Do facial moisturisers do any good?

I have eczema, so have been in and out of Dermatology departments over the years. Professor Shuster, Dermatologist at the Newcastle RVI in the 1960s, used to say that skin creams' effectiveness was in inverted relationship to the price; i.e. cheapest is best! I use E45 lotion on my face and other dry skin (£3.99) and I have a prescription preparation in case the eczema breaks out. Simple moisturising helps prevent a break out. Skin does tend to dry out as you age, but there is no special magic in expensive preparations.

My mother used Astral no longer available then straightforward Nivea cream for her face and her body and she had good skin. I seem to be allergic to it and anything with lanolin so use Clinique.
I get told by DH every time I buy it it's all just Aqueous cream which is as cheap as chips. He uses it to shave and as lovely skin. I was also told by a chiropodist to use it on my feet.
My GD told me I was like the gran in Rohal Dahl my mouth is like a dog's bottom and my lipstick was walking down my face which looked like a map. When I asked what she meant she said all lines. I love her to bits just like her GD truth every time.

Lol.
I'd still like to know why my left elbow isn't looking more youthful than my right one, in spite of the various moisturisers its had lavished on it over the years.

I really like Weleda skin food which is around £10 in waitrose, otherwise I like primark, really cheap & in a nice jar that looks expensive

I've been using Nivea since my teens when my mum popped one in my Xmas stocking. I've tried other more expensive brands and ended up with dry or spotty skin so I went back to my old faithful. I use the day one, the night one and an eye cream and I hope it makes a difference. I'm 56 and people think I'm in my 40s so that will do me, although my neck is starting to bug me. Winter is here and polo neck jumpers sort that out 😁

I don't know about ordinary moisturisers but I've been using a serum (not one of the mega expensive ones, I confess) plus moisturiser on one side of my face and just moisturiser on the other side. I've been conducting this experiment for a couple of months because I wanted to see if the serum made any difference. No discernible difference! yet...

So now I have two choices: stop bothering with the serum once I've run out, or buy a more expensive one and continue with my investigation....

I use L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + Hyaluronic Acid Anti Ageing Anti-Wrinkle SPF 50 Day Cream (about £13), in the morning solely to protect my face with the high SPF. Before that I put on LFF hydration hold face serum, but won't bother once the bottle runs out. At night I just use Olay Regenerist moisturising night cream. Seem to work - I get a few compliments now and again!

May as well add my bit - I worked on a Burns unit for 21 years , have potentially psoriasis when it flares up and Rosacea too so I know a bit about skin problems . I wash my face with a small squirt of Simple face wash ( the less drying one ) in a bowl of tepid water and rinse carefully . If I use it direct on my face from the tube with water from the tap or shower it’s a lot more drying . At work , washing wounds was a big part of the treatment to prevent infection and currently a squirt of baby shampoo in a bowl of tepid /warm water is used . In fact warm soap in water usually used to clean wounds and research proved it to be better than cold saline . Aqueous cream is used as a moisturiser for eczema and dry skin and even prescribed for this , but it was invented as a cleanser and can be very drying and a lot of people react to the lanolin in E45 ( I am ) and once washed it off a baby with a bad rash to find next morning the rash and soreness gone so it was the E45 that made it worse . The perfume and over many ingredients in a lot of the very expensive moisturisers cause reactions and spots for me and as many of the ingredients in the very expensive ones are also in the moderately dear ones ( I have looked at the ingredient list of a lot of them to compare ) why spend it? - unless you want the brand and pretty packaging ? However I find Clinique Moisture Surge excellent and buy only when on offer . I also put the excess on my left elbow and it does need it as very dry with psoriasis , same with one outer ear psoriasis patch . So the reason I have written this is because my message is keep it simple ( literally ) . And pass on what I have learnt often the hard and expensive way in case anyone should find it helpful . My skin is tons better than 20 years ago when I was sometime looking like a scaly lobster . 😊

Here’s what I’ve learned about facials, moisturizers, et al… three things:
1) it’s all about hydration too, from within. Are you taking in enough water, liquids to cleanse and nourish your system?

2) don’t waste your money on expensive lotions, creams when a less costly brand will do EXACTLY THE SAME! I found that out.

3) I have two friends in particular who are younger than I am (by 5 and 12 yrs) and they look much older than I am by a good 10 yrs, because of their wrinkles. That would be a hereditary thing in most cases (or excessive youthful sun!) Does not diminish their loving hearts in any way - you just look right past that.

Do what your pocketbook can afford and try a different routine and make sure you drink water! (that helps your brain too.)
Cheers!
USA Gundy

I don’t like aqueous cream. I’m sure it’s only prescribed a lot because it’s very cheap and it contains sodium laurel sulphate which a lot of people are allergic to. I’m currently using Cera Ve facial wash, sun protection and eye cream and am wearing a factor 50 on my face. If we all kept out of the sun we probably wouldn’t need moisturiser at all but then the sun is good for us.

I think most wrinkles come from sleeping on pillows. My right cheek is quite smooth but my left has crinkles when I smile. The left eye area under the brow has a line too. Shame someone can't invent a donut shaped pillow!
I have been using cleansers and moisturisers since I was 15 and noticed my skin was dry with soap and water.

Why have I never thought about my left elbow until today?

Jodieb

I think most wrinkles come from sleeping on pillows. My right cheek is quite smooth but my left has crinkles when I smile. The left eye area under the brow has a line too. Shame someone can't invent a donut shaped pillow!
I have been using cleansers and moisturisers since I was 15 and noticed my skin was dry with soap and water.

I keep meaning to buy a silk pillow for that reason but they’re not cheap!

Try CBD creams from Holland & Barrett - very good.

I used to use facial moisturiser every day but since being disabled 3 years ago I haven't used it. Not noticed any difference.

I,ve always used a moisturiser since my teens, I'm 72 and somebody told me recently that she would have put me around 60 yrs old, it's your skin , she said. So yes they do help but having tried many brands over the years I don't think you need to spend a lot. But don't get me started on necks! I recently bought a lovely dark green polo neck sweater, when I tried it on the crepey bits got pushed up so I ended up with at least three chins ! Won't be wearing polo necks again !

I’m a Nivea girl too.

I'm rather different from most of you as to using cheaper products. I love Elizabeth Arden Prevage Anti Ageing Daily serum, followed by EA Ceramide Day Cream. After a while I put on a EA Advanced Cermamide Oil Capsule then finish off with La Roche Posay Factor 50 Fluid. I use all of these on my face, and neck. I buy these in December when on special offer and usually have a year's supply which I treat as part of my Christmas present.
I do use cheaper moisturisers if supplies run short though. My sister and I have always had greasy skin so rarely have the feeling of tightness. It's the neck that's beating me, mind you, but hey I keep on trying.
I was chatting with a young Mum in the park last week when playing with my granddaughter and she asked me how old I was when I mentioned my 45 year old son. When I said I was 70 she said hoped she looked as good as me when she got to that age. I do try to keep active and keep a good posture and steer clear of frumpy clothes. I've also gone back to colouring my hair after a lockdown attempt at going "natural".

MayBee70. Try ebay. I have seen a Jasmine silk for £8.99

Has anyone tried a neck cream? I have thought why should a face cream work differently to a neck cream but it would be good to know if someone felt there was a difference.

The most important things are:
1) use a high spf in your day moisturiser or put separate spf on after your preferred moisturiser
2) use something with retinol in it at night

Interesting that so many of you use Nivea. I have extremely sensitive skin and Nivea is the only range which doesn't cause irritation.
I currently put on coconut oil at night-time as it is supposed to be anti-ageing. Can't see any improvement though.

1. I think serum does make a difference but buy Inkey on Amazon, you can get it elsewhere

uk.theinkeylist.com/products/hyaluronic-acid-serum?variant=33617798889607¤cy=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=CjwKCAjwzY2bBhB6EiwAPpUpZlxfOgDMuwjQVhmtTT3rPoZ80YF22oz_nH0CptmM9_4_tf7TxnKvZBoCE7gQAvD_BwE

Use it under moisturiser, it also reduces the amount of moisturiser.

2. Necks. At 71 often asked why neck is not showing age.

Conclusion: Yoga. Like any other part of the body, you can tone neck muscles. No sagging at all, some parallel lines but not bad..

I've yoga all over for years, but never to late to start. Lots on u tube. Cost - nil.
(you can do yoga for face too, but I never seem to get around to it)

Well, I have never used moisturisers or face cream on a regular basis and there is nowt wrong with my skin.

Yes, I have wrinkles, but show me the 70 year old who doesn't-

If my skin does feel dry, or my cheeks chapped after being out in a cold wind (like today) I do rub a little cleansing cream or a home made lotion on, but that is all I have ever done.

So yes, in my book, moisturizers, hair conditioners, after-sun lotion, fabric softeners are all a waste of money, but each to her own.

I use Aveeno baby soothing relief on my face twice a day. Have done for over two years. I get so many compliments about my skin. So many say I look years younger than my 71 years. Using it on my forearms got rid of the crepe look skin there. Before I retired I used expensive creams. Aveeno beats all of them by far.