Aging

[kejan]

We all know how ****ty hair loss can be, but what about aging in general around your face? How is that panning out for the older guys on here? (Over 25s).

I'm 31 and feel like I've hit the proverbial wall, ****ing big time. I was never 'hot', but got the odd compliment, was 'cute', and whilst no massive player, I managed to get the odd date in high school.

Dark circles under eyes, bags, saggy blemishes/blotches on my skin, the start of Homer Simpson mouth lines, and 4 permanent/well set forehead lines and about double that when I laugh, with promiment crows feet.

Hair is **** too. NW3/near 4 and thinning, and noticing where there is decent non-thinning hair (the sides) there's now lots and lots of greys.

Just met some guys I went to high school with for a reunion, and felt their much older brother/cousin rather than class mates.

Whilst there probably are natural factors which may help in small doses - limited sun exposure etc, what the beauty mags, make up artists and media don't say loud enough is - most of it will be down to genetics. I know lots of guys/women who smoke - my friend's boss is 67, smokes 3 packs a day around 60 and looks good. No exercise, drinks whisky reguarly/wining and dining with his clients 3/4 times a week and whilst he may have a small belly, lots of folk think he looks good for nearing 70.

No idea where I'm going wit this, but **** me, getting older can be depressing if you didn't win the genetic lotto at birth. And come from ****ty Irish, Scottish, Serbian/Yugoslav, and Russian heritage. Whilst Scottish and Irish people in general aren't that attractive, they age like **** mostly, and the other side have some really handsome looking people - yet when they hit mid 30s Balkan woman, hit the ****ing wall, big time.

Got to the stage where I'm starting to avoid mirrors or looking at them in certain angles. And some of these bars, restauraunts, airports with the bright lights can be depressing as ****.

Anyhoos, apologies, a massive long rant of an idiot bitching really, but shout out to anyone feeling like they are aging horribly, and washed up in their late 20s/early 30s.

 

[Folliman]

I agree. rapid aging sucks. When I was 14 people thought I was 18-20 (probably because of my big forehead) and I grew self conscious of it. Fortunately for me I've kept about the same face since then and I look my age now I think because I stopped going out to the sun.

 

[1knox1]

Suncreen on face, neck and hands every day. If you really want to get on top of it - look into a vitamin c serum, useful especially in summer, before you apply sunscreen. Let some sun hit your arms or another body part obviously so you are getting your vitamin d. Look into retin a/peels for fine lines? I don't know if you can post links but reddit has a page called 'skincare addiction' where members are always willing to help. Unfortunately, a lot is genetics, people with olive and darker skin tend to fair well, especially as they have much more melanin then paler white people. But men have a lot more collagen than women - so there are always things you can do.

 

[winnyblues]

That's the good thing about being Asian. You age generally really well until 70 or so (but back then they didn't use skincare)
I just recently turned 24, and I get ID'd every ****ing pub/bottleshop/club unlike most of my friends. People think I'm 19-21
It's because for me anyway I have super tight skin, and the only wrinkles I am starting to form are under my eyes, but thats understandable cause I did smoke a **** load of weed and not sleep alot last 5 years.

Although I've started using Cleanser/Moisturizer x 1 if not twice
I gotta say most Asians including myself have great skin lol

 

[kingdomforhair]

I here you man. I feel the same way you do. In my early 20s I had a cute boyish look....Thanks to hairloss my looks went south... now I'm getting grey hairs too.

It's mainly the hair for me. Thin wispy hair where once it was think and curly. Recession and grey hairs now.... I must have really bad genetics for hair, one of the worst possible if you think about the odds. The average age for first grey hairs is 35. The average man doesn't even have noticeable hair loss till 50. I have both premature graying and premature hair loss.

My skin looks really good though. It's the only thing positive about my looks these days. But then again I'm only 25 so who knows what will happen by 30. I'm starting to see a few creases that were not there in my early 20s. Those folds when you smile.. But nothing else, I guess though I looked after my skin so it's not really something that I got lucky with.

I' ve noticed most people look like **** after the age of 35 or so. I know after this age your human growth hormone levels decline rapidly, it's seen as the point where aging really kicks in.

Most people think they've still got it. I've read forums where nearly every man who spoke said they looked better at 40 than at 20. Yet when you look on the streets how many good looking 40year olds do you see? Not many. Most are fat, balding , slobs who have sons who call them "the old man" perhaps rightly.

The only exceptions I can think of are celebrities - every time you here about how great you're going to look when you get older it's always 'hey look at Tom Cruise', or 'Brad Pitt'. It's what happens for hair loss instead we're told to think we're going to be Jason Statham - always looking at the exceptions no the rule.

Truthfully man, go to any over 30s nightclub and it's a horror movie, even slim bodies are rare. All that smoking, drinking, sun, bad food kill people's looks. And as many of us have experienced if that doesn't do it for you then genetics will.

 

[shookwun]

Genetics and keeping your body fat at low levels will keep this in check. Its only after 30 does everything to start to shine through.


Low body fat is crucial
7-12bf

Dude. .anything under 35 is young. Most people don't start showing signs of aging until 35+

 

[1knox1]

I really do think sunscreen is the best weapon we have, especially if you have lighter skin. Even these really expensive moisturizers are mainly just high spfs.

'Dark skin, which contains more eumelanin than fair skin is better protected against UV-induced damage, and eumelanin is thought to be superior to pheomelanin in its photoprotective properties. As discussed by Gloster and Neal (69) melanin in Black skin is twice as effective compared to White skin (70) in inhibiting UVB radiation from penetrating. While Black epidermis allows only 7.4% of UVB and 17.5% of UVA to penetrate, 24% UVB and 55% UVA passes through White skin.' (70). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671032/.

 

[shookwun]

Ye most look like **** because they get fat and bloofy in the face. Skin looses elasticity etc
Hello lines and creases.

For **** sake under 30 shouldn't be shown signs of aging unless balding is counted

 

[Wolf Pack]

I really do think sunscreen is the best weapon we have, especially if you have lighter skin. Even these really expensive moisturizers are mainly just high spfs.

'Dark skin, which contains more eumelanin than fair skin is better protected against UV-induced damage, and eumelanin is thought to be superior to pheomelanin in its photoprotective properties. As discussed by Gloster and Neal (69) melanin in Black skin is twice as effective compared to White skin (70) in inhibiting UVB radiation from penetrating. While Black epidermis allows only 7.4% of UVB and 17.5% of UVA to penetrate, 24% UVB and 55% UVA passes through White skin.' (70). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671032/.

There is hardly any sun in the UK though. You may say they are holidaying abroad, but many aged badly here in the 1970s-90s and before, when holidays were not that common.

Sunscreen is good to prevent cancer and maybe a bit of ageing, but really the effect is not that big in North Europe.

 

[1knox1]

There is hardly any sun in the UK though. You may say they are holidaying abroad, but many aged badly here in the 1970s-90s and before, when holidays were not that common.

Sunscreen is good to prevent cancer and maybe a bit of ageing, but really the effect is not that big in North Europe.

You make a fair point. I do believe a sizable % of uva/uvb rays still come through clouds in the summer. But of course we need the sun for vit d ect. Guess it's all about moderation like most things in life.

Even now, there are still a lot of people using sunbeds due to the influence you see on the crappy reality shows we have here in the UK. If you have been going on these all throughout your 20s, added with holidaying abroad, drinking and smoking, it will eventually show by the time you hit your 30's. Of course, as you rightly stated, genetics comes a resounding first.

 

[shookwun]

lots of partying, YOLO nights, and c*m guzzling will age women like no tomorrow.

 

[IA2015]

As a Scot I find the aging comment offence lol (I jest). I think people from the U.K. generally age ok actually. Of course we aren't anywhere near as good as our Mediterranean friends. But yes, Anglo-Saxon folk don't age aswell as many.

Genetics play a large role I'd say 70% however environmental factors play a key role (im not including hairloss in this). Your stress levels, toxin levels, pollutants, diet and activity levels all play a key role. Manage them well and you'll aid yourself alot, don't do it and you will look tired and older.

It would surprise you how much better you look after a month of eating healthy and exercising regularly.

Anyone actually think people are aging faster nowadays? I know we live longer thanks to advances in medicine, yet the chemicals we pump into our bodies today is frightening. The diets are appalling and our stress levels sky high.

 

[Folliman]

For the one who don't know, this is a truck driver who aged faster on one side due to sun exposure.

 

[shookwun]

Put a Caucasian in California for 20 years and u will have a example of weathered/leathery skin. Then their are those that liven areas where half the year is winter such as canAda, you will then see the difference in who ages more gracefully.

 

[I.D WALKER]

Looks like his surgeon forgot to lift the right eye(better side). Interesting.

 

[kejan]

http://topinfopost.com/2014/11/19/woman-drinks-gallon-of-water-every-day-results-are-shocking

Yes, genetic plays a role. But we can do other things to improve. You'll be surprised how much water can make a difference, people think they consume enough, but you should be having at least 2 liters a day.

Interesting.

Yet we are told too much water can cause water retention and if you had/have a round face (weight always goes here first for me, if I add a few pounds).

And this happens for almost everything. Things chop and change - red wine was bad, now a glass is meant to be good. Butter was meant to be bad for you, now it's being advised by certain folk again.

I have spend the summer eating a lot of trashy foods. Had relatives over on holiday and we were playing golf, drinking beers/alcohol, eating lots of BBQ and candy. And I've put on about 10 pounds in 3 weeks - so for my whining early about looking like ****, I've hardly helped myself.

 

[shookwun]

Just make sure your future wife had Cindy Crawford genetics.

Even then these women market themselves in a lyful manner. For all I know lots of face lifts, and botox could be the contributing factor to her lookig so youthful.

 

[Raz]

We all know how ****ty hair loss can be, but what about aging in general around your face? How is that panning out for the older guys on here? (Over 25s).

25+ is "older guys"? Well... I agree with Shookwun in that people shouldn't start to show visible signs of aging before 35+, or at least 30+ if your lifestyle/genetics/environment are bad. Obviously, balding not withstanding.

Personally, I looked quite "old" from 20 to 24 because I was balding and my babyfacedness didn't go well with that hair (that "sickly" or weird look, sadly). I remember when I was 23 and was meeting up new people at parties at random and when the topic of people's ages came up, people would usually put me at 28. However, now that I have hair again at 25, people tend to think I am 19-21 most of the time. My mom turned 50 some time ago and I went to her party and in there, many of the guests or their avecs (of many age brackets) who didn't know my mom so well guessed me to be 19-20 on average, when I was introduced as her son, lol. Same kinda deal if my brother's friends talk to me (my brother is 17) and if they don't know my age.

So yeah, hair is a big deal sadly. Apart from that, I don't have any skin aging whatsoever at 25 (and I don't think I should). If anything, my skin looks a tiny bit better than when I was 18 or so.

I do see many people around my age who have fine lines or some who even have a few more pronounced lines on their forehead, or some laugh lines etc., and that makes me a bit weirded out. I don't even live particularly healthy - I do hydrate well, do sports and avoid the sun - but that's just mainly because I hate the scorching heat and the sun in general, and because I am a goddamn nerd at the end of the day. I guess some of my buddies do drink more and generally care less about moisturizing/sun exposure, but my diet for instance is garbage.

Looking at my parents' pictures; I don't see my mom show any visible signs of aging before 42 or so (would have passed as late 20s/early 30s until then), and my dad also looked kind of babyfaced up until 33 or so, after which he only started looking more "manly", before the aging started kicking in at around 40 - barring his balding, which of course made him look older. :/

Kind of a brainstormed post here as well, but yeah, as long as I can keep my hair, I do think I am fated to be that babyfaced dude for another 10 years or so.

 

[xetudor]

Yet we are told too much water can cause water retention and if you had/have a round face (weight always goes here first for me, if I add a few pounds).

I've never heard this. If you want water then you should drink it. I think it's salt that causes water retention. Not drinking water will make you look a little thinner but will also kill you in the process.

 

[uncomfortable man]

I just dont appreciate when people lump balding and aging together. Does balding make you look older? Yes, but they are two seperate, unrelated things.