Father time, loose skin.

[Kelly]

Starting to notice wrinkles on brow, around eyes, and neck starting to imitate a turkey. I know it is inevitable, but a girl doesn't have to like it.

Short of plastic surgery or botox, what works to arrest development or possibly reverse it? I have started reading labels in the skin care section of stores and have been doing some internet research. Lots of fantastic claims and mixed information. The positive product reviews read like they have been planted by a marketing department. Haven't been able to get to the library, yet, to checkout consumer reviews.

I have already established a morning and night cleansing and moisturizing routine; yes I exfoliate. Using fairly run of the mill moisturizing creams. They have aloe and vit e in them. That's it. The other products with the additives with fancy names are pricey. I'll put down my money on something that is effective, but no interest is setting dollar bills on fire.

Love you all,
Kelly.

[Karin]

I found a club of some anti wrinkle stuff in my makeup a while back. I dunno where I got it but its really good.
Its a clear gel that's Petrolium jelly based and a tiny dab before putting makeup on leaves the skin really smooth and I love it. I use it as a sort of mega moisturiser rather then wrinkle basher but something like that might help?

[SallyStone]

Kelly,

There are so many products on the market it is hard to choose. However, I don't think you can go wrong with skin care creams or serums that have Retin-A in them. It is a topical form of Vitamin A that generally improves the look and feel of skin. It isn't a miracle cure for wrinkles (I don't think anything is) but I believe it is still one of the best ingredients for skin care.

In your search if you find the miracle cure for wrinkles please let me know.

Hugs,

Sally

[Kelly]

Ha, you'll be the first to know Sally.

I've seen Rentin-a mentioned a lot in my searching of the web. Next purchase will have some. So far research has mentioned Vitamins A, C, & E.

Serial moisturizing seems to help. In hindsight I wish I had taken a picture 6 weeks ago. Maybe its just seeing what I want to see, but the mirror doesn't look as bad now - though there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Kelly.

[Rhanda]

See what a really old person looks like (My avatar). I have never used anything special but I watch my diet. Balance is important, I think. Dairy if you can tolorate it is importan and plenty of fresh fruits and vegitables. I have always liked very rich icecream. I don't know whether this is good for others but I happen to be fortunate, I guess.

Rhanda

[Paulette]

Rhanda, you spring chicken, you!

I don't use anything but cold water, myself, but my wife swears by "The Miracle Worker" from Philosophy, available at both Ulta and Sephora. Took care of her chicken neck and wrinkles around nose, mouth and eyes. It's expensive and takes a while to show effect, but it's the only thing she's found that works as well as or better than its advertising.

Of course YMMV, but were I concerned it's what I'd use.

[Noeleena]

Hi,

What your saying is ...really... you did not look after your self years ago. well many i know did not ether, , so its well,,,,,,, how do i say this nicely your paying for the back lash .

Iv watched many iv known over the years & it seems to me because of that , what shall i say hard liveing and hard..... well what many men did... and thier skin is so hard wrinkles weather beaten and drawn. now then they are younger than i some by 10 & 15 years,

Now id best not say a thing about my self because Jos ( not really its in fun....sort of ).

I have lovely skin hardly any wrinkles, soft, and its olive , now i blame that on my background, again best not say someit. youll shot me. .... he he .....

I worked out side most of my life all kinds of weather, all year round. i have another secret, it was called softsoap.. you did not hear that...he he .....i used that on boxing on the building sites to make my large shutters all lovely & smelling nice. hey shut it this is a mans world of the hard school. yea soft'e, like i said you never heard this,,

i used soft soap on my face hands legs leather pinny and boots. was lovely okay back to work.
mutter mutter ...... bloody builder's well i said i was weired, so now you know my secret. that was in 1966-67.

Allmost forgot i do have another secret. bugger im givening too much away. ill have nothing left.

Youll just have to ask me. nicely mind.

...noeleena...

[Kelly]

Oeeew, Noeleena, your such a tease.

Please, please, pretty please. What is the other secrete.

[Noeleena]

Hi.

My real secret.. youll be surprised two in fact, one because of knowing i was different being intersex meant i had some advantages my female hormones that worked very well for me in a number of ways, two, age 10 on, i knew to look after my self in other words did not abuse my self as many have,

such as food drink & substance abuse, of any kind.

I was quite hard on myself in regard to food eat right keeped very fit was a gymnast & work served me well being fit on the job plus did over 300 miles a week on my push bike, and power rideing, hill work, i did weight lifting on the jobs i was on ( not like in a gym ) when i first started work i could not lift cupboards, so by 3 months i was strong as. you need strong arms for rope climbing i was one of two who would be up the rope by arm strength only did not use my legs as was told to that way was far too slow for this kid,

You know what though my weight has been close to 11 stone = 154 lbs for 46 years, & i allowed about 5lbs up or down depending on working or not, my figure has remained close to female in body shape allowing for age through my life,

Yet Psychologically i knew i had to be ready for my body changes when it was time to live as a normal female, you could say my prep time was in looking after my body .

An interesting point has been iv allways wondered about my body, i had / have the strength that many males have yet did not have the body mass many dresser's or trans people seem to hate or dislike about them self. so if you looked at say arms or legs very much like female, yet i have the strength other wise i would not have been able to do my weight training & work on the building sites. of cause i know why over the last spos 15 years .

In fact most thought i was a bit of a weakling , funny i spos, at school they beat me up.i was a runner so was only out smarted because there were 5 against 1, i was too quick some of the time. and would hide. till the bell went. or i rang it. was a ringer,

never mind all different , secrets, being female and looking after myself,

...noeleena...

[Eileen (SO)]

Guess what? Everyone ages and it shows differently on each individual. Too much sun exposure 40 years ago? Can't fix it now. Sometimes it's better to worry less and accept who you are, wrinkles and all.
Sure, I have the loose arm skin and the face is longer tight. Ain't much I choose to do about it though.

Eileen.

[Rhanda]

I just remembered that my skin on my face and neck is only about eight years old. I had pre-cancerous spots on my face and was given the treatment for that. It was a substance that I used for three weeks that literally burned the top layer of skin off followed by a month of lotion twice a day to prevent skarring. I was a sight that drew attention. Everyone steered away from me, thinking that they might catch what I had. Maybe that is why I have no feer of going out enfemme.

Rhanda

[Kelly]

It has been a little over 6 weeks since my original post. I think an update is in order. There are already positive results

First of all Noeleena and Rhanda's comments are well taken. Taking care of the entire body can only help. I have cleaned up my act as far a conditioning and diet are concerned. The side benefit is that I have lost weight in the process and generally feel better.

As a side note: I was in one of the local markets and noticed on the "manager special markdown" shelf some of Retialift double lifting cream (by L'Oreal). Since this stuff is normally priced, on a per ounce basis, more than the going rate for silver, I had never considered getting it. However, not being one to pass up a good deal, I threw some in my cart. Used it morning and night till it ran out - about 4 weeks. After the first ten days or so I could feel a tightening sensation that lasted for about 20 min. or so. I think I saw some improvements during this period, but cannot attribute them to just Retialift. I was doing a lot of other stuff as well.

I have continued being a serial moisturizer. Morning and night and at least once midday. More reasonably priced products, all laying around the house come from Eucern, Gold Bond, Carmex, and Nutragena. Now the Gold Bond product also give the brief felling of tightening. Don't know if this is because of the cream or just what I have conditioned myself to expect.

Since most of the labels talk about just about any vitamin except B&C I figured that taking vitamins internally as well as topically would help. One multivitamin every day.

I have also tried to get more sleep. Not a lot of success there, just too many things to do in a day for sleep.

Today I am noticing (wanting to see?) results around my neck. I definitely see a change on my furrowed brow. There is a small scare just above one eye brow resulting from chicken pox when I was a child. It had be swallowed up by a wrinkle. Now part of it is visible agin.

So what is the source of the results. The heighten attention to health? The fancy product? New moisturizing routine? diet? Frankly, don't know the approach has not been scientific. All I know is what I am doing in sum doesn't really take that much time, and I - at least - think it is helping.

That's nice, I feel better if nothing else.

Hugs,
Kelly