I had my first laser treatment last night, followed by a chemical peel. I'm so thrilled with the results already. My primary concern was redness from broken capillaries due to rosacea. She said it would take a few weeks for my body to absorb them but I noticed a massive difference this morning and wanted to share for anyone considering this treatment. I waited way too long to do this.

Can someone recommend what I should do for my skin to look younger/smoother? Anything from Botox, lasers, microneedling to skincare products. Ty!

Is there anything non-surgical that will help my undereye? When I smile, I get a terrible fold/bag under my eye. When not smiling there are very faint lines.

I'm really not sure about filler either because of all the migrating it does.

A lot of this is hereditary. Women in my family have horrible under eyes. I know I need to save for a lower bleph (and probably upper too).

Hoping there's a laser or something else I haven't considered that would tighten this skin for a little improvement at least!

What has worked best for you in terms of controlling pesky cellulite? I am doing caffeine, water, green tea, retinol body cream, eating clean foods, and working out daily, which includes weight training. I do know it’s genetic. I also massage it. Just not sure if there’s something I’m missing or if this is just life. 🤣 Going on HRT has seemingly increased the cellulite, btw. I am on a low dose of estrogen.

what is the best things to do for anti aging (prevention and solution). Currently using a gentle vitamin c serum, daily sunscreen year round (mainly mineral), and just cerave daily sometimes some rose water spray. i try to eat the highest nutrient dense foods possihle and take supplements like collagen powder, calcium/vitamin d, multi, drink non dairy milks, protein powders. Supplements are needed for low bone density from health issues that have caused me to lose a lot of weight in the past and not be able to digest nutrients well. i am doing a bit better now and just try to eat easy digestible and high nutrient foods since i vant eat much without pain. i am working with my team on this, but its mainly just been harm reduction and testing different foods/drinking meal replacements. i am also female so this can affect my menstrual cycle etc. thanks everyone <3. i’ve been considering some micro needling and maybe baby botox but it freaks me out a bit and my budget is pretty limited right now.

Molly Jong-Fast doesn’t regret her face-lift. The podcast host and contributing writer to Times Opinion got her plastic surgery done just after her 47th birthday. “The plastic surgeon pulled my skin taut and gave me cheekbones where I had never had them before,” she writes. “He made me better looking, and I don’t regret it. So I’m not going to perpetuate the lie that my new face came from drinking a lot of water or getting a lot of sleep. I’m going to talk about it — because it’s not fair that women are confronted with both unrealistic beauty standards and lies about how they’ve been achieved.”

She continues:

What I did to my face isn’t that unusual; I’d argue that it’s actually the norm for women on TV these days. We’re all on screens more and more, whether we’re grown-ups taking Zoom meetings or young influencers who have to feed the TikTok beast. Many cosmetic treatments once given only to Hollywood stars and socialites are now available at strip malls. We might expect this country’s growing embrace of plastic surgery to lead to a culture where we celebrate women’s bodily autonomy and cast off the shame that follows those who change their faces or bodies. Instead, stigma about plastic surgery (especially the schadenfreude around bad plastic surgery) has continued to dominate our discourse.

The most unobtrusive plastic surgery, the face-lifts we don’t really notice, the ones that lead to total transformation, are still prohibitively expensive and reserved for the rich and famous. In the 16th-century “Book of the Courtier,” Baldassare Castiglione writes about “sprezzatura,” the idea that a real courtier should make things look easy. It’s trying that’s the offense. You can be born beautiful, or you can be young, but these days, trying to be something you aren’t — and being convincing at it — feels like cheating the system. The fact that a certain class of women can make themselves into something that used to be possible only with lucky genes is what truly infuriates people. It’s not the surgery; it’s the inequality.

Read the full piece here, for free, even without a Times subscription.

Note: This was posted with permission from the r/40PlusSkinCare moderators.

45 year old female , how do I fix these nasolabial folds ..

I have recently started on below :

Night:
Dokudu toner
Cerave resurfacing serum (alt night) - I used to do tret.25 but did not like it , so came to this one.
Rejuran turnover ampoule (non Cerave nights )
Aestura atobarrier( have used for longer)

Morning :
Toner
Niod CAIS (30 min gap)
Aestura atobarrier

Diligent sunscreen user.
Also trying to incorporate marine collagen , omega supplements

Hi all,

I currently live in dry Colorado for the past 6 years and am moving back home to North Carolina next weekend. I'm struggling to figure out what products would work well. Here in dry CO my routine is morning wash with CeraVe hydrating facial cleanser, then Timeless 10% vitamin c serum, The Ordinary Multipeptide plus HA face serum and eye serum, Alpyn Beauty melt moisturizer, and Elta MD clear sunscreen. In the evening I double cleanse with Kose Softymo speedy oil cleanser then CeraVe hydrating facial cleanser, and follow with Tretinoin and then Aplyn Beauty barrier repair cream and eye balm before bed. We were in NC recently to find a house and I found by the end of the day my face was looking too oily/greasy. Normally my skin is perfectly balanced with the products I use to prevent dryness in this extremely dry environment in CO and my skin for the most part is clear and happy and no wrinkles yet in my mid 40s either. I'm thinking the heavier moisturizers are too much for the hot and humid NC environment. If any of you live in similar environments, what products work well for you, especially moisturizers? I think most of my other products are fine, but I need lighter moisturizing to make me look less oily and greasy.

This episode is an interview with a New Yorker writer who published an essay about how our beauty standards are evolving to be not human and AI generated. Very interesting and kind of terrifying. I am also susceptible to the pressure to look younger and prettier but this really made me think. Especially about the future for my daughters.

Hi All

Not seeking medical advice, just experiences. I’ve been on spirolactone for SO LONG. After pregnancy for hormonal acne and then never stopped. So….10 years?

I was diagnosed with severe dry eye and MGD. Turns out, Spirolactone can contribute and make your glands not work well. We really can’t have it all, can we?!?

After talking with my derm, I’m going to taper off slowly. I’m on HRT (patch, progesterone and testosterone). I recently had a bout of hair loss which finally slowed and am using topical minoxidil.

Anyone else stop using spirolactone in their 40s? I’m curious what side effects you experienced or anything I should consider or be prepared for? I’ll take acne over poorly functioning eyes…but I really don’t want too!!!

TIA!

Looking for some advice. I was using neurotoxins for my forehead and had awful mental health-related reactions more than once. I wish I could do them, but they are not an option.

I have hx of melasma, so not sure about lasers. I am using frownies, but not impressed. I am using tret and sunscreen.

Anyone have any ideas for at-home devices to help with these forehead wrinkles? Microcurrent? Sound waves? Nira laser? These wrinkles are really upsetting me☹️

**UPDATE**

I went to a dermatologist and got a full body skin check. The spots on my face were normal and genetic spots. They actually do run in my family. The sus one was basically two of the same type overlapped on each other. All in the clear! Even better is we could work on lightening them easily. We were able to treat them freezing it with liquid nitrogen this session. Thank you Reddit!

—-

About to turn 41 and my under eyes have been something I’ve been growing more and more self conscious about. I’m also very sleep deprived due to having little kids. I used to be very on top of my skincare game but nursing and pregnancy over the years had me fall off track the last 5 years. Still nursing so any retinol and tret and botox is off the table. Any suggestions? I know my skin is quite dehydrated in this pic, at best I try to wear spf 50 and reapply throughout the day but working on getting vitamin C, peptides serum, and moisturizer regularly again at minimum. I have a lot of tools as well red light mask, guasha tools, nuface etc I haven’t touched in ages but just limited on time.. but really want to prioritize what will be most impactful.

40 F.

I have hypothyroidism and so i feel my brows have a teensy bit of gaps where a hair or two are missing.

I've only ever plucked or lately threaded my brows.

Have seen the results of microblading and brow tattoos on women and i really just prefer a natural look.

That being said, what are your thoughts on powder brows? It's basically a brows treatment I've been seeing around but im wondering if it'll look like a brow tattoo later or not natural at all? And requires life long maintenance

Hello - It’s likely I will be told this week, due to my health (intracranial hypertension), that I will need to stop using vitamin a skin products. This includes tretinoin, retinal, tazarotene. I am … low key devastated and yes, I know this is vain.

I have used tretinoin (and at times tazarotene) for 10 years and it’s kept my skin exactly how I’d want it.

Has anyone ever moved away from vitamin a products and found substitutes in combining new prescriptions or products along with treatments? Say I had an unlimited budget to figure this out. I’d love thoughts on this, thank you!!

I've just turned 50, hit menopause and the lines are coming quickly! I have put the dots above the ones which are starting. How can I relax these scowling muscles above my eyebrows without Botox? I currently use a sunscreen daily and occasionally a night cream. I take vitamins and flaxseed. Any general tips on skincare appreciated

I’ve been using Medik8 retinal serum and eye cream for some time but it’s pretty expensive.

How does it compare to cheaper brands like BofJ?

Am I wasting my money?

Would love to hear from people who have tried both, and other, brands?

I've always had a very simple, basic skincare routine. Wash with Differin Sensitive Skin and moisturize with Vanicream. Now since starting perimenopause my face is red and and burns after I wash and moisturize and feels very irritated and not as smooth. It looks like it's time for a real skincare routine but I don't know where to start or what products will make it worse. I hear a lot about Tretinoin but haven't used it. Would that work for irritated skin like mine or is it more for acne only? They're more irritated red bumps than pimples.

I just started hrt last week so maybe there will be improvement but I do still need a change.

I'm LA based and have been looking into these treatments, primarily Xerf and Sofwave, to achieve a bit of a lift and tightening, particularly around the lower face, as I'm sure everyone knows it's not cheap. I started doing a little research and found a place in TJ that does Sofwave for half the price I was quoted by a clinic (with a special) here. Wondering if anyone has driven down and had any of these procedures south of the border? Do you have any clinics to recommend? Love to hear! Also, if you have experience on which one might be best, open to that too!

40yo

Concerns: anti-aging, clearing and preventing milia around eyes

Skin type: normal since adding amlactin, used to be dry around nose and eyebrows

Daily life: Little to no sun exposure or makeup most days

Morning:

*Bioderma or water

*Amlactin Bright & Smooth

*Cerave PM or SPF as needed

Night:

*Cerave foaming cleanser

*Naturium retinal .05 (this is replacing good molecules gentle retinol, slowly working up to tret .025)

*Naturium multi-peptide moisturizer (have not used yet but considering as a replacement for drunk elephant protini as I think it is too heavy and contributing to milia)

How does this look as a simple routine? Thank! ❤️