Skin changes during midlife

Midlife skin care

Ohh were to start…. Dryness, redness, wrinkles, jowls, sagging, age spots, eye bags. Fun, fun fun!! 

It’s all going on.

Today, I want to share with you, what I have experienced in regards to changes with my skin and what I’ve done about it. Some of it standard and what you’d expect….and some a bit more ‘out there’! We are all uniquely different and what I have experienced and found works for me, does not necessarily mean, it will be the same for you. What I will say though, is that you’ve got to experiment a little until you find what’s best for you…..and then be prepared to experiment again, as new changes start to appear!

It's well recognised that diet, lifestyle and hydration can impact on our skin health. I will be covering these topics in other posts.

Effects of alcohol in midlife

Rosacea

I’ve had redness and facial flushing for many years. What I now know, is that I have rosacea. This started in my 30’s and has progressively got worse as I aged. It’s only been in the past 5 years or so, that I realised I had this skin condition and I’ve tried a crazy amount of products and diet regimes to try and address this problem (I wouldn’t like to think about how much money I have spent). It seemed like nothing worked and I just continued to have random flare ups. I had permanent visible thread veins on my face and frequently looked like I’d been burnt. Although it did affect my appearance, it was also very uncomfortable and itchy, so there was a physiological impact that was driving my desire to ‘sort it out’.

2 years ago, I started to investigate alternatives to ‘products’ in my quest to address this issue. I came across a service that claimed to provide a ‘long term’ solution for rosacea by using light energy. Light energy is applied to the affected parts of the skin where it is absorbed by blood vessels, heating them to a point where they are destroyed. So basically, cauterises them. I decided, to give this a try. It was an expensive treatment, I justified it with the thought of continued expense of trying various products, that’s just weren’t working. It took 4 sessions in total over 4 months and there was some element of unpleasant discomfort with the treatment but it wasn’t too painful. I have been so pleased with the results and would highly recommend it to anyone experiencing similar issues. Although, not completely gone, I no longer look like I’ve been burnt and my skin is much more tolerable to the elements. I don’t need to wear as much make-up now either, which is always a good thing for healthy skin. My therapist used Lynton EXCELIGHT but I’m sure there’s other options out there that do something similar.

rosacea treatment

Another lil tip I've introduced that's been great for my sensitive skin, is investing in a silk pillowcase. This has been one of the best things I've bought. It's cooling, so great for midlife flushes for us ladies, it's smooth so doesn't irritate skin, plus it's great for your hair too (but I will cover hair in another post). 

Silk is also said to be good for keeping wrinkles at bay!! With so many benefits, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be using one!

I bought mine from This is Silk website and theirs have 22 momme Silk grade (which is good)!

Silk pillowcase - great for skin and hair

Dry skin

I have very dry skin, again, which has worsened with age. I have an established facial skincare routine that I have followed for many years and which I swear by. I cleanse and moisturise every morning and evening without fail. I used sun screen everyday and make sure that my make-up has spf. I also use a very gentle facial exfoliator once a week. The products I use have changed over the years to accommodate my changing skin needs. However, the brand I always reach for as a reliable brand that I know my skin will tolerate and respond well to is, No 7 from Boot (UK). I use their serums, day and night creams, eye masks and hyaluronic acid. For exfoliator, I use Aveda radiant skin refiner

No 7 skin care products
Aveda skin care

For my body, I now use a body brush, weekly, to rid dead skin. Then I moisturise with The Body Shop’s body butters. Argan and Shea, are my favourites

The body shop

Although, I do obviously have wrinkles, I don’t have many and I honestly put that down to having a solid skin care regime that addresses my skin type.

Age spots

Ok let me tell you, when I first went to my GP with concerns about some pretty ugly and crusty discoloured marks on my face… I was devastated to hear ‘oh they are just age spots’ ‘it’s to be expected as you age’!! Well, I have been on a mission since hearing that 5 years ago, to rid myself of these unsightly marks.

Again, I tried all sorts of things and read lots of info from people about what they found worked and did not. I tried cider vinegar….I didn’t commit to this long term because I just couldn’t stand the smell.

I eventually stumbled on a remedy…purely by accident but it worked! I have been drinking celery juice for over a year now as part of my various health fads (I will tell you about celery juice in another post later). Call it intuitive or just plain bonkers…but one morning, I randomly thought ‘why don’t I try rubbing the celery juice on my age spots and see what happens’!!! I know, mad, right!!! But let me tell you, it worked. I knew celery juice had worked wonders for in internal body and thought, ‘what the hell’, it cant do any harm to try. Im so glad I did. I dabbed some raw juice on the age spot on my face, every day. After 3 months, it was completely gone. It did actually scab over and at one point I thought I should stop because it was looking kind of nasty. But I just kept at it and eventually it disappeared. Honestly, I’d had that ugly thing for years!! I’m now going to try is with a red mark I have on my calf to see if it gets rid of that too!!! I will let you know.