May 31, 2009

How to Grow Old Gracefully While Fighting the Signs of Age

So I turned 31 about a week and a half ago and we'll say missed a post due to events that happened to take place during that time. My husband, who is 36, said that turning 30 wasn't so bad for him, but 31 was, because it meant he was now "into his 30s." Turning 30 was a breeze but now that I'm "into my 30's," I find myself obsessing more and more about lines and wrinkles and discolorations on my face as well as the increasing number of gray hairs I'm finding. I'm spending more money than ever on crap to try and fix or prevent things from getting worse.

A couple of years ago I went and had a spa facial done, and before hand they have you fill out a form letting them know what kinds of products you are using and what your concerns are. I was washing my face with soap and my biggest concern was the discolorations. The lady told me soap is bad. What!!! My mother never told me not to use soap on my face! I'd been using it for the last 10 years or so. They were trying to sell me their products though which were much more expensive than I was willing to pay for. So maybe soap is why my skin is still hideous. Or maybe it's just that I'm more sensitive to how it looks now that I'm into my 30s. Maybe if I'd obsessed about it half as much in my 20s, it would look much better now. I don't really know. I did however wear sunscreen most if not all of the time so I think my spots are from birth control. But I don't know if going off of it will clear it up or not.

I probably didn't worry about my skin in my 20's because I spent it worrying about my gray hair. My first gray hair was discovered in a foreign country at 19. Well I didn't worry about it so much as I made the decision to start dying it to hide the gray hair. The older I get the more I'm getting. This puts me in a very awkward place because I'm a brunette and I don't have enough gray to go blond (which would make me look silly), but I'm getting more and more gray that covering it up with dye just isn't lasting long. And I feel I'm much to young to go platinum silver (which I love) even if I had enough gray hair to warrant it. And I much too cheap a person to keep up with what ever method I choose. Hmmm what's woman to do?

Either way, I don't much like obsessing over anything whether it's the small lines or wrinkles around my eyes or a new gray hair that I haven't pulled out yet. It is kind of awkward explaining to a coworker that you are indeed 10 years younger than he is and that he's either terribly not smooth with the ladies and has just sent you into a horrible depression as he's just robbed you of 10 years of youthful beauty. I don't know who felt more awkward after that conversation, me or him. I'm guessing he didn't get it based on other short sighted comments he's made, so probably I felt the most awkward after that conversation. After all, I'm the one obsessing. I suppose it goes along with much of the rest of my life, a great big pile of awkward fun....

This 41 looking 31 year old is open to any tips and secrets you all might have for me.

8 comments:

R said...

ppl said banana mask is great 4 wrinkles :)

Unknown said...

I say eat the $$$$$ (not a mistake that there are FIVE dollar signs) and do highlights for the next ten years until you are in your forties. Then re-evaluate. I'm one to talk because I won't spend the money either. I just had someone assume that I was 38 so don't feel too bad.

grayspirit said...

For me, I stay young by living young and keeping the wonder of life alive.

cube said...

Grayspirit said it well. It's not about expensive creams so save your money & use Noxema and Oil of Olay.

Amber Sunshine said...

I'm allergic to noxema and i use oil of olay for basic moisterizer and sunscreen...but it's not helping with my brown spots :( and the regenerist and extra lines, while cheaper than department store stuff, still more than i'm willing to pay...i've been trying alpha hydrox which has glycolic acid and reasonbly priced...i'm just very impatient...I'm going to try that banana mask thing though...especially when I buy bananas and they get too ripe for me to eat (because i hate them but force myself to once it awhile)

carrie said...

i am usually thought to me much younger than my actual 36 years. but it sucks when people on my blog tell me to get botox and a peel cuz i'm so ugly.

what's really important?

Amber Sunshine said...

How rude!!! people acutally say that??? hence why my face is that of my sweet baby puppy.. No one can resist or criticize such a sweet face :)

Freespirit said...

It started for me when I turned 29. I started freaking out because I was almost thirty and wasn't where I wanted to be in life. I was literally starting over. At age 30 I freaked out, I couldn't believe I was thirty, I didn't feel thirty. I went through a kind of identity crisis that year. By age 31 I had accepted it. I'm now 32 and I'm okay with my age.

Yeah, you're not supposed to use soap on your face. My mother used soap but I knew better as a teen because I read those beauty magazines that said not to.

But guess what, now I'm using a $27 bottle of salon face wash and my skin looks like crap.