CountingDown - I always had oily skin until my forties, and I think it’s the kind of skin that ages best. Once it began to dry out, I became diligent about keeping it moisturized and I think that’s made a difference (though busdriver, I’m sorry to say I still think a lot of it is genetic and I was fortunate that way! Even my 96 yo grandmother has relatively few wrinkles).
I had oily skin, and I think I missed the boat as to when I should have started worrying about moisturizing. When I was much younger, I was totally an “Ivory girl.” I just washed with soap, and didn’t apply any moisturizer. Then sometime I started using just eye balm of some sort, and eventually I started with moisturizer. Now I am religious about both sunscreen and moisturizer, especially on my face. But the damage was mostly done decades ago.
Regenerist serum by Oil of Olay fan here. I second RoC for nighttime. Vitamin C products by Avon are pretty amazing and having naturally oily skin is best lol
So I’m thinking about at least getting a consultation about the Juvederm this week. I have two weeks off, so wish I could have it done completely, however the people I’m considering are completely booked up. I was also noticing something on their website about “fat transfer”. Has anyone had that done? Seems like it could kill two birds with one stone, get rid of that belly fat and the facial wrinkles, too. But it sounds more dramatic, and maybe a little bit scary.
fat transfers do NOT last. the reason is fat cells, like all human cells , require a network of intact blood vessels to survive.
Sucking out fat cells from one area and re-injecting them in another will temporarily “plump up” deep wrinkles, but as soon as the cells die , due to lack of a intact blood supply, they discompose and melt away- leaving patients with the same wrinkles and fewer $ in their pockets.
Last Christmas, I had Restylane injections in the hopes that they would soften the hollows at my temples and under my eyes. I was adamant with my doctor that I did NOT want an artificial look. Well, I guess I was too adamant because they made NO DIFFERENCE at all, as confirmed by photographs, and by my most honest critics (mom and sisters). It cost a fortune, and I got a black eye on one side that lasted close to a month. Totally NOT worth the time, money and humiliation of running around with a black eye for a month.
I think Juvederm is essentially the same stuff. Have no idea about the fat transfers but that seems like a totally different ballgame. The Restylane injections took 10 mins in an office setting and involved a tiny syringe worth of material – a teeny tiny fraction of an ounce.
It sounds to me like they didn’t use enough. Honestly, I’ve only heard of good results for fillers in nasolabial folds (lines from the nose to the corners of the mouth). The first lady I talked to said that I definitely needed two syringes. And I don’t think they are tiny syringes!
I keep thinking, uh oh, what if they botch it a bit? If there are temporary lumps, or it’s uneven. And then I look in the mirror and realize, well, it couldn’t look worse than it does right now… 
I’ve had friends who tried to soften the nasolabial folds and too much was injected and they ended up with the “Joker smile.” They did NOT have the stuff injected in their lips but just in the folds. The injections flattened out the area and broadened the triangle from nose to corners of the mouth. That is the result I would want to avoid at all costs. I’ve never really noticed lumps and bumps but that broadening effect is very unattractive. I declined the nasolabial use because of it.
PS Of course I have no way of knowing EXACTLY what they had done. It is something to discuss with the doctor.
That would be awful, to end up with that. I have seen that every now and then on women, and do not like it a bit! However, I’m not sure how putting in too much filler would achieve that result, unless you’re putting it in the lips, too. I also thought that was more from plastic surgery, too. Honestly, I don’t know how it’s possible to go from hound dog to joker smile…you would have to find a way to massively raise the corners of your mouth.
Not sure if this is off topic but I’m having IPL this week and I’m wondering what others experienced. (Apparently I had a series of 4 about 15 years ago but I don’t remember what I thought–either about pain level or how well it worked; doesn’t say much about my memory )
I have a relative who is a dermatologist and swears by Obaji (not sure if I’m spelling it correctly). It helps reduce facial age spots and sun damage and is very youthening. It doesn’t do anything for wrinkles but is was a great hit with her and most of the women in my family.
I’m allergic to it because it has sulfite preservatives; my face reacted badly and I gave it back.
You have to use it regularly but it does a nice job. You have to be sure to wear sunscreen, wear a hat and avoid the sun for best long term results.
Here’s the link for Obaji products. http://www.obagi.com
I have seen the injectables in the nasolabial lines and can pick them out immediately. They never look like the magazines. It fills it up and does look unnaturally flat, and when you smile, there isn’t a normal cheek crease…even the young have that. I would talk in depth to the person doing this about the results you want. I’d also be more conservative starting out.
I’m a big fan of lasers used correctly for rosacea and acne. My insurance covers laser use for both of those conditions. I haven’t needed to do either one for about 5 years now (I’m 46) because my face is getting less oily and the rosacea has not come back. I’m still on retin a for the acne, and it works really well for me for fine lines, as well.
My MIL uses fillers and has done some seriously hard-core chemical face peels. She has to stay out of the sun, but the face peels removed a lot of pre-cancerous growths on her face, and she looks really good (she’s 70).
I’m not really trying to make my skin look younger or my face retain its youthful dimensions (young lips on an old face just look straight up weird to me), but I am trying to age with grace and elegance.
I’ve seen some excellent effects on others with Thermage and Titan, and if my neck goes all wattly I’ll definitely do that if I can afford it.
Crepey skin on the neck and between the breasts can be fixed with lasers. Not forever (of course, eventually we all go wrinkly and then die), but for a good while.
Go to a board certified dermatologist, and make sure his techs are certified on the laser machines. I can’t stress this enough. You don’t want them burning you.
My “expensive face cream” (not counting the Rx Retin A) is extra virgin unrefined coconut oil. I swear there is nothing better. If I could dip myself in it every morning, I would, I go through that much of it.
I think the fillers usually turn out fine. I would not do the fat injections. I have a friend who did that under her eyes and it was a nightmare. Several procedures later to correct it, she still isn’t really happy.
“I think the fillers usually turn out fine. I would not do the fat injections. I have a friend who did that under her eyes and it was a nightmare. Several procedures later to correct it, she still isn’t really happy”
That’s terrible. I hope she didn’t have to pay for all those corrective procedures! I keep hearing about bad results for work under the eyes, I wonder if that is a dicey area to work on.
It is a tough area and best left alone, I think. She got a lot of the repair for free, but, frankly, she overreacted to how bad it was. I didn’t think it was very noticeable. Of course, when you go through that and pay for a surgery, you want it to be perfect!
Certainly, we probably notice far more than others. I could probably get full facial plastic surgery, and nobody would notice a whole lot! She probably thought it was far worse than it really was.
I went to see Star Trek with my teen son on Sunday and asked for “2 adult tickets, please”…the ticket woman said, “I gave you a little discount!” and smiled at me. I look at my ticket and it said, “senior discount.”
aaarurughghhgg.
So here I am at CC…looking at face cream discussions…
Grrrr, SouthernHope. That would really irritate me. I might have said, “But I’m only 40?”