filed in Daily Life
Facework
A friend is planning on getting a procedure to tighten the skin around her neck and eyes. This is a common occurrence here in L.A. When she told me about it, I glanced at my puckered neck and thought, hmmm…. is this something I would spend money on. How about you?
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Probably not. A combination of “I’m not that kind of a person”/I don’t have the disposable income/the work oftentimes isn’t really an improvement.
However I have noticed that the skin above my eyelids droop, and am doing more research into facial creams in an effort to stave off wrinkles. It’s funny that you wrote this bc I had just been thinking about how AWESOME Oprah looks “for someone her age” (lol) and, well, yeah, I’m jealous.
One thing that depresses me about middle/older age is that a tremendous amount of effort is put into preventing yourself from looking worse, and knowing that five years from now the situation will have only deteriorated further.
I never appreciated looking young at the time. And that’ll never be recovered.
One of the questions I’ve been asking myself is whether doing any “lifts” would actually make my life better. I’m still in the question, but I don’t think so.
My friend just turned 80 and I look at her and think, yeah I want to grow old like her!
She has never had anything done but it’s like she is still beautiful to me.
I have had my fair share of nips and tucks, some I paid for some insurance paid for and one that I got paid for.
This year I am giving Botox a try for my 60th birthday and she might come with me for the fun of it.
Looking back at the nips and tucks, was it money well spent?
Wendy here is the list…
Tummy Tuck-would do it again.
Eyes-Makes me look awake and refreshed-It’s a maybe on doing it again.
Mouth parentheses-Was a stem cell clinical trial I was paid for and it was effective but I would never pay for it.
Retin A creme-Cheap effective and I will use it till the end of my time 🙂
I appreciate your sharing this. Is the Retin A a prescription?
Retin A is a prescription and my dermatologist gave me mine. It really does not cost any more than a good face cream but I think i’ts way better.
And you notice a difference using it?
I like to think I wouldn’t get anything surgical done because price and pain. But then I have darkening spots on my cheeks and above my lip that I’m very self conscious of. I have thought about getting some lasering to try to lighten them but have read conflicting reviews. I may see a dermatologist this year and enquire.
It sounds like a worthwhile conversation with a trusted dermatologist. I’m curious to hear what you learn.
After menopause my skin really changed…all over my body. But of course, the face…oh the face.
I didn’t think that I would EVER embrace cosmetic work as I grew older. I thought I was very secure in my aging process. Until menopause hit and all that changed as my face did.
For instance, I never thought I would EVER do Botox. Now I wish I had started it sooner. Because it diminishes wrinkles over time.
Botox smooths out your lines and gives a refreshed look. I love it.
Last week I had Voluma injected into my cheeks and near my nose at the top. Again, it just fluffs up the face and takes away that drawn look you get as you get older. It lasts for a year. The cost was $1400. I think it’s better than a face lift, which would just pull the skin back but not restore any fullness.
I’ll keep at these small enhancements. They are very subtle and have made me look more fresh and less drawn and tired.
And most importantly, I like how I look when i see myself in the mirror. For awhile there, I wasn’t feeling so hot about the mirror. I really don’t like that this has become something I have to absorb. But I’m trying to be gentle with myself about it.
This is the first I’ve heard of Voluma. Does it hurt and is there any down time?
Yes, it does hurt. But while my “injector” (I know, weird name..made me chuckle) was doing it she said, “Beauty is pain”. And we both laughed.
The solution has lidocaine in it so as she does the procedure it hurts less and less but yes, it smarts for sure.
But, it’s worth it.
I’d get it done on a Friday so you can chill over the weekend. If you tend to bruise, you can have some. I don’t, so I didn’t.
I took some meds to decrease inflammation (Zantac and Claritin, per her suggestion). Ice was the most soothing. You can look up before and after photos on line. It really is pretty amazing how it just kinda freshens things. It’s VERY subtle. Which is great. This week at work, everyone is telling me I look great. But I know that I don’t have a drastic change. It just makes you look less dragged out.
I’ve told my friend about it who’s looking into face work. She’s going to research it.
Retin A can decrease fine lines however deep ones not so much.
The best part of Retin A is it prevents new ones. It take a few weeks to getting used to it because it can cause redness until the skin gets used to it.
It also made some dark spots go completely away.
The beauty of it is it’s inexpensive and won’t have any horrible results from using it.
I just realized reading over my response that I sound like sales person, yikes!
It didn’t come off as a sales person, only an enthusiastic user. And you’re inspiring me to make an appointment with a dermatologist.
That’s awesome, I hope you like it as much as I do. If you can ask for the generic cream I have heard it’s better than the gel.
Cream vs gel – I wonder what would make one more effective.