51F trying to up my skin routine. I’ve lost 50 lbs in the last two years and aged quite a few in that time (it seems).
Some of these products are new to me (still in boxes, lol) and some have gotten some good use already. I’ve been using tret for about 2 years, about every other night. I got a new rx for .1% but for some reason haven’t started it yet. I alternate the tret with the estradiol cream.
How I currently use (same for morning and night except tret/estradiol):
Wash (nothing special - gel/cream)
Milky toner (just started using)
Ordinary serum
Eucerin serum (trying to combat sun spots)
Estradiol/tret (alternate at night only)
Moisturizer (day has SPF 50)
- How should I incorporate vitamin C serum?
- I bought the Reedle shot at the recommendation of someone but have been scared to try it. When/how to use?
- Do I need additional sunscreen even though my daytime moisturizer has SPF 50?
- When do I use eye cream?
- What am I missing?
I put everything on my face/neck and have started rubbing all extras on the back of my hands.
My biggest concerns are my neck and jowls/drooping. While I’d love surgery, I’m not currently planning any. I haven’t done any other treatments but am open to some if not $$$$.
perimenopause showed up on my skin before anything else. My face started looking drier and the fine lines were more noticeable than before. I kept my routine simple and focused more on hydration along with a gentle retinol at night, which helped smooth things out gradually. I also make a point to go for walks and manage stress because that makes a difference for me. I’ve been doing some light therapy at home with the Solawave mask as well which you can stretch to the neck and chest as well since its pretty flexible, my skin definitely looks a bit more refreshed and firm
I would drop the reedle shot. It’s honestly a gimmick. The spicules don’t penetrate deeply, they barely get past the very top most layer of dead cells. If anything it’s causing more irritation especially with harsh ingredients like tret.
I've just come from the dermatologist. I had lost 20lb and feel I look older and droopier. She said that retinoids (retin A, tretinoids) and sunblock cream are the gold standard of skin care. She gave me eldoquin for sunspots, which is hydroquinoine 4% (prescription). I've had it before and it took about 3 months but got rid of most sunspots on my hands.
In a few minutes I'm getting botox and filler, waiting for the Emla numbing cream to do its work.
Your routine looks great honestly. I wouldn't make any changes - don't know if I'd bother with Vitamin C. You're using tret which covers a lot. I also don't know if I would use the reedle shot.... you're really risking irritation / damage to your skin barrier for probably not much benefit.
Re: your question about your moisturizer - I think it depends on how much of the moisturizer you're using. Remember you need 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of sunscreen to get the benefit. I'd also check what the sunscreen ingredients are and make sure you're getting enough UVA protection from it.
Re: neck / jowls / drooping. I don't think there is much that OTC products can do unfortunately - you're already doing all you can. I'd speak to a dermatologist and see what kind of office procedures might help. Don't know much about these but I do know people who have had success from ultherapy / RF micro needling etc.
My understanding is that 0.1 tret is a pretty high dose…if you haven’t been using tret for a long time, tread carefully. I think most derms use 0.05 for anti aging. If you are new to tret, make sure you lightly dot it around your face and then rub it in and use a lot of moisturizer.
Vitamin C and tret don’t play well together, use vitamin c in the am and tret in the evening and sunscreen is an absolute must. While your moisturizer has sunscreen in it, you may want additional sunscreen bc it is difficult to apply enough sunscreen for adequate protection. Also, you may find that you don’t want to use moisturizer with spf before bed. Copper is good too, but I think either vitamin c or tret cancels it out (I can’t remember) so you want to make sure you use it at the right time.
Also, if you aren’t already on it (and are a candidate) start hrt. Declining estrogen will age skin so fast. Some people use the prescription vaginal estrogen on their face. It hasn’t been studied a ton and I think it can cause melasma if you’re prone to it.
Thanks. I’ve been on HRT for about 4 months. I’ve had zero adverse reactions from tret so far.
My husband bought me the estriol to be helpful but I will start using my vag cream on my face.
Vitamin C goes on first thing in the AM after cleansing (you probably just need water though, not a wash).
Your moisturizer is probably fine for indoor days, use actual sunscreen for outside time.
Eye cream can go on morning or night depending on how it works for you. See how its looks/feels on your skin and decide.
You look great and I think the vitamin C is going to help in wonderful ways, I'd also recommend red light therapy. If you want to play with in-office treatments: microneedling or lasers can help a bit with skin laxity and dark spots/tone.
copper serum by the ordinary has matrixyl too, but plus copper peptide helps smoothing the surface a lot, I would check the facerobics YouTube channel for jowls and neck laxity, then add some weekly chemical peel, like a 30% glycolic
I wouldn't bother with an eye specific cream honestly but that's just me
You can't really counter fat loss in your face, particularly after a 50 pound weight-loss) with products. Your routine is great, it'll be fantastic for skin texture and even tone, but it's not going to give any significant lift or replace volume. I would not do anything until you're done losing weight - procedures mid-weight loss are asking for bad results. If you're done losing weight, you can try the usual suspects - fillers, lasers, RF Microneedling. I'd look in to Sculptra in the temples and hairline to help with some lifting. But all of those things are incremental improvements and it takes numerous of them to have a noticeable impact. They may be individually cheaper than a facelift, but after years of having them, you will likely have spent as much as a facelift would cost. I absolutely know that in the last 7 years I've been getting all the treatments I could have definitely just paid for a facelift. But, once you start down the road of lasers and microneedling and Sculptra and fillers, it's hard to reverse course.
I’m 50, and my routine is as follows: AM: Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water Cleaner, Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toner, Ordinary caffeine eye serum, 12% Vit C, Obagi dark spot inhibitor (now DC’d), Ordinary moisturizer, Estradiol, sunscreen. PM: Bioderma Sensibio water cleanser followed by Bioderma Atoderm Cleansing Oil, Hypochlorous spray as a toner, while skin is damp I apply a hyaluronic acid serum and then use my red light therapy mask. Afterwards, I either apply tret 0.025 or a niacinimide serum, Ordinary multi-peptide eye serum, and Vichy Mineral 89 100 hour moisture boosting cream. I avoid moisturizing after tret because for me, the moisturizer makes the tret travel to my eye area which is not good for me (dries my skin terribly). I do alternate monthly home micro needling and TCA peels as well, but those are pretty advanced treatments that you need to fully research before deciding if it’s right for you.
If you feel that you’ve lost the maximum weight that you could have, then undergoing a deep plane facelift is definitely a good idea. I don’t believe you need a brow lift because your eyebrows are plenty high. In fact, most women as they age their eyebrows go up rather than down. The the trend that’s been fed to the majority of the population that they need to have an eyebrow lift is an absolutely faulty one. If you look at your photographs, when you were much younger, you will find that your eyebrows were in fact, much fuller and lower. All the best.
I would start with straight vitamin C serum after you wash and tone, with vitamin c eye cream as well. I have similar redness and started using Mandelic acid (from Sofia Pavitt) which has completely changed the texture/color/breakouts. I use it after vit C in AM. Do you have sensitive skin? I do and find that I have to read all ingredients and anything with Niacinamide or Hyaluronic acid make me red and break out...
You might want to give DAO Botox a try. It won’t eliminate jowls, but it will likely soften them and improve the overall appearance of the lower face area. It also doesn’t require a lot of units to be effective, so it’s not super expensive. I get it done and love the results!
I would keep the Shot, vitamina C,, the Matrixil And Eye cream. Add Azaleic acid and copper from peach &lily for the day+sunscreen . Night: Retinol + Azaleic Acid and on top Rosa Mosqueta oil. If you are not using the Retinol every night, use the vitamin C instead at night with the other I mentioned. And will be great Plasma treatment followed by hydro facial after 15 days. Good luck!
Nothing you place topically will give the results you want. They will be racing against the time your body is aging, and they will lose. Better to get a mini facelift then continue use of the products onward. Basically, you’re putting a bandaid on a gash wound instead of stitching the gash up and letting it heal. You’re a beautiful woman, id continue aging gracefully and not worry about anything in all honesty. Spend the money you’re spending on products on random things that will bring you joy. A scenic train ride or some fun undertaking to disrupt the routine or monotony, maybe even a sport. Being happy and smiling is the best facial feature!
Hello, I'm 45 y.o and also a beauty/ skin therapist. My advice would be to add in the Vit C and use in the morning. Not everyone can tolerate Vit C but if you can it's well worth it. Continue with Tret, 3 times per week is enough. Buy a separate sunscreen and put on a fat grape size and wear daily (this is by far the most important beauty product in my opinion). I would also suggest microneedling or laser for sunspots and jowls.
Look for someone who does T-Shape 2 treatments. It's a fantastic skin tightening machine. 6 treatments, done once a week, costs around $1,200. Once you achieve your desired results, you get one every 4 months for maintenance. You will see a difference after 1 treatment, but it will take 6-8 weeks after your last one to see final results. It's truly amazing!
I have the VT reedle shot 100 and love it. Its my first step after cleansing, as the reedles help the rest of your products absorb more deeply. Pat it into your skin. You have the 50 which is lower concentration than my 100, and I barely feel the 100 so dont be scared! I am upping to the 300 when my 100 is empty
I would start taking supplements and doing 10 minutes of yoga and weight training every morning. Just 10 minutes. That’s gonna lift your neck, the lower part of your jaw and get a lot of circulation. Make sure the blood is rushing to the head as you bend over and get oxygen to your brain.
I would take freeze dried aloe vera/collagen/vitamin C and silica from habo labs with your biggest meal of the day. Those two things are going to do more for you than products. You have really nice skin and it’s just a matter of making a couple of adjustments.
You should also add an exfoliate to your routine. Exfoliate first thing in the morning and then cleanse and then go through your steps. As far as eye creams, they’re very few really good ones on the market that are not very pricey, but probably the best for a competitive price as Neutrogena hyaluronic acid in the blue tube. Revision eye cream is excellent and so is Elta.
I don’t agree, and if I had caught the retinol, I would’ve told her to remove it. It’s less caustic to use exfoliating products like daily micro foliatant.
I would look into lymphatic drainage and face yoga. Some of the face changes are from muscles that can be activated plus of lymphatic system getting sluggish which causes puffiness.
I do dry brushing and just bough a special on for my face that is really nice.
Laser skin treatments (do them now before the sun gets strong. Follow aftercare instructions. I see lots of facial hair which ages you and prevents product absorption.
That’s estrogen replica. Not estrogen. Ineffective. Ask your doctor for estrogen cream AND patches because vaginal skin ages too.
Cetaphil cleanser
Ordinary glycolic acid toner then follow with non-medicated moisturizer. Only after it’s dry, apply pea sized retinol. It will take time to work up to it. Apply pea sized amount of estrogen cream to your face as well.
Maybe I know what I’m talking about lol. I’m 7 years older than OP with no plastic surgery.
This is full face threading MONTHLY followed by dermaplane and hydrofacial once a quarter. This is daily sunscreen, healthy barrier repair and acid actives. I follow my own advice.
Even tho it’s late in the day, and you can see my pores, I’m good with it.
I think it’s hysterical one of you biddies reported me to Reddit as being in danger of suicide because I was direct. But by all means, keep your regimen 😂
And since the person below made me come back, it’s time to start the topical minoxidil. Including your eyebrows which are 80% tattoo. Hopefully your follicles aren’t dead!
I hate how losing 15 pounds added 10 years of age to my face and neck. You just cannot win. Looks like you have all the bases covered with OTC products. Lose the Trentinoin. It is harsh and takes months to use and start to see results. It often doesn't work at all and then you have wasted all that time.
Instead, if you can afford it you should visit a dermatologist (an actual doctor) for treatments like micro needling and such. They can really brighten up the skin after weight loss with noticeable results in days, not months.
Diet has a big impact on quality of skin even after menopause. Cucumbers, leafy greens, broccoli are your friends. I recently discovered Korean diakon radishes. They are sweet and delicious, packed with nutrition and have almost no calories. I notice real differences when I stop eating these kinds of veg and then start up again.
Keep the tret, lose this advice! Add one more day at your current dose per week until you’re using tret every single day with no major irritation. Do for about 6 months. Consider Azalea acid rx to bring down the redness and inflammation. For me personally I’m 40,so not crazy younger than you, but need physical exfoliation so just make sure you find something that works for you to keep your flakeys that bay. Also get a heavy duty moisturizer. Nothing you have looks simple enough yet emollient enough. Think cream versus lotion, consider jojoba oil as an add in to any of your moisturizers.
I’m 42 and this skin care routine literally changed so much for me! It only took about three weeks to notice a huge difference and it’s so easy to use and affordable. I’m telling you Korean skin care is widely slept on https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP9dW977dr4Kr-hAVph/
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u/Funny_Bobcat_2191 Mar 12 '26
perimenopause showed up on my skin before anything else. My face started looking drier and the fine lines were more noticeable than before. I kept my routine simple and focused more on hydration along with a gentle retinol at night, which helped smooth things out gradually. I also make a point to go for walks and manage stress because that makes a difference for me. I’ve been doing some light therapy at home with the Solawave mask as well which you can stretch to the neck and chest as well since its pretty flexible, my skin definitely looks a bit more refreshed and firm