Official 2008 Beauty Tips Thread

[spaceygirl]

I don't know if this is a taboo subject or if it has been discussed before. In any event, I am interested if any of you VFers know about Anti-aging facials. I am thinking about doing this but am very cynical about whether they actually work. I would love to see my forehead's vertical, frown lines reduced but for many reasons, I am not considering botox. I am not talking about anti aging products for sale but about actually going to a cosmetician who claims to specialize in this. It is probably a series of facials plus buying some stuff to use at home but maybe I am wrong....
Well-thanks in advance for all the valuable input.

[megananne]

Hi spaceygirl, are you talking about the "11" lines between your eyebrows?? I just turned 41, and overall, have fairly young looking skin. No crows feet or laugh lines to speak of. But, over the past two or three years I've fallen prey to the dreaded 11. I knew it was coming...all of the women on my mom's side get them. We frown in our sleep. Plus, my eyes are ULTRA sensitive to light, and even with the darkest sunglasses I tend to frown and squint in the midday Georgia sun.

Botox would be the obvious choice, but I really don't wanna go there (at least not right now). Something very old-fashioned and low-tech that I've found that helps quite a good bit - frownies. There's these funny looking little brown paper triangles with adhesive on the back. You wear them at night after spreading your lines apart. I usually get them at drugstore.com.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/pr...96&catid=47725


Oh, and FWIW, the last few years I have finally started a skin regimen, that will hopefully help keep the rest of my skin looking young. Staying out of midday sun when possible...using my Clarisonic skin brush 1 or 2 x per day. I use eye cream twice daily and Bare Minerals Rare Minerals at night (I don't have overly dry skin, so I don't really do too much moisturizer). Eating right, yoga, and lots of water tend to help too.

Good luck!!

[Pat58]

There will probably be a 2008 Beauty thread started soon if it isn't already. Just an FYI, our site administrator Wendy prefers that all beauty OT questions be posted there. Which is actually to your benefit because our cosmetics and skin care gurus all hang out there!

[MichelleRN]

Honey, are you kidding? Have you seen "fighting the middle age fat cell?" Have you heard all of us posting how OVER hitting 90 percent heart rate we are???? You are in the anti-aging think tank!!!!

I was talking to a great plastic surgeon (I work in ICU,he helped on grizzly surgery, and came up to check, I gave him some of our great Nurse coffee and felt he OWED me some input!) - and he said, before I start thinking of a niptuck to my eyes (lifeguard through college), try tretinoin - retin-A first....SOOOOOO I'm off to his office to pick some up and I'll let you all know!

My tummy is ok - I LIKE the skin that puckers over my 6...uh, well 4....ok, maybe 2 pack abs because it reminds me of birthing a 9 pound baby and one of the happiest periods of my life...I just don't like looking increasingly raccoon like or having my upper eyelid stapled to my brow so it doesn't blind me!

[Sunnyday]

I was going to say invest in a Clarisonic unit. I have one of them and Love it! I do believe it is helping to keep my skin glowing. I've had one for about a year now.

I have the Frownies, but find them so uncomfortable. I feel like I am gluing a brown paper bag on my face

I also use sunblock every day.

And if we do get a Beauty Thread, I just wanted to say thank you and I look forward to that!

[spaceygirl]

Hey everyone-thank you all for your input-love being part of this think tank (of course I am the token non-thinker). Well I have tried the frownies-I think of envelopes being glued on but I never heard of the Clarisonic-will look into that . But I like that MD's idea too. But-has anyone heard of or done the Anti-aging facial????

[Mary W]

I'm sure this will be moved to the 2008 Beauty thread when there is one, but for now...

anti-aging facials are probably a bit different depending on the salon/day spa. Imo, facials themselves are anti-aging! Or at least they help the aging process to be a kinder gentler one . I have microderm facials once a month and will sometimes have a vitamin C or collagen facial in the mix. My day spa calls the vit C facial the anti-aging facial.

It's also important to have a good skin care routine. I think cleansing is the single most important thing! I just bought the Clarisonic, and I love it too, but it's a bit--actually A LOT--pricey! My favorite skin care lines are Obagi and Yon Ka. Both expensive, but not really when you consider how long the product lasts. Obagi is the first skin care line I've ever used without stopping before my product runs out. I love the stuff! It's actually saved me $$ since I don't buy the latest greatest products anymore.

As far as the elevens go, botox is the only thing I know of that will make them completely go away. If there's anything else, I'd love to know about it!

eta: WATER, WATER, WATER is also very important for plumping up the skin! And less alcohol. Poop. I hate that

[videofit]

I'm skeptical about most facial care products, except for the prescription ones or AHAs, which do make my skin soft for a low price. Every so often, a TV show will test a few hyped products and they are always found to be lacking, the more expensive creams no better than the cheap ones. When I see photos of someone who has used a particular product ONLY on ONE side of her face for three months and it looks SO much better than the nontreated face, then I'll be a believer. Till then, I'll spend my money on sunscreen.

As for Botox, I can see how it could prevent lines, but not eliminate them. When I take my fingers and physically stretch the skin with my frown lines, the line is still there, like smoothing a piece of creased paper -- you will still see the crease. Seems to me that only Restylane or similar fillers could fix those lines. If I had the money, I'd do it.

[F1mom]

They do work. I have a relative that's an MD who makes a ton of money off of them.

As for me, I use RoC Anti-Wrinkle Treatment Night and Alpha-Hydrox in the day. I don't have any lines on my forehead anymore. Retinoids like Retin-A and Differin also work well.

Nutrition plays a role also; giving up all refined sugar and flour gave my skin a baby-like texture (at least until I picked up that first glass of sweet tea). Getting plenty of sleep and meditation also help keep the frowns away. I won't even go into using sunscreen, not smoking and not drinking.

Finally, sex is a wonder drug that takes years off my face. So does Kundalini yoga. Between the both of them, people think I'm in my mid 20s instead of my late 30s.

[toaster]

Time for a new thread, right?

My main beauty issue continues to be my adult acne. Just when I think my skin is finally improving--the Walmart Benzoyl Peroxide solution seemed to be helping--either it starts getting too dry and flaky or I wind up getting new crops of pimples, mostly the little bumpy kind (ie, not cysts or whiteheads). I don't want to spend a lot of money and don't want to go back to the dermatologist, so any recommendations for drugstore products? One thing I've head my eye on is the new Clean & Clear Acne Treatment Kit, so I'm wondering if anyone has had any good results with this.

Thanks and Happy New Year!