Lost Weight...Gained Wrinkles?

faireplay

At age 50 I know that I will be facing this problem when the weight comes off.
I have a friend who had GBS and it aged her horribly. She is ten years younger than I am and has three times the wrinkles. But sometimes we have to make the decision of health over appearance.

specialemy

Gosh...I read this post and I swear you and I are on the same wave length with the wrinkle situation. I've dropped a large amount of weight this year and recently noticed that my face looks a lot older to me than it did last year. I see my face in pictures and I see those more pronounced wrinkles too. Needless to say I've gone out and spent extra money on firming skin moisterizers hoping my skin will look better to me. I can't complain though...better health, less meds, and a longer life will win me over than just liking to stay young looking ... by the way, big congrats on your own success!

SanteMulberry

Did you cut way back on fats? If you regularly come in under your fat goal, add some fats back into your diet. Work on staying hydrated. You may also need to switch up all your face products to more moisturizing ones: cleansers, moisturizers, foundations, etc.

ETA: I peeked at a few days of your diary. Increasing your protein might help a little.

Fat and protein are essential to keeping your skin more elastic--so is proper hydration. If you are following a lower carb plan, make sure that you get enough salt in your diet as lower carb plans tend to dehydrate. Sugar, in most any form, will form glycation compounds in the tiny blood vessels that nourish the skin and thus also interfere with good circulation in the skin--leading to dull, dry, inelastic skin. So nix the sugar as much as possible except for a small amount of honey (which has anti-oxidant benefits---and PURE 100% maple syrup (which has 56 different polyphenols that the body uses to fight cell oxidation--one cause of wrinkles. It is important for skin health---as for every facet of health--that you eat as healthfully as you can.

Also, last but not least, aim for a slow and steady weight loss (something like 1 pound a week). Too quick a weight loss does terrible things to the skin.

Also, it wouldn't hurt to use a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid in it--as that will stimulate collagen formation in the skin. (Loss of collagen in the skin causes the structure of the skin to breakdown, leading to wrinkling.) For heavier duty, there are hyaluronic acid serums for application to the skin---pricey though. Pricier still are hyaluronic acid injections and since hyaluronic acid is typically present in every cell of the body, there is no fear of side effect---just make sure that the professional who does the injections knows what he/she is doing. Hyaluronic acid moisturizers and serums usually contain Vitamin C to help your skin absorb them better. There are hyaluronic acid oral supplements that you can take (some arthritis sufferers take them to stimulate the regrowth of damaged joint cartilage) but I have no experience with them, so I don't know if they are good or bad. Certainly, if you are going to go that route, it would be best to consult a naturopath as to the possible benefits of a hyaluronic acid supplement and he/she will steer you to a reputable manufacturer.

dakitten2

Count me in! Age 58 and the big fat face didnt have room for wrinkles. Now 117 pounds later, I dont even recognize my face. So many wrinkles, puffiness under the eyes.

I would love some suggestions that anyone has found for great facial treatment, ie moisturizer, wrinkle reducer, etc.

alasin1derland

I was happy to read about jowels tightening up. theres some good tips in here. thanks

SaraBiston1

Hello,
Yes this will happen sometimes. When you lose weight in a bulk some wrinkles are coming out. Don't worry dear. Try some natural home remedies to remove wrinkles.

• Massage lemon juice all over your skin to help get rid of wrinkles.
• An ancient home remedy for the removal of wrinkles, cabbage juice should be massaged over the facial skin and left to dry. After the juice dries, rinse it off with warm water.
• Mash a ripe papaya and apply the pulp to the face and neck.
• Apply pineapple juice all over the skin and leave it on for five minutes before washing off.

mabelbabel1

You often see people on tv who have lost lots of weight but gained years in their faces......guess it's bound to happen if your fat cells are shrinking then the skin will sit differently over the surface.....bit depressing really!! :ohwell:

Gail3260

Yes...me too...and at 52 I'm not hopeful that they will reduce very much. I look in the mirror and see my mum looking back at me!!

Maybe it's just the price I have to pay for losing the weight and feeling healthier.

scorpiotwinkles

A balloon doesn't have wrinkles!! I am 51 and have shrunk quite a lot. I do have wrinkles now but I think my face will catch up eventually. My stomach looks like a 3D road map but I am proud of my shrivelled body - it's my battle ground, and I am winning! I did this in 10 months from Jan this year.

MichelleLaree13

My wonderful friend pointed out a couple years ago that I have wrinkles around my eyes and how wonderful that is because I must be really happy, lol. I am 25 now and just feel like crows feet are part of my I tried wrinkle cream and it for sure didnt work. I see awesome stuff online/infomercials all the time. I just saw one for rejuvenate, or something like that. Their before and after pics were amazing!

kelly_e_montana

I'm almost 40 and I do believe this to be true, based on my experience. However, I would highly recommend starting a regimen of retin A right now. It's actually about $80 for a 2-3 month supply (generic) and it's clinically proven to have positive effects, whereas most of that drugstore stuff is a gamble. When you figure out what you're spending at the drugstore or dept. store on facial creams, it's really worth it. I just started again 3 months ago and am already seeing visible results. I've been taking photos once per month to track my progress. I hear it works even better if you use it as a preventative measure even a little earlier. I don't know why more people don't use it. I started out with the .025% every other night and have worked up to the .05% about 5 times per week. I didn't have any significant problems with irritation since I started out gradually.

P.S. This is a prescription product, and any dermatologist should be able to give you more info.

summertime_girl

Depending on your budgets, look into laser treatements. There's IPL treatments, which start around $250 for the face, and work to stimulate collagen production, as well as bringing brown spots to the surface so they slough off. Then there's fractional lasers, which resurface the skin, reduce fine lines/wrinkles/pores, and is around $300. You can do one treatment, or a series of treatments. Down time is minimal, redness and peeling for a day or two.

Then for the really heavy duty, there's the CO2 lasers, which literally take 15 years off, and can get rid of the deep wrinkles and age spots. It's pricy, at least $2500-4000 depending on your area, and you'll need to be under general anesthesia, and it takes a good few weeks to recover.

There's microdermabrasion and chemical peels too. And Botox. Honestly, the creams don't do much of anything at all. They are to keep your skin soft and supple. They won't make you look younger. You definitely want to moisturize and use sun screen, but while those slow aging down, they don't reverse it.

honeybee1036

bump

Mistyblu08

using some moisturizer daily will help - they have special creams for around the eyes- it does help a lot if you use daily- also once a week sloughing of dead skin prior to your moisturizer- I have sever frown/crinkles around my eyes due to being in the sun and squinting a lot lol and they do help....also drinking water helps keep skin hydrated.....

I use the higher quality Avon stuff

Also when your putting this on or makeup- make sure you are nice to your skin- alot of people ( I used to) rub that stuff in like giving deep tissue massage .....this can damage the skin/stretch/microtear etc....take your time ..be gentle and enjoy the process

mmddwechanged

Yep! That is what happens.

mmddwechanged

A balloon doesn't have wrinkles!! I am 51 and have shrunk quite a lot. I do have wrinkles now but I think my face will catch up eventually. My stomach looks like a 3D road map but I am proud of my shrivelled body - it's my battle ground, and I am winning! I did this in 10 months from Jan this year.

Beautiful pictures!!! Good for you and so refreshing to hear how positive and proud you are:)

Mischievous_Rascal

That happened to me at first and then I started adding back full (good) fats. A liitle goes a long way and ALL of your skin (and hair, and joints, etc.) will thank you.

kelly_e_montana

Sorry to disagree but Retin A cream does have a lot of clinical backing for its effectiveness on wrinkles and photo-aging, especially for early fine lines, loss of radiance, and age spots. Ask your dermatologist.

SanteMulberry

Sorry to disagree but Retin A cream does have a lot of clinical backing for its effectiveness on wrinkles and photo-aging, especially for early fine lines, loss of radiance, and age spots. Ask your dermatologist.

Yes, I think Retin A does have a pretty good record. The only thing is, I heard from someone that it makes your skin more sensitive to photo-aging. Don't know if it is true or not. I have had good results from the hyaluronic acid cream that I use.