[ct1]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 38 year old man with a healthy, athletic lifestyle. I stay out of the sun; I eat well. As I grow older I'm noticing more and more that my cheeks are thinning/hallowing; that the skin under my eyes is thinning so that I can see the beginning of bags. What can I do about this?

Common sense suggests that it's a lose of collagen and fat. What can I do about this? I'm open to medical procedures or medications.

Thank you,

ct

 

[debbie34]

Unfortunatly this will eventually happen to all of us. It's just a matter of time. You are right in your guess. It's the loss of collagen and elastin that thins and sallows your skin. You can either start using some kind of anti aging product that claims to boost the amounts of collagen + elastin or you can go under the knife. I wouldn't recommend the latter....it scares me.

 

[jones10021]

You can eat foods that contain antioxidants that restore collagen and elastic. In the end your genetics will win though.

 

[carro]

You need both antioxidants and omega-3. The sad thing is that it takes about 3 months to see the results.

 

[pinklily]

Products containing Retin-A or Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate) have been shown to increase collagen so you may want to try those.

 

[pills]

or maybe u can try eating collagen products/pills. i heard it really works.

 

[Ventoux]

ct

You're right to mention loss of collagen. Another cause could be the loss of elastin.

If there are nutritional deficiencies in your diet, this can cause subcutaneous fat to start to disappear which makes the epidermis sag.

As mentioned by Carro, lack of antioxidants can have a profound effect on your skin so it seems that we need to protect our skin both from the outside with good quality creams and also from the inside with well-balanced protein and mineral supplements.

I'm sure you're aware that there is no "quick fix" but I use both men's skincare cream and take supplements and, gradually, my wrinkles are becoming less noticeable and my teeth, gums and even my eyesight is improving.

 

[AllieTarHeel]

What sort of supplements do you recommend for antioxidants etc to improve skin health?

 

[LindseyT]

The other problem is that the skin uder your eyes is some of the thinnest skin on your entire body...I would just begin an anti-aging regimen. You're not old yet, but now is the time to take the steps to protect your skin so you can avoid going under the knife later in life

 

[Taryn]

or maybe u can try eating collagen products/pills. i heard it really works.

I've heard this too, but never tried it.

 

[deepika]

Use vitamin C serum which will promote collagen synthesis making the skin appear thicker.

 

[2blue]

I'm just a few year years younger than you and so far I've not noticed any thinning of my skin. Is it just around the corner

?

Lots of suggestions here. Vitamin C, retin A should both have a good effect. If you do weekly hydroxy acid peels they will speed up cell turn over, and the general effects are firmer skin and a thickening of the deeper skin layers. However with the peels it is even more important to use a good cream, and peeling no more than once a week. They trigger the skins natural regeneration process and it can have a very good effect. However the results are produced by the body's own regeneration process and too much peeling are counter active.

I have used acid peels for several years now, it keeps me looking clean and free of acne. I tend to get those keratin plugs if I don't peel.

If you dare, TCA peels and different lasers will offer the most dramatic results. But they are a bit risky and can have a long healing period before you reach your goal.

 

[kiera]

unless I missed it, I can't believe no one has suggested facial exercises and facial massage! The massage can plump up the skin and the facial exercises can build up the muscles so that hallows in the face can be filled in. Try ageless if you dare or flexeffect!

 

[sandia1]

I swear, since I've done TCA peels, used Vit. C serum and Retin A, my NL folds are not as deep. They are plumping up! I still have plenty of fat on my face-I suppose that's better than too little at my age. All I know is that *something* is plumping up under my eyes and my NL folds.

 

[bellajane]

how can you tell if skin is thinning? i've never thought about this before so it's another thing for me to fuss about.

 

[blueman]

Skin looses it's support, collagen, elastin, becomes saggy, has creases and all that.
I had thicker skin 5 years ago, so that process starts very early, it just becomes more noticeable after 35-45 years.

 

[LightenNLift]

Vitamin C serum, Retin-A, Co Enzyme Q10, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin E (tocopherol acetate) and especially Facial exercises all help strengthen the skin back up. I have heard about and seen success stories of countless individuals with weak/thin skin conditions such as Rosacea, Eczema where the skin's integrity is compromised because of clumps of broken blood vessels; their redness/rosacea was broken blood vessels were fixed, skin was strengthened and thickened just with daily Facial Exercises which brought a lot of red blood cells, white blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the face, boosting up its rejuvenating processes. Amazing.

 

[regi1]

ct

You're right to mention loss of collagen. Another cause could be the loss of elastin.

If there are nutritional deficiencies in your diet, this can cause subcutaneous fat to start to disappear which makes the epidermis sag.

As mentioned by Carro, lack of antioxidants can have a profound effect on your skin so it seems that we need to protect our skin both from the outside with good quality creams and also from the inside with well-balanced protein and mineral supplements.

I'm sure you're aware that there is no "quick fix" but I use both men's skincare cream and take supplements and, gradually, my wrinkles are becoming less noticeable and my teeth, gums and even my eyesight is improving.

Ventoux: What kind of men's skincare creams and supplements to you use?

 

[irene851]

food richest in antioxidants is best for all