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I used to use expensive stuff for years. Could never tell any difference.
Now in a frugal retirement, I kind of had to go off that stuff. At 62, my face isn't wrinkly but I have now developed rosacea, which I don't think is tied to anything I can control. It sucks, let me tell you. I always have red blotches AND zits. All I can do is not look in the mirror. Never had zit problems before....
The dermatologist always gives me a lecture. My arms have sun-spots and rough patches all over them. I even tried that Levulon-infrared light treatment---VERY expensive. No results.
All I can say is genetics. SIGH. I'm 100% Swedish so probably doomed.
I don't do anything special to my skin, just ordinary soap and water. However, I stopped bothering with makeup years ago when I finally woke up and realized that I actually have naturally good coloring that most women would kill to have. Saves me a lot of money in makeup products. (There was also the 'I decided I'd rather sleep late than spend however many minutes a day applying makeup' factor in there as well.)
I do wear sunscreen, since I'm very fair skinned (forget 'porcelain', I'm just about at 'transparent', LOL). But that's pretty much it.
I'm 47 years old, and have frequently been asked to verify my age--most people think I'm in my mid-30's, until I make a reference to something that would only make sense if I were older than than what they think I am.
But given my family, I think I just simply got blessed with good genes. My mom and her sisters were frequently mistaken for much younger than what they are for a long time (though it is catching up with the two aunts who are heavy smokers/drinkers). My mom and one of her sisters are neither, so they're looking a lot better than the two who are.
I've never used sunscreen, even once. I do use coconut oil as a very very mild protection. I am 68, live in Florida, and my skin has fewer lines and wrinkles than most my age who never see the sun. I get about an hour of sun every day while I ride my bike for the Vitamin D, but I never go "tanning." I do always have a medium tan. I have brown eyes and am Spanish, so this helps. I am also very healthy, and all my doctors tell me how good I look (healthy, and younger than my age).
Frankly a lot of it is genetics, and the type lifestyle one leads. I have been drinking tons of water for decades, before it became "popular", so I am always hydrated. I also do not smoke, and drink alcohol moderately. I exercise daily. For those who like or need to use sunscreen, not saying you should not continue, but my skin hates stuff on it and I prefer not to use anything but natural oils. LOL, at 68 my oily skin STILL gets small blemishes from time to time and the sun helps dry them up!
You look fantastic!
I do think you're right about genetics and lifestyle being THE TWO MOST important things - in that order. You are blessed with Spanish ancestry (I'm assuming that means an olive skin tone) and oily skin. And then, like you say, you stay hydrated, you don't smoke (biggie there), you exercise daily, etc. I personally think that those elements are THE most important elements.
As a person with naturally very fair skin, I know I am predisposed to sun spots and sun damage. But like you, I do have naturally occurring oils in my skin (always had "combination" skin). I think that helps fight wrinkling a LOT.
I never tan. What I mean by that is that my skin refuses to tan. I only get red, never brown. I have always used sunscreen products on my face and neck - and never on my hands - and WOW, there's a huge difference now at age 55 My face has zero sun spots - my hands, not so lucky there. I wish I'd been slathering sun screen on them all my life as well. Too late. I may get the sun spots removed one day, who knows. I'd like to.
I regularly sit outside or work in the yard, wearing sunscreen on my face (and now my arms and hands), but not on my legs. Since we live in Texas I can wear shorts out on my patio for most of the year to get some sun. (LOL and my legs simply never tan!) I think sun is important for Vitamin D which is also important for absorbing calcium. And I don't take calcium supplements either - I drink milk, eat cheese, eat yogurt, etc. I try to keep things as natural as possible.
My mom has very dry skin, and my skin is oily like my dad's. He was the one who taught me years ago to read the ingredients of products so that I didn't use anything that would make things worse, and so I ended up over the years just using the most basic "ingredients" on my skin:
I wash at night with a mild soap (Purpose) and water.
Dab Vaseline on the corner of my eyes (been doing this for decades and have no crow's feet at 49).
Wash face in the morning shower with a benzoyl peroxide-based cleanser (PanOxyl) to minimize blackheads and breakouts.
I don't wear foundation, just under-eye concealer and oil-free face powder (and oil-free blush).
Wear oil-free sunscreen if I'm gonna be out in the sun for an extended period, but not every day.
Over the years when I've tried any spa treatments (masks, facials, peels) that were supposed to help oily skin, it always made things worse. I believe in treating skin from the inside (rest, water, diet) and using minimal products on the outside.
Having seen the stuff my mom goes through, I do believe things are harder for those with dry skin.
It's great! People often are surprised at my age when I tell them, telling me they had guessed my age at least 10 years younger than I really am.
I also eat a very low carb way of eating, so I am sure that helps as well.
That's good.
How would you describe your skin type, coloring, ethnicity, etc?
The reason I ask is that my ancestry is nearly 100 percent northern European - Scottish, northern England, and Scandinavian. So as you can imagine, my skin is very fair. I'm blessed not to have any wrinkling at all but I also was told my entire life "take care of your skin" so that's what I've done, as did my grandmother (who I take after).
My skin absolutely will not tan. I mean, it just won't. Thankfully, I have a "peach" undertone to my skin so it's not milk white but it's very, very fair. I also was blessed with a "baby face" when I was young - aka a layer of fat under my skin that helps keep it smooth. I had to hit my forties before I even had any significant definition to my face! YES! I KNEW I had cheekbones under there!
My mom has never taken care of her skin at all. She's had wrinkles, sun spots, and a generally rougher, more ruddy and redder complexion than me all her life. She has also always lacked that little extra fat under the skin. I mean, yes, she's older than me by 22 years but I remember looking at her face when she was in her forties and fifties and thinking, "Man, I hope my skin ages better," and it has. But like I said, my grandmother drilled "Take care of your skin" in to my head.
I do think you're right about genetics and lifestyle being THE TWO MOST important things - in that order. You are blessed with Spanish ancestry (I'm assuming that means an olive skin tone) and oily skin. And then, like you say, you stay hydrated, you don't smoke (biggie there), you exercise daily, etc. I personally think that those elements are THE most important elements.
As a person with naturally very fair skin, I know I am predisposed to sun spots and sun damage. But like you, I do have naturally occurring oils in my skin (always had "combination" skin). I think that helps fight wrinkling a LOT.
I never tan. What I mean by that is that my skin refuses to tan. I only get red, never brown. I have always used sunscreen products on my face and neck - and never on my hands - and WOW, there's a huge difference now at age 55 My face has zero sun spots - my hands, not so lucky there. I wish I'd been slathering sun screen on them all my life as well. Too late. I may get the sun spots removed one day, who knows. I'd like to.
I regularly sit outside or work in the yard, wearing sunscreen on my face (and now my arms and hands), but not on my legs. Since we live in Texas I can wear shorts out on my patio for most of the year to get some sun. (LOL and my legs simply never tan!) I think sun is important for Vitamin D which is also important for absorbing calcium. And I don't take calcium supplements either - I drink milk, eat cheese, eat yogurt, etc. I try to keep things as natural as possible.
Thanks, Kathryn! Of course, you know how great I always think you look as well. Anyway, you are right about the ancestry and ability to tan. While my grandparents were from northern Spain and actually fair skinned, I have brown eyes and golden undertones to my (oily) skin that tans very well. Of course I built up my tan gradually also. And while I did overdo the "tanning" when I was in my teens and 20s, I haven't done that since, only what I get when outside riding my bike or in the yard. As far as spots and hyperpigmentation, I have a little bit, but that too is genetic. I see people with fair skin and NO sun that have this, so i don't think sun is the only cause of it.
All in all, we just all do the best we can with what we've got, right? Healthy living goes a long way to looking good and feeling well. No amount of expensive creams are going to fix an unhealthy lifestyle.
I do think you're right about genetics and lifestyle being THE TWO MOST important things - in that order. You are blessed with Spanish ancestry (I'm assuming that means an olive skin tone) and oily skin. And then, like you say, you stay hydrated, you don't smoke (biggie there), you exercise daily, etc. I personally think that those elements are THE most important elements.
As a person with naturally very fair skin, I know I am predisposed to sun spots and sun damage. But like you, I do have naturally occurring oils in my skin (always had "combination" skin). I think that helps fight wrinkling a LOT.
I never tan. What I mean by that is that my skin refuses to tan. I only get red, never brown. I have always used sunscreen products on my face and neck - and never on my hands - and WOW, there's a huge difference now at age 55 My face has zero sun spots - my hands, not so lucky there. I wish I'd been slathering sun screen on them all my life as well. Too late. I may get the sun spots removed one day, who knows. I'd like to.
I regularly sit outside or work in the yard, wearing sunscreen on my face (and now my arms and hands), but not on my legs. Since we live in Texas I can wear shorts out on my patio for most of the year to get some sun. (LOL and my legs simply never tan!) I think sun is important for Vitamin D which is also important for absorbing calcium. And I don't take calcium supplements either - I drink milk, eat cheese, eat yogurt, etc. I try to keep things as natural as possible.
I don’t have sun spots, but I had some unevenness on my hands from various skin irritations. I started just slathering on any extra face serum onto my hands as I am getting ready (I use antioxidant and vitamin c serums for my face to prevent discoloration and hyperpigmentation) and my hands became more even.
Sunscreen every day since I was a teenager, I'm pretty much wrinkle-free well into middle age. Some extra pudge no doubt helps. I use an exfoliating scrub in the shower daily but that's about it as far as skin-care routine goes. I imagine there could be a genetic component, but both my parents were really hard on their skin and it shows, so who knows?
I think not smoking, and not doing sun damage, are way more powerful than any cream.
Last edited by Frostnip; 09-28-2017 at 01:17 PM..
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(There was also the 'I decided I'd rather sleep late than spend however many minutes a day applying makeup' factor in there as well.) 
Anyway, you are right about the ancestry and ability to tan. While my grandparents were from northern Spain and actually fair skinned, I have brown eyes and golden undertones to my (oily) skin that tans very well. Of course I built up my tan gradually also. And while I did overdo the "tanning" when I was in my teens and 20s, I haven't done that since, only what I get when outside riding my bike or in the yard. As far as spots and hyperpigmentation, I have a little bit, but that too is genetic. I see people with fair skin and NO sun that have this, so i don't think sun is the only cause of it. 
No amount of expensive creams are going to fix an unhealthy lifestyle.
