Response to aging...

[velvett]

Miss Velvett I know you are about my age, but I think a few years younger.... I swear to God, like freaking clockwork BAM! I hit 39 and my skin just decided to say, "FUCK YOU!" I notice that all over my body it is just not nearly as supple as it was. Like overnight!!!

It's scary. One day you are "OK pretty good" then the next day you are pulling on your skin thinking, "OK whose skin IS THIS? NO WAY it could belong to me."

Yep, just turned 38 a few weeks ago.

I'm pretty lucky with the skin I have little to no problems there (I use Cetaphil twice a day all over after a shower and before bed). The exception of that is since I'm not with a tan all the time I can see the sun damage that did occur over the years. This has been eliminated quite nicely and rather quickly with a round of Obagi Nu Derm - I'd say almost all of it is gone (what you can see with your naked eye) and I'm barely half way through.

I'd highly recommend the program to anyone.

My big complaint is sleep and feeling rested - there's no rhyme or reason to it. I just can't find an amount of sleep that works and that's if I can sleep at all; sometimes I do best if I work all night and nap through lunch. I remember my father being this way at my age and older, if he slept 3-4 hours it was a lot.

Response and recovery time is also much slower - GAH - both diet and exercise which is most frustrating because you have to relearn everything about your body and how it functions and frankly I don't have the enthusiasm that I did in my 20's to do this. (I think the poor sleeping patterns aggravate this even more.)

 

[Bikini Mod]

Well ma'am my skin was GREAT, would get complimented all the time until I hit 39. I am not even kidding and I am not talking about the skin on my face (though that little bit of droop under my chin is DRIVING ME NUTS!!!). I am talking about the skin on MY BODY - my legs, back, etc. I have been pretty much the same weight/bf for years so it isn't like I had the ups and downs during competition. And still - I can feel the gradual breakdown of collagen in my skin throughout my body. I have used and Obagi products in the past and will begin using them again - THEY ARE EXCELLENT.

I also feel you about the "not feeling rested" and changing the diet/exercise thing.

I thought I was alone... makes me feel better to know that I am not *the only* one.

 

[velvett]

Well ma'am my skin was GREAT, would get complimented all the time until I hit 39. I am not even kidding and I am not talking about the skin on my face (though that little bit of droop under my chin is DRIVING ME NUTS!!!). I am talking about the skin on MY BODY - my legs, back, etc. I have been pretty much the same weight/bf for years so it isn't like I had the ups and downs during competition. And still - I can feel the gradual breakdown of collagen in my skin throughout my body. I have used and Obagi products in the past and will begin using them again - THEY ARE EXCELLENT.

I also feel you about the "not feeling rested" and changing the diet/exercise thing.

I thought I was alone... makes me feel better to know that I am not *the only* one.

Try taking a b complex (100) and folic acid (400mg)

Do you cream up all over everyday?

I can see the difference with body skin if I don't cream up the same way everyday (that's why I do it).

Hell, in my 20's there was no abuse that I could to my body that would effect how I looked now I can tell the difference.

 

[musclemom]

My skin's a mess, I started getting weird breakouts when the celiac came on and it hasn't cleared up since and after 12 years, I stopped caring. I've also got the world's freakiest allergies so I can't even color my hair to cover the gray, which really sucks since I started going gray in my 20s.

Sleep is the one thing that I have wanted to be "normal" for a long time, and after nearly 20 years I think I have a grip on it. I've had to develop a system, including using blackout curtains and earplugs. Since we have a tempurpedic bed it's virtually like sleeping in a sensory deprivation tank, which has helped HUGELY.

The other things that have helped have been herbal relaxants (I am so grateful for Happy Campers) keeping a regular schedule and getting out of the habit of exercising too late (if I can't get a workout done before 8:00 p.m. I'm not doing it, because I won't fall asleep until 1:00 a.m.). Actually doing ANYTHING too stimulating (which includes showering and working too late, for me) will fuck me up when it comes to falling asleep. Once I'm out I usually sleep sound through.

 

[velvett]

Trying to sleep is my biggest problem

I'm wide awake til 2am - I can easily stay up all night and tinker with something and take a nap between 6-8 am.

I wish I could stay asleep - if I have to get up to pee (and have you noticed that you pee more as you get older regardless of water intake - WTF?) I can't fall back asleep for awhile.

My better half is sleep the second his head hits the pillows.

I am envious.

No doubt.

 

[Bikini Mod]

I have been sleep deprived FOREVER... *sigh*

Either nightmares or any little sound will wake me and then I am literally up all night long.

I have seriously considered the whole eye-mask and earplug thing and we do need a new bed - no doubt.

I complained about the dandruff thing to the dermatologist I saw yesterday for the botox/restalin inquiry and you know what she said? It happened to her too - when she hit 40. She said it was quite common for your skin to dry out all over.

*sigh*

 

[musclemom]

Earplugs saved me from going to jail for killing the man I love, I shit you not. And the Tempurpedic bed was the best investment, bar none. We got ours at Sleepy's and they gave us THREE YEARS same as cash, no finance charges, totally worth the money. I'm paying $76 a month on it.

I live on a VERY busy corner, plus my husband snores, not loudly, but enough, ON TOP OF THAT, however, he has what is called Rhythmic Movement Disorder (there's an even fancier name, jactatio capitus nocturia; basically, night time head movement). When he rolls on his back, he starts rocking his head, like saying no-no-no. Moves the whole fucking bed.

What would wake me, when we had a normal bed, was the shaking of the bed (yes, he moves that forcefully). He would wake me, on average, at least four to six times a night. When we got the Tempurpedic that stopped the movement, but I could still hear his head moving, hense, I've gotten used to sleeping in the earplugs and accept it as part of my life, in fact, I have a hard time falling asleep anymore if they AREN'T in. I think there's nothing wrong with an eye mask and earplugs, that's why I have blackout curtains (besides providing some temperature and sound insulation).

I really think that as we get older we sleep more lightly, and a very real contributing factor to poor sleep (aside of a lot of other things), is the movement of our bed partners. Even a person just rolling over in the course of sleep can create a lot of motion.

As for night time peeing ... I think I've got a bladder the size of a watermelon, seriously. Between postponing going when we're camping, and putting off running to go potty in the middle of the night because it's cold in the house and I'm loathe to get out of my nice warm bed, I rarely take 3:00 a.m. piss calls

 

[velvett]

I complained about the dandruff thing to the dermatologist I saw yesterday for the botox/restalin inquiry and you know what she said? It happened to her too - when she hit 40. She said it was quite common for your skin to dry out all over.

*sigh*

That's interesting.

Speaking of Botox a few years ago I was scratch pretty bad by a cat and it tore through a good portion of my eyelid with multiple scratch on my cheek, nose, one eyebrow and the furrow between the brow. I was blessed with a fantastic plastic surgeon that fixed my face.

There was some muscle damage between the brow that left a straight diagonal crease where your furrow would be and if I would squint or be in the sun it became very prominent. It was really bugging me so I went back to the same surgeon and his associate Dr. put 5-7 injections of botox in that area and across the top of both brows.

The crease is gone, I can still move my brows, you can't tell anything was done and it cost me $375. I had no swelling, bumps or redness, in fact I went straight from the Dr. Office to a business lunch meeting.

 

[Bikini Mod]

That's interesting.

Speaking of Botox a few years ago I was scratch pretty bad by a cat and it tore through a good portion of my eyelid with multiple scratch on my cheek, nose, one eyebrow and the furrow between the brow. I was blessed with a fantastic plastic surgeon that fixed my face.

There was some muscle damage between the brow that left a straight diagonal crease where your furrow would be and if I would squint or be in the sun it became very prominent. It was really bugging me so I went back to the same surgeon and his associate Dr. put 5-7 injections of botox in that area and across the top of both brows.

The crease is gone, I can still move my brows, you can't tell anything was done and it cost me $375. I had no swelling, bumps or redness, in fact I went straight from the Dr. Office to a business lunch meeting.

In the hands of a competent cosmetic surgeon/dermatologist or other qualified professional (I think that RN's can do this to if they are properly trained) BOTOX IS THE SHIT!

Several years back I had botox in my forehead, between my brows and around the eyes delicately in addition to collagen in my lips (to sharpen the crease that fades with time) and in my laughlines. THE WHOLE KABOODLE COST $500.00 The only thing that looked funny were the bumps on my forehead that made me look like a dinosaur LOL and even that faded within an hour.

I can't wait to get it all done again, only this time instead of collagen it will be restalin. The whole kaboodle with cost $1450.00 not cheap, but certainly not crazy expensive.

 

[velvett]

In the hands of a competent cosmetic surgeon/dermatologist or other qualified professional (I think that RN's can do this to if they are properly trained) BOTOX IS THE SHIT!

Several years back I had botox in my forehead, between my brows and around the eyes delicately in addition to collagen in my lips (to sharpen the crease that fades with time) and in my laughlines. THE WHOLE KABOODLE COST $500.00 The only thing that looked funny were the bumps on my forehead that made me look like a dinosaur LOL and even that faded within an hour.

I can't wait to get it all done again, only this time instead of collagen it will be restalin. The whole kaboodle with cost $1450.00 not cheap, but certainly not crazy expensive.

I was pretty impressed and I would do it again for that area or whatever other area I wanted to edit.

I really want to try Botox for migraine - my ins won't cover it though.