No wrinkles, spots, very faint crows feet (when I laugh). I do not have large pores and I look much-much younger than my age. I have had periods of bad skin (after childbirth) and have used retin-A, to rapidly exfoliate some of the skin. I used it for 10-15 days only. It will mess up yr skin if it is dry, but it does speed up exfoliation. I stopped, because the way the skin was peeling, looked as if I was diseased. I do not use makeup - using a bit of Olay CC cream for parties as it makes my skin look very good.

Here is what I do -
1) No smoking, No sun exposure. Showering with tepid water. No baths.
2) No washing face with soap at all. If I need to take any stuff off of my face, I put coconut oil, and wipe with a damp cloth.
3) Put coconut or olive oil all over body and face before I shower. Very limited use of soap on areas that need soap.
4) I put a mixture of 1 part glycerine : 1 part water : 1/4 part lemon juice in a bottle. I put it all over my skin and face after my shower. Let it dry for 5 minutes. This is DA BOMB. If you have to do 1 thing for your skin. This is it. Cover skin with body butter/lotion and face and neck with Oil of Olay with SPF 15 lotion.

If you are in a very bad state and want some rapid change in your skin - try these remedies for 3 days. You should see significant changes in your skin.

1) Before bath - Take 1/2 cup milk + 1 teaspoon table salt (I also add a few drops of rose water or vanilla essence). Warm it up a bit in the microwave. Dab generously on your face and entire body. Let it dry some (5 - 10 minutes). Do not talk or smile/laugh when you put any mask or mixture on your face. This is gentle enough to put in your eye area. When mixture has dried a bit, smooth over coconut oil and rub off the milk mixture. Take a shower with tepid water. Wipe down and put the glycerine mixture and moisturizer. Use a good eye cream for your eye area after putting the Glycerine mixture.

2) Take a teaspoon of raw egg white and apply on your face avoiding the eye area. (In the kitchen, when you make eggs for your family, take the egg white that sticks to the egg shell and apply over your face, avoiding around the eye. I do this everyday) Rinse and pat dry. Moisturize with the glycerine mixture. Use eye cream and moisturizer. This makes your skin shiny and bright - just brimming with good health. Maybe do this once at night and once in the morning.

Do this for 2-3 days and let us know if this has made any difference?

Lemon juice has vit c and milk provides lactic acid. They are as good as anything expensive in the market.

I only use glycerine soap on my body, and very little of it. And shower with tepid water. I also always use different towels for my hair and skin and face.

All the other inputs about sleep, multi vitamins, good fats, hydration, avoiding soda etc is spot on as well.

Try this remedy for 3 days. Let us know if it worked for you.

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

Retin-A sounds great, but I've read that it's really hard on dry skin, which mine tends towards. Can anyone with dry skin speak to how it was for you? I'm also wondering about the cost - I don't have acne, so presumably would be paying the uninsured cost. Probably would not be an option right now, but maybe in a year or so when I'm back working full time.

I don't know why it never occurred to me that aging occurs in spurts. I always imagined it to be a somewhat linear process. This has been a pretty major spurt though. :/

I do agree about acceptance of aging. I really don't mind looking my age, and genetics are probably not on my side (neither of my parents looks at all young for their age), but it just seems like so much so fast. I don't think anyone wants to look older than they are. I have no interest in botox, but I'm definitely up for topical treatments and dietary changes or supplements to optimize what I've got.

My diet and sleep have both been pretty rough since having a baby, and to me those seem like the biggest culprits. I'm actually a good bit slimmer than before I had a baby, so it's not the quantity of food, but probably the quality. Exercise has also been on the back burner. I guess just taking care of myself generally needs to be reprioritized. I'm wearing all of these bad habits on my face.

My moisturizer does contain sunscreen, but I only apply it once in the morning, so I doubt it's doing much good during the day. How exactly does one apply sunscreen over makeup, though?