What should i add to my regimen?
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Fri May 11, 2012 9:28 am

What else could i add to my regimen?

Currently it's only as follows:-

Morning - Devita SPF 30 (well, not yet, but it's on it's way)

Evening -
Retin-A gel 0.01%
followed by Borage cream/Neem cream

Should i be applying a serum in the morning before my SPF?

This is a really embarrassing section of my face, haha, but it's to give you an idea of what i'm trying to fight. Some slight sagging on one side more than the other and tear troughs and a bit of darkening under the corner of my eye.

p.s. I'm 25

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2012 9:50 am

Hi Harry, I'm not as familiar as most of the seasoned posters here on what you should do for your skincare routine, but I did want to offer some advice on the sagging on one side of your face and the darkening under your eyes.

For the sagging, you can try facial exercises. There are many different programs to choose from, and you will find many posts about them in the Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare section here. I've been doing them for almost 5 months now and am noticing some lifting in the eye, cheek and jawline areas. With you being almost half my age, you'll probably notice results much quicker than I did.

For the darkness under your eyes, my husband has hereditary dark circles under his eyes and has used many different creams over the years with no change in lightening. The only eyecream that has helped reduce it by at least 50% is the one he swears by now: SkinCeuticals Eye Cream. Look for it on eBay where it'll be cheaper than if you ordered it from their site. Skinceuticals sells it for $70 plus S&H. I've found it on Ebay for just under $50 and free shipping. It looks like this:

Good luck!

Fri May 11, 2012 11:30 am

Thanks Sandooch! Hear a lot about SkinCeuticals on these forums, they seem to have another Eye cream too on their website with a few more ingredients. Will definitely bear this in mind, hopefully some others will come up with some more suggestions.

In regards to facial exercises, i have tried them in the past, but i've heard that in can do the opposite of what you're trying to achieve. I think the jury is still out on it and i fear i might do more harm than good whilst some parts of my skin are still quite young.

free skin care · Fri May 11, 2012 8:03 pm

Really actives are effective on skin quality, they won't tighten up loose skin or muscles underneath.

I am qualified to degree level in physical activity (body), and facial exercises make complete sense to me. Muscles get lazy or overactive (they work in balanced pairs or teams) and modern lifestyle promotes that. IMO the reason the jury is out is because facial exercise is being seen as a single option. In fact it's likely there are good and bad versions, and some users who perform them correctly and some who perform them with no regard for technique. It's worth remembering that the results are not 'permanent' - if you stop exercising things will slowly go back to the way they were, which you can take as an advantage or disadvantage! Laughing

A good instructor is everything: firstly I think it's wise to choose a trusted system where the facial skin is supported (you aren't squinting or frowning). Secondly the right style of teaching for you be that book or DVD or face-to-face instruction, and make use of a mirror until the positions become automatic. Alternatively you can exercise the muscles with a gadget, but I haven't heard of the same kind of results people get with facial exercise and again you need to get your technique correct. There are threads over on the DIY board that you might check out?

Dark circles under they eyes can often be addressed with lifestyle modification - cleaning up your diet, at least 10,000 steps every day, plenty of sleep, not smoking, limiting caffeine and alcohol. Tear troughs AFAIK no lotion or potion will touch, only a top fillers injector or *maybe* facial exercise (can't use gadgets near the eye). Ooooh I just remembered there was talk on possibly the Tanaka thread about a pinch-roll sort of massage to thicken up the undereye skin which can make the area appear more prominent.

TBH I don't think anyone of your age needs an eye product, because they can be quite pricey for the amount of product/ strength of actives. Anti-ageing skincare using proven actives, and nourishing your skin from the inside should show itself on your whole face. A good partner to retinoids is a vitamin C serum
http://myfawnie.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/3082751
If you do want an eye-specific product this is packed with goodies
http://myfawnie.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2318841
If you do like the sunscreen, Devita also do some interesting looking eye products, I have the Under Eye Repair Serum but I am not really in a position to recommend it, having barely opened the box!! Laughing

http://www.essentialdayspa.com/devita-under-eye-repair-s-p_14020.htm

Sat May 12, 2012 3:31 am

I thought a lot of actives can help stimulate collagen production and help with elasticity? Even the retin-a i'm taking, that will shed the skin on top to reveal newer skin, right? Surely that should help with my smile line(s) and my under eye area?

I have given some facial exercises a go in the past, but probably not for long enough. Like blowing up one side of my cheek and switching sides, don't see how that was beneficial though. The one i still do occasionally is making an 'O' with my mouth, like i'm sucking a straw and then tensing my upper cheekbone muscles. Like you say though, they're not permanent, and could it be the case that once you stop, the skin could get worse? Like when muscly guys get so big, but then don't do nothing and all their loose skin sags.

I have a healthy lifestyle so definitely don't think that's the cause. They're not that bad yet, but the inside corner of it is a little dark. I've also tried the pinching technique but got put off when i read how delicate the skin there is and that i could be doing damage to it.

Would increasing collagen production and elasticity in the area not help with the tear troughs? When i tighten the skin with my hands sightly, in the corner of my eye or at the side, just above my cheekbone, my tear troughs and my smile lines disappear. Do you think this could mean that loss of collagen production further up your face leads has a knock-on effect and leads to the problems further down your face, like tear troughs and smile lines. Like a trichologist said that he though scalp ageing is a big reason as to why we get forehead lines.

Thanks for the product recommendations, they all sound great! Vitamin K is definitely the ingredient that crops up the most when I've researched into skin care for the under eye area. I'm currently bidding on a SkinCeutical CE Ferulic Acid sample on Ebay so will give that a try too.

What do you think of this companies products? They're called Mad Hippie. The ingredients list looks superb, but i was wondering whether there was maybe too much going on there.

This is the eye cream:
http://www.madhippie.com/index_files/ingredients.htm

Quote:

Full Ingredient List: Water, Niacinamide, Regu-Age, Eyeliss, Haloxyl, Matrixyl 3000, Glycerin, Vitamin K ( Phytonadione ), Titanium Dioxide, Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate), Squalene, Cholecalciferol, Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Argan Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Chamomile Flower Extract (Recutita Matricaria), Vitamin E Acetate, Ceramide 3, Buckwheat Wax, White Tea (Camellia Sinensis Extract), Pomegranate Seed Oil (Punica Granatum), Sorbic Acid

The face cream:

Quote:

Full Ingredient List: Water Deionized, Safflower Oil (Carthamus Tinctorius), Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Niacinamide, Matrixyl 3000, Argan Oil, Syn-Tacks, Pomegranate Seed Oil (Punica Granatum), Green Tea Extract (Camelia Sinensis Polyphenols), Grape Seed Extract (Vitis Vinifera), Acai Berry Extract, Sodium PCA, Resveratrol, Potassium Sorbate, Sorbic Acid, Vitamin E Acetate, Coenzyme Co Q10, Tocotrienol 40, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera)

I thought they sounded interesting after reading the Best Active Ingredients thread that DrJ made, especially after he talked so fondly of niacin.

They have a vitamin c, E and ferulic acid serum too with Konjac root powder, hyaluronic acid and some other stuff.

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