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I'm 52. Now what?
  • ktwardktward
    Quick recap of my facial skincare history:

    - I've never been a Sun Goddess. This is due to equal parts of A) fair skin which, even with sunscreen, burns before it tans and I seriously hated the ugly burn phase, and B) just too dang busy.
    - Starting mid-30's, once daily AHA use. (Longtime Alpha Hydrox user.)
    - Starting early-40's, AHA in the a.m. and Retinol in the p.m. (Retinol: Roc and Neutrogena at first, but back to Alpha Hydrox the last handful of years. I love that little CO-based company.)

    I can't include a photo here, though I'm happy to send one- you have but to ask. But any folks who don't know me who, for one reason or another, manage to learn my age express surprise. They think I'm in my 30's. My 21yo daughter and I are regularly mistaken for sisters. (Granted, these are folks who see my skin only from the chest up. One glance at my saggy knees and the gig is totally up.)

    Anyhoo, it's been a very long while since I did my last lit review when it comes to [ageing] skin care, but near as I can tell AHA and Retinol are still the anti-wrinkle standards. However, I'm seeing a lot of talk about peptides. And don't get me wrong, I love love love Diane Keaton, but I don't see any legit lit on whatever is the topical calcium she's peddling.

    Like I said, I'm 52. Now what?
    Should I also be incorporating some kind of peptide thing into my daily regimen? (Copper peptide looked promising, but Neutrogena has since discontinued that line so I guess it proved to be a dud - ?)

    I need some BB input; as a former marketing/advertising professional, I'm altogether predisposed to ignoring the stuff peddled on TeeVee, I need a science-based fix.
  • rozy
    You aren't supposed to combine AHA and retinols! You should go through stages of retinols use and than at a different time use the AHA.That way you get your money's worth. http://thebeautybrains.com/2012/12/05/can-you-mix-retinol-with-aha-and-bha/ That is cool I didn't know how long people have been using AHAs and retinols! Everything I have read on peptides like on futurederm says basically they dont have enough behind them yet to be worth the money. If I were you I would consider cosmetic dermatological services like microneedling, various different types of lazers, chemical peels (you can do them at home too but it may be better to have a pro do it so you dont get burned), photofacials (i think thats different than lazers), microdermabrasion you may want to look up dermatologists near you and see what services they offer and also go on the web and see all the different options out there and this is just my opinion but I would stay away from all out plastic surgery since a lot of them capitalize and exploit off your insecurities I've heard of plastic surgeons pointing out stuff that is "wrong" with the person when they they go in for a consultation. I think going to the derm would be an investment in the long run because there are so many anti aging products that have a huge pricetag and minimal results I can relate to that because although I am not your age I had really bad acne when I was a teen and due to fear mongering I didn't treatment until I was 17 when I had had it since I was 12/13 now I wish I had got it earlier than I wouldnt have all these scars I heard all this crazy stuff about accutane but really I was already on antidepressants and didn't find it made me more depressed. Sorry to derail anyways I know one ingrediant proven to work is Niacinamide it helps make your skin brighter and its in some Olay products. Another thing proven to work is vitamin c it helps repair UV damage and even makes sunblock more effective, I read the future derm article which boils down to this cheap one is almost (every closely) as good as the Skinceuticals one which costs a ton of money. http://www.amazon.com/20-Vitamin-Ferulic-Acid-Serum/dp/B0036BI56G/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=29NJ6J54JCCE5&coliid=I2XE1K7P3404PM
    Eating lots of vegetables helps your skin too so maybe if you dont like them you can find some ways you like to get them into your diet and just eating nutrient rich diet in general coconut oil is a source of "good" fats you need especially when you are older and maybe you can find an exercise you really like, for me I really like boxing and bellydancing. Exercise is good for your skin too as you probably know, I think its unhealthy to have a goal of losing x amount of weight its better if you enjoy it and have fun with it and not focus on the weight. Hopefully you take the never go a day without sunscreen thing as the holy grail because really its never to late to start I am trying to get my mom to be more serious about it because she used to tan with oil and even had to be taken to the hospital with sun stroke and blisters and yet she still thinks its okay to tan every summer.
  • rozy
    Heres the future derm section on procedures most of them have to do with cosmetic dermatology: http://www.futurederm.com/category/procedures/
  • lindygirl1960
    @ ktward - Like you, I am 52. I have oily, sensitive skin. I never was one for getting a tan, but sunscreen was not around (at least where I am from) when I was growing up. Since my early 20's I have used sunscreen. Sunscreen is the most important thing you can for your skin. Make sure it is broad spectrum, protects against UVA and UVB rays. Reapply if you are going to be out during the day. An spf of 30 or higher is best.

    You can use retinols and AHA's. Just don't use them together. Use them only at night. Use sunscreen every day. (I personally use a prescription retin-A five nights a week and a BHA product two nights a week.)

    Olay has a serum in their Regenerist line that doesn't cost a fortune and has peptides in it - Daily Regenerating Serum Fragrance Free. I use it myself. Will it help any? Time will tell. In the meantime it is a nice light moisturizer to use in my eye area and on my neck. (My sunscreen provides plenty of moisturizer effect with skin as oily as mine for daytime!) I also use it in the eye area a night.

    Rozy mentioned a Vitamin C serum in her answer above. I use a DIY vitamin C toner. I mix 1/4 tsp L-Ascorbic Acid Vitamin C crystals with 2 tbs of distilled water. I use this potion in the mornings under my sunscreen, primer and makeup. I store it in an amber dropper bottle and keep that in a drawer away from light and heat. Since I make a new batch every week it doesn't have time to degrade much. My sunscreen already has vitamin E in it. As she said, that helps sunscreen to work more efficiently.

    I hope you find the products that work for you!


  • ktwardktward
    Thanks for the thoughtful reply, rozy.

    You're absolutely right, combining AHAs and Retinol is a big no-no. But as I mentioned in my post above, I use AHA in the morning and Retinol at night. I don't combine them.

    Alas, I've zero interest in any dermatological procedures. I'm simply not that vain nor really all that much adverse to developing wrinkles and looking my age. I dunno, maybe I am that vain .. but my lazy cheapskate-ness overrides my vanity. (Most gals would be horrified to learn how lax my skincare regimen really is. For instance, I only wash my face once a day when I take a shower, and I use baby shampoo. Once upon a time I used Purpose, but the awesome gals at BB pointed out that baby shampoo does the same thing and my cheapskate-ness totally ran with it.)

    Here's the thing. I developed my current skincare regimen after a laborious lit review, back before I even knew about this awesome site. Perhaps even before this site existed. Now, I simply don't want to go through it all again. (See? I'm not kidding when I say I'm lazy. In fact, it's one of my favorite things about me now that my kids are grown and I have the opportunity to entertain the thought of being lazy. Nirvana!) 

    I genuinely appreciate your anecdote re your mom. My own experience, amusingly, is the exact opposite.

    My stunning daughter was fortunate to inherit not my own fair, burn-prone skin, but the olive-ish skin of her father: where I have to work hard not to burn, she has to work hard to burn. She tans like nobody's business. Consequently, I've ever cautioned her to lather herself up with sunscreen with an eye toward her later years. I use Aunt Eileen as the cautionary tale; Aunt Eileen, my age, loved sailing her whole adult life. She was ever stunning with her long thick blond hair and forever tan. Today, she's still gorgeous on so many levels, but her skin is deeply creased and "leathered" and she and I no longer look like we share the same decade in terms of age.

    I've no illusions. No doubt genetics and perhaps healthy diet have played some part in my youthful appearance. (Heck, I was consistently carded well into my late 30s.) But I'm equally convinced that AHAs and Retinol have, er, "preserved" me for longer than I would have been otherwise. If I actually live to see 80 or 90, I'm totally fine with looking 80 or 90. But I'm 52 and look 42 (if not younger), and if there's something proven than can augment my current AHA/Retinol regime to keep that trend going, I am ALL ears. (Except for pricey office trips to cosmetologists, including their MD ranks: it all seems entirely infomercial/exploitative to me.)
  • ktwardktward

    @lindygirl1960


    Thank you for your gracious reply.

    At present, I don't need a moisturizer. (I live in a tropical environment.) As a hard rule, I steer away from DIY concoctions for two reasons: 1) you gotta really know what you're doing which takes a serious investment in both time and energy, and 2) I'm too lazy to do the stuff in 1).

    As I've already mentioned in my OP, I've already long found the products that work for me. (I pointed out to rozy which I'll mention again here, I do not use AHA and Retinol at the same time, which I'm pretty sure we all know is a no-no.)

    What I'm hoping for here is to get some wisdom from the BB minds. I mean, these gals have not only access into the latest anti-aging skin care science, they have the education and (especially) the incentive to weed through it and critique it.

    Meanwhile, near as I can tell I've already long been doing what has proven most efficacious.
  • rozy
    Yeah the price of cosmetic dermatology can be so jacked even from one place in the same state/province. I think it should be more regulated and fair. I didn't know you could do AHA in the morning and retinol at night. Interesting. I steer away from DIY concoctions too I just dont think I can do a better job than a chemist. In my province you aren't required to take chemistry in high school, I barely learned the basics. I think you are doing everything good and you have a healthy attitude towards aging. I do think there is a lot of exploitation of a older women's self worth if they get lines but with guys it adds "character" what a double freaking standard.
  • bluecatbaby

    Ktward,

    I'm not a BB blogger, just another reader, 50 y.o. for the record. But, some things I have learned are: a prescription retinoid, like Retin-A, is better than a non-prescription product with  retinol. A lotion or serum with a lot of anti-oxidants, one of which is Vitamin C, is good for skin.  Store-bought ones have to be packaged so that  they aren't exposed to light or air, or they can lose their effectiveness.

    You might be doing enough for your skin already, though. I would just save up for dermatology treatments for when I get moles, skin growths, sun spots, and spider veins and redness.

    I think you are asking only about topical products. However, aside from topical skin products, there are habits that are bad for skin that a person could avoid.

    Sugar in a person's diet causes a process called glycosis, which then causes degradation of collagen and elastin in your skin.  That of course is a cause of sagging and wrinkles. So, eating less sugar is good for anyone's skin.

    At least one expert, Paula Begoun, says that fragrances in skin products can cause irritation, often that is not seen or felt, but nevertheless damages skin cells. So, you could consider using only  fragrance-free products (if you don't already).

    Exercising gets blood flowing to your skin and gives it more healthy color. Eating red and yellow vegetables also can give skin more color.

    I have the same fair, burn-only skin that you have, and developed rosacea and broken blood vessels. I would say, avoid things that make your skin flush, because that could lead to rosacea.

    I really hope you keep your beautiful skin forever! You sound like you are a beautiful person inside, too.

     

     

  • lindygirl1960
    @ ktward - The products that work for me have changed over the years. I am so glad for you that what works for you has stayed the same. It would be a lot easier if product formulas did not change and products did not get discontinued for me!

    I do hope the Beauty Brains will pick up on this thread and answer your questions for you. 


  • Right BrainRight Brain
    @Ktward: It sounds like you're using the "creme de la creme" (pun intended) already. I may have missed it in the thread, but I assume you're also using sunscreen. 

    After AHAs and Retinol, the choices are much more sketchy. As you know there are a ton of ingredients that make magical anti-aging claims yet have no science to back them up. But there are ingredients with some science to back them up, usually in vitro studies that may or may not correlate to real life. Plus, the products using these ingredients are typically expensive so the barrier to trial is high. PLUS you have to use an anti-aging product a long time before you see effects (and even then unless you've done a "half-face" test on yourself how can you tell that your skin has really improved.) So, for all these reasons your question is really difficult to answer. 

    Having said all that there are a couple of ingredients that look a little more promising than others: 
    • You already mentioned peptides, you could look for products containing acetylhexapeptide-8 which may be capable of reducing wrinkles associated with facial muscles.
    • Rhamnose may have the ability to increase collagen. 
    Sorry we couldn't be more definitive but good luck! Let us know if you find anything you like. 
     
  • ktwardktward
    Wow. I'm so genuinely appreciative of the response to my little post. Thanks!

    I didn't want to overwhelm y'all with TMI so I kept my OP as brief as possible. But there were some good points brought up that I should probably speak to.

    Like I said, I'm 52. 

    - Sunscreen.
    The bulk of whatever damage the sun was gonna do to my skin has long been done. But as I've already said, I've never spent much time in the sun which probably speaks to my skin's current condition more than the AHA/Retinol regime I've used for the last 15-ish years. Anyhoo, if I know I'm going to be outside for a good portion of the day (say, running a bunch of errands) I do use a high SPF sunscreen. But otherwise, my daily sunscreen is simply bareMinerals' Mineral Veil.

    - Retinol.
    I have sensitive skin. Not unheard of in the fair-complected. I had to slowly work my way into using just OTC Retinol, so Rx retinoic acid is simply a non-starter for me. I'd much rather walk around with wrinkles than walk around with red skin.
  • ktwardktward
    Not sure what happened, but I had amended my above comment considerably since I last saved this particular draft (TMI, imo) so I'm not sure why this is what posted.

    Anyhoo, this was the amended comment that I intended ...

    Wow, I'm so appreciative of the response to my little post! Sincere thanks to everyone, but especially to Right Brain of course.

    "After AHAs and Retinol, the choices are much more sketchy."

    That's kind of what I thought, but wanted to double-check with y'all to see if skincare science had advanced beyond these while I wasn't looking.
  • rozy
    Futurederm has some good posts on peptides, apparently they break this rule called the Dalton rule so the scientists are trying to figure out why and that might help people discover new stuff about the skin.
  • starchild
    There is this skin care brand I want to recommend called timeless skincare its really affordable and futurederm said their vitamin c serum was almost as good as the skinceuticals one. http://www.timelessha.com/
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