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Evies
New Member
 
Joined: 13 May 2006
Posts: 9
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Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:28 pm  |
hi...
i'm just wondering for those of you have started seeing visible signs of aging on your skin, is it normal to go through panic/depression during this period?
i've been noticing premature ageing for the past 2-3 years... i'm 27 now and it's to the point where i have very undeniable crows feet/undereye lines ... i get mistaken for older than i am all the time, more often than not... even got mistaken for 37 the other day...
and all of this has me just feeling ill. i'd love to just let it go but it's there staring me in the face every time i look at a mirror. even when i'm not near a mirror, when i'm out socially i can almost FEEL the heaviness around my eyes, weighing my down...my eyes feel tired all the time.
i'm doing everything i can to take great care of my skin (no smoking, no sun, lots of water, vitamin C, retin A and emu oil)...but part of me knows these wrinkles are here to stay and i need to accept them. but man, i could not feel more down about them! i can't stop comparing myself to others, cursing my reflecting, and dwelling on this. i realize how vain and petty this all sounds and i promise i've never been one to harp on her appearance, but this is all having a terrible impact on my self-esteem.
am i alone in my feelings? is this the normal reaction every woman goes through? and if not, what can i do to kick myself in the ass and make myself feel better about this? |
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27 years old, here for anti-aging issues. |
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Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:54 pm |
Evies,
You are not alone in feeling this way. I've been dealing with premature aging as well. It is really difficult. I have my good days and I have my bad days.
I did want to tell you that I'm still trying to fight it. I feel like a part of this is still somewhat optional. The one thing that I've seen help my eyes is the PSF Cranberry Eye-Lift. |
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Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:15 pm |
evies you are definitely NOT alone! why do you think the skin care industry is a multi BILLION dollar a year industry!
Everyone starts to panic at different ages...some in their 20s me in my early 30s. some women not till their 50s . and I wouldnt worry ! seriously there are so many new technologies out now and skin care has improved where it actually does reverse wrinkles ...so imagine what is coming next (and before you will actually really need it)
you will not age another 10 years overnight and the wrinkles you have now (which I bet are not bad at all) will not suddenly become worse. You sound like you are doing all the right things. Maybe what you wear /your style could be aging you.....a ton of women think only of their face and forget that their image and attitude will age them before anyone will ever see a wrinkle. and do forget about that twit that thought you looked 37......... so make yourself a nice cup of green tea (so good for you) and relax while you search net for the next lot of goodies that you will spend your pennies on! oh and welcome to the wonderful world of women!  |
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Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:31 pm |
Don't worry you are not alone. My sister recently turned 28 & she normally gets told she looks younger than me & I'm 23!  But recently someone at work told her "you're starting to show your age now"  (which is a very rude thing to say imo!  ). But ever since this comment she has become very paranoid about aging & hence uses more anti-aging products etc. However, I think the worst thing you can do is to just worry, instead just look after yourself & stay out of the sun etc |
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Evies
New Member
Joined: 13 May 2006
Posts: 9
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Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:13 pm |
| Safire wrote: |
| ( But recently someone at work told her "you're starting to show your age now" (which is a very rude thing to say imo! ). |
i agree, what a really horrible thing to say! some people are just flat-out rude. a comment like that can sting for days and make you look at yourself in the mirror in a viciously critical way.
i agree with everyone, best not to worry about it, but sometimes it's just impossible not to... like when you catch that reflection of yourself in the harsh lighting of a grocery store or something, and your face looks lined and weary... it's hard not to cling to the memory of your younger self and feel like your skin is betraying you as you older...
sometimes i really, really wish i was a man. though aging isn't fun for anyone, i doubt their concerns about it are half as nagging as ours are... i mean, a lot of people say wrinkles/crow's feet etc add "character" to a man's face...meanwhile women are trained to freak out if they see lines on their face...here i am buying into that, but aging is truly scaring me! |
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27 years old, here for anti-aging issues. |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:10 am |
| Evies, you are so right! I lived in the islands for many years and have a lot of sun damage as a result. So does my hubby, and I'd say we both look a lot older now than we did just a couple of years ago. But while I'm spending a fortune on anti-aging products and scrutinising every line, pore, broken capillary and dark splotch in the mirror on a daily basis, he just doesn't care! He has lots of lines and marks too, but is quite happy - he's had a skin cancer check and knows what changes he should look out for but other than that he isn't bothered. It's just not fair! |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 1:32 am |
Trust me, it happens to everyone... I never slept at all last night (no, not partying, just could not sleep for love nor money).. looked in the mirror to put in some eye drops at lunch time and recoiled. I look like I have aged 10 years in 12 hours.. shiny, blotchy skin that looks drawn, grey and generally HORRIBLE.
Off home tonight for a warm bath, a nice revitalizing masque and then a looooong sleep!! ::sigh:: to think, yesterday I was admiring my skin thinking it was looking rather nice of late...  (notice I have avoided mentioning MY wrinkles.. oh, darn, I just did. doh!) |
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SKIN: combination, reactive to climate changes and extremely fair. "Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself." --Roseanne |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 2:09 am |
| hey tiger tim I live in japan too...where everyone has brilliant skin and people dont get wrinkles till their bloody 50s! yikes! not like we sun worshipping gaijin! god I should get a skin cancer check...havent for years and I am an aussie....evies do you use glycolic acid products? they are great ....and if you dont want to use the AHA or glycolic acid everyday you may want to use the masks for a once a week at home peel.....be careful using retinol with them though...(may be too strong) |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:10 am |
That's interesting.
My friend lives in Hawaii, which has a large Japanese population and Asian population in general. She is in the the minority as a caucasian of European origin. Anyway, her awareness of herself aging has been extremely exaggerated in this setting, because, yes, white women tend to age more quickly and less gracefully. She often gets mistaken for way older than she is, even though she doesn't necessarily look bad for her age.
She's considering moving! |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:40 am |
Yes, hello from another aging caucasian in Asia - that kind of doubles the problem and move to a small town and be the only European and that adds a 2 to the power of 10 or something, but luckily we all have the farmers to compare to here in China.
Actually, I'm doing fine with it these days, but I've been through some very bad phases. You come and go. |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:54 am |
Interesting that so many of you guys are in Asia.... didn't realize how international this board was.
And just wanted to add that yes, aging blows. I went through a serious depression when I first noticed the signs of aging kicking in, and I am only 25. I think the whole "premature" aspect of it is a double blow, because when I look at my friends I see they still have their youth while mine has entirely drained from my face, replaced with early wrinkles and dark circles that age me far beyond my years.
It's vain, it's stupid, it's not worth losing sleep over... but it still makes me feel bad. I can't look in the mirror without scrutinizing my developing wrinkles. So that's every single time I see my reflection (a few times a day).
But yes, some days are better than others, and although my skin is in no better shape than it was about 6 months ago, I am better at accepting it and just living with it. What can I do besides take care of my skin the best I can? It's out of my hands. |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:33 am |
| I definitely think we judge ourselves too harshly.. I peer into the mirror everyday looking for new wrinkles and blotches.... our culture has brought us up to believe some pretty weird crap ! Its so funny as I have a rather long nose that I have always hated ...then when I moved to japan I receieved so many compliments on it as they hate small noses and many women have their noses made bigger and even have bumps put in. No one is ever really happy with what they have or how they look even people we think are gorgeous... |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:49 am |
Well, I have another take on this whole subject. Here it is and I'm sure no one will agree, but here it goes.
I didn't notice signs of aging until my late 40's. However, it was during my mid 40's that I felt I should be doing more to preserve the youthfulness of my skin so I started using a lot of anti-aging stuff like AHA, Retinol, Vitamin C etc. My skin started getting worse instead of better and one morning I notice lines around my eyes - the first time in my life!!!! It took me a long while to figure out that I was using alot of products that were way too strong for my skin causing it to be dehydrated, ittitated and just plain awful looking in every conceivable way.
I am amazed that so many youngsters in their 20's are showing signs of aging. But, I also hear that they are using such strong products on their skin that (I feel) are geared for much older women. Why would anyone in their 20's use AHA's? Your skin actually exfoliates on it's own at that age and I really don't think it needs help to do so. And using Retin-A for a 20 year old?? Gosh, that's strong stuff. When I was a 20 year old there was no such thing as AHA's, Retin-A, Copper Peptides etc. and maybe that was a good thing.
I guess the point I'm making is that all of this anti-aging stuff should be working and it's not. I just hear of too many young people aging far to early and I feel there has to be a reason for this.
I have simplified my routine. I use nothing strong on my face, absolutely no anti-aging skin care products or other actives and my skin has improved immensely and looks much better and I am now 52. The less I do the better my skin looks.
I'm not saying I'm right. This is just my own theory. Feel free to disagree because I'm not even 100 per cent sure of this theory. I'm just kicking it around. Food for thought. |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:06 am |
Hi Leeleedeedee
I partly agree with some of what you say. I'm often amazed too by 20 somethings using exfoliants and other anti-aging boosters. I really feel the skin sorts itself out at that age and you might be upsetting those natural functions. But I think a lot of the younger users who do this are dealing with acne which can be pretty disfiguring.
And I'm not sure some of these younger users were using strong things before they showed the signs of aging. Seems to me they started after that from reading their previous threads.
Maybe we're just all much more image conscious. I'm sure there were people in the late twenties with lines when I was that age too - including me if I'd been up all night and I didn't use anything. |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:07 am |
That's an interesting perspective, leeleedeedee.
Personally, I don't know why exactly I am aging so prematurely. There are several possible causes, but nothing that stands out to me as an obvious or plausible reason why I have wrinkles around my eyes AT THE AGE OF 25. I am horrified by it. I am especially horrified when people like you tell me they didn't notice lines until their 40s, because I fear what the future will hold for me.
I had never been a product junkie at all until recently, when I started noticing the wrinkles. In my teen years I just used a Neutrogena acne scrub and that's about it. So I don't think it's necessarily the overabundance of products that's to blame. I will say that the products I use NOW don't seem to be helping that much despite my dilligence.
Who knows. It sucks, though. |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:35 am |
Evies, you are not at all alone! I know how you feel as i am in the same situation . I am also 27 years old too. Lately i have been obssesing about my skin. Its causing me so much stressed . I worry about it 24 hour a day, i just feel like i am compromising my sanity and marriage.
My husband is frustrated with me anymore about this whole skin problem. He said he dont see anything and even if there is, i am gonna age no matter what.
This whole skin thing is causing me so much grief and anxiety. I know its not worth it and its not helping but i cant help it. I just hope someday ill be able to accept and be able to laugh about it.
I wonder if its ever gonna happen  |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:20 am |
| Janis, you should see my mother. She did not develop a wrinke until she was well into her 80's - I kid you not!!!! And, I am talking about a woman who has used nothing on her face for most of her life - go figure!!!! |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 2:16 pm |
I agree with Leeleedeedee,
My grandma made skin care a priority. She cleansed with a gentle cleanser 2-3 x per day and applied a cold cream (Ponds I think). She had the most beautiful skin until her 60's,with NO wrinkles. Then she developed "life experience lines". She earned them and she wore them with pride.
Genetics seem to play a huge role in the makeup of our skin and the problems we encounter. Younger skin (imo) doesn't need all the chemicals, just the basic principles for good skin care. I would try to find someone who takes good care of their skin, and aks them for their unbiased opinion of my face.
Sometimes we see things in an exaggerated sense, concerning our own selves. The SA at the skin care counter, just wants to sell you products. With that said, I too would be unhappy with seeing fine lines in my 20's. Remember, stress can add more lines, even if we aren't aware we're stressing. Good luck finding your answer. |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:01 pm |
My first post! 
Actually, I had to chime in because I know exactly where you're coming from. I have always been very lucky in the "aging" department...until now. I am turning 43 in 2 weeks and the last 6 months have brought on all sorts of "old lady." I do get panicked...big time. I don't want to accept that the clock is ticking and I'm not 20 anymore. I've really got great skin and next to no wrinkles per se (except for those horrible 11's), but I am experiencing tired skin, skin that is beginning to show sagging ever so slightly and HORRORS!...extra skin under my chin!! What's that!? I never factored all that stuff in all those years I was searching for the wrinkles.
It's completely normal to freak. It stinks, actually. We are our own worst critics and I think we oftentimes see things in an exaggerated sense. (Think body image at age 13!) I think, at your age, there really has to be more at play here than just premature aging. I'm no expert AT ALL, but I think this is a time when your skin should be at its best and cell renewal is primo. Drinking LOTS of water and eating the right foods is really crucial to healthy skin, IMHO. Do you get out in the sun? What are your sunscreen tendencies? Unfortunately, I was a teen in the late 70s when EVERYONE tanned, so I have to deal w/ that now. Oh, if only I could do it over. I'd have nary a hyperpigmentation to worry about. Suffice this all to say that you're normal. Your worries are normal, although I hate hearing that you're going through them so young. I advocate taking care of yourself from the inside out too. I don't think now is the time for you to spend oodles on anti-aging, because it could mess up your skin's natural ability to regenerate. I don't know, I'm certainly no expert. But please, do not feel alone. I'm there with you, as are most all women at some point! |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:04 pm |
but like I said I only partly agree with leeleedeedee and now debbied because the people they're talking about have a serious case of good skin genes.
Now that doesn't run in my family, or not my side of it anyhow. My skin is the same type as my mother and her father, which involves serious collagen loss around mid thirties and photodamage involving dark patches, red patches and heavy duty wrinkles and fine lines all over from 40 onwards and these, believe me, don't look like designer wrinkles - they're disfiguring.
I think I'm winning the battle. OK, don't abuse your face with exfoliants and anti-aging products when you're young, but don't throw away products preventing damage such as anti-oxidants and/or some use of SS. You will reap the benefits later if you're not so blessed. |
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Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:33 pm |
OK, this might sound completely off-the-wall, but having also read 'do you look younger than you are' over in the lounge I've decided our wrinkle scrutinizing, self-perceptions are limiting and depressing.
I used to be an art and design 'major' as you say in the US. I once did a self-portrait project. It really opens things up and you can perceive all kinds of other positive/negatives about your image.
So I was using different media - did one, slide based images of myself interspersed with shots of relevant animals. Another was collage, where I built up all the fleshy parts with mashed up soft things, another was drawing but all in shades of blue etc.
Try it! You'll find something else to focus on instead of the dib dabbing of topicals. |
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Fri Jul 21, 2006 4:58 am |
Im starting to think like leeleedeedee
Since i started on AHA,BHA,vit c and retinol my skin looks blotchy. I have since cut out the AHA, only use BHA a few days a week,a few days a week with vit c and a few days of retinol.It looks a bit better but im tempted just to pick one and stick with that.
I started using all the above once a day awhile ago! and paid the price. |
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Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:23 am |
I must clarify that even though my mother did not start to wrinkle until her 80's I do not have her skin type. I have ultra, ultra, ultra sensitive skin and my mother has the toughest skin on the planet.
I always had to treat my skin gently and it responded well until I started to get sucked into all that anti-aging stuff. The more of those products I used the worse my skin became and then I developed fine lines and started to experience problems with my skin that I never had before. This anti-aging stuff and AHA's and glycolic acid and retin A are really, really strong stuff for the skin. Yes, to be sure, there are people who respond beautifully to these products, but what are the long term results? Like 10 years down the road. If you are using products that have the potential to dry out and thin the skin what happens in the long term?
I can only speak from my own personal experience and that's what I'm doing. The less I put on my skin, the less I do to it, the better it looks. |
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Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:43 am |
| Quote: |
| If you are using products that have the potential to dry out and thin the skin what happens in the long term? |
That's a bit of a sweeping statement and not accurate in my opinion.
Retinoids reduce oil production, but CPs add GAGs, which is 'true' mosturisation. And Retinoids don't thin the skin. Retinoids thin the horny layer (like in a younger person) but they thicken the epidermis - overall thicker skin. Of course you have to be judicious. It's a bit much to start off with three actives all at one time. Acids thin the horny layer but promote thicker collagen in the process.
And lots of other actives are beneficial without any action on the horny layer - like ALAs and Vit C etc etc.
I think out of everything, yes Retinoids seem to cause skin barrier problems and water loss and sensitivity to other things, but there are plenty of other actives that don't. |
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Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:12 am |
My statement was intentionally "broad and sweeping" because I have read too many articles that contradict one another. For example, retinol thins the skin, retinol doesen't thin the skin, retinol thins the skin only in people with sensitive skin etc.
The debate goes on and on and I feel that right now there is no definitive answer as to what these products do in the long term.
But here's a question: if all of these products are good for the skin and thicken it then why does one have to be extra careful with sun protection because of increased sensitivity to the sun? |
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