Looking awful!

I meant to add that when I have washed my hair and it is dry I rub two drops of L'oreal oil into the palm of my hands and smooth it through my hair. It does not make it greasy or heavy just nourishes my hair and stops any flyaways.

had a bone scan two weeks ago which confirmed what my doctor thought. I have osteoporosis.I also have a fractured vertebrae in my thorasic spine.I'm in pain all the time strong painkillers give me some respite. I'm back on steroids for asthma and I feel my weight ballooning as I speak. I hate the winter, I'm always miserable until spring comes. Having said that I've just learnt that one of our neighbours has died and she was about 6 years younger than me.so I must stop moaning and be thankful that I still have a husband after 56years, we enjoy each others company and that means a lot.

Sympathy for those with illness to cope with, I am ok but have had a long Winter of chest infections and a cough which refuses to go.Feel pale ( but not interesting!)
Did a face pack a few days ago, which helped, always use a good moisturiser and a little make up.Can't say I worry too much about it, am more concerned to feel well as the years go by.

I just turned 67 today and feel quite happy and reasonably attractive at the moment but this time last week I was suffering from a twisted knee and in great pain. I looked dreadful - pale, drawn and miserable. I think as you get older any discomfort shows in your face. If I haven't heard from my son and family for a few days I look quite grim then as soon as I have a phonecall or message I look visibly improved. A smile certainly improved anyones looks I think.

Those of you who look like their mothers are lucky, I look like my granny! Make up makes me resemble Aunt Sally (remember her?) It's not easy growing old in a world obsessed with youth and beauty, and hard if you have physical ailments to bear, but hey let's embrace old age. It's better than the alternative, I hope. I agree it's what's on the inside that counts and friends and family who love you. Get rid of the mirrors and eccentricity is definitely the way to go.

I actually feel sorry for you all. I am 79 and just accept my looks and am glad to have reached this age. I use moisturizer to make my skin feel better not look better and don't expect to look 30/40/50/60 but 79 and accept the passing of time so am never depressed or upset by it.

When/if I reach my late 70s I probably won't care much about my looks either, but like others in their mid to late 60s I do feel I've aged quite suddenly during the last few years.

Winter certainly doesn't help...

I'm very fair skinned and have chronic health conditions, the slightest pain I have always shows in my face. I use boots No7 range of make up and concealer 's. They will match them to your skintone with a clever little machine. They're very good at making your skin look more vibrant and not too expensive

I am 70 and in photographs look like my grandmother, the thing that really annoys me is that my husband looks good and he is 80 this year

I have to say in mitigation, several times recently I have been told how much better I look since my TKR as the pain I was going through showed in my face. So for those of you going through illness, it will reflect and I feel for you.

I have a friend that puts photos of me on facebook after we've been out somewhere together. Just awful as seeing a photo of myself can leave me feeling depressed for days! I do realise now though that in the last two photos I was wearing either cream or black and it made me look colourless. I'm going to go back to the hairdresser (my daughter has been cutting my hair) and get a cut and some lowlights. I will wear more colourful clothes too.

i do think the right colours matter and so suggest colour Me Beautiful consultation. I make sure I wear colourful clothes in the range that shit me. I was horrified once when a friend arrived looking ill only to be told that she was flying out to Australia next week. It was the black and white clothes she was wearing that me her look so ill.

Had a power cut recently. Amazed how nice I looked by candlelight!! I reckon the answer is don't look in mirrors too closely with glasses on. Avoid photos unless from a long way off and just keep remembering you are as beautiful as for what lies within.

Sorry you're feeling bad. It's horrible when you feel and see yourself looking not great.

One thing I sometimes do when I'm looking very pasty this time of year - I use fake tan, just to give a slightly warmer healthy look. The one I use is Clarins self tanning gel, which is more expensive but it lasts for ages.

I also cleanse with Superdrug Naturally Radiant hot cloth cleanser which very gently exfoliates (the whole range is good.) Then I put on a little moisturiser. When that's sunk in, I use the Clarins, very sparingly. I then apply a 2nd coat on my cheeks, which makes me look more healthy.

I prefer this to foundation as it's a more natural look, and lasts a while. I don't like lipstick on me, just use pink lip balm or vaseline.

How about some eye drops too, or Liz Earle eye bright on a cotton wool pad is soothing to eyes.

I agree with farmgran about using bright coloured clothes too, just a flattering bright scarf, perhaps soft pink or peachey pattern, next to your face can lift your look.

Hope some of these ideas work for you.

I did feel as if I hit 70 and then started falling to bits! I had a Colour Me Beautiful consultation recently and that helped. I was able to rationalise my wardrobe afterwards and have begun wearing more make-up (but subtle). I am also cultivating my eccentricities!

When I read the phrase "67 and that's quite old" I was shocked. I will be 67 in september and I do not consider myself to be quite old! Perhaps even thinking that you are is not helping you feel good about yourself. I sympathise with your illness- I really am fortunate in that I have no health problems, and of course I have days when I look in the mirror and don't like what I see, but old? No way!

67 seems to be a popular age on here, though I am closer to 68 and don't consider that old. Right now I feel and look amazingly healthy having just returned from two weeks holiday in the sun. After a fortnight of swimming and walking it was quite a change to be back working on my feet this weekend (8 hr days) and I have to admit my legs are a bit achey today.
Once spring arrives do get out in the sunshine every chance you get, if you feel better you will look better.

I don't have a serious illness dragging me down but I sympathise so much with those who do. I'm 67 too and find getting older horrible.
I know not everyone can do it due to illness etc. but I find dancing - any kind - is wonderful for lifting the spirits.
Personally I line dance twice and week (good for the brain as well as everything else) and go to a Fitsteps class as well. The great thing is that I share these classes with others of the same age and older. No one is trying to look glamorous, basically we just have fun.
When my kids were small, I found the peer support in a mother and toddler group an absolute life-saver, and I think this works the same way.
A friend at one of the classes
recently said "I'm just happy when I'm here" and she's struggling with a terminally ill husband.
I think I'd be a lot more miserable if I couldn't dance (sometimes worry about what I'll do when I can't!)

67 seems so young to me! I'm 80 later this year and hate my appearance now. (never did like it much anyway). I am so pale and washed out looking. A bit of blusher helps if I am going out anywhere, but generally I think I look dreadful.

Positive thinking and make-up works for me. I'm very pale and always have to add colour to let people know I'm alive! I go for a natural look (not celebrity). You don't have to use expensive make-up, its how you apply it that matters. I always use Nivea tinted moisturiser and then dab Max Factor's face infinity face powder on with a brush especially under the eyes...its acts like a concealer for me...I dab a bit of eye shadow, blusher, and vaseline tinted lip balm...and I'm done for the day! Practice until you find whats right for you. My son-in-law is a make-up artist and always compliments me on my "look"...he despairs when I tell him what I actually use on my face!

Does anyone else look at old passport photos and think " I looked good!" At the time I thought it was a terrible photo ! So, Although I agree it's a shock when I look in the mirror maybe we don't appreciate that we don't look that bad !

I always get a shock when passing a shop window/mirror and there's an old woman looking back at me! When did I turn into one of those?!

To the poster who has those horrid yellow blobs around the eyes. My DH had them and I was feeding him very carefully with a low fat diet which included those horrid low fat spreads. I then read that they are just as bad so I started using butter again. Those horrid blobs have vanished. I don't say it's the reason and have no nutritional expertise but it seems a very happy coincidence.

Rathe overused the word horrid but I hate them and the low fat spread.did

Problem with a photograph is that it's a still picture and we all can spend ages examining ourselves in great detail. In real life we are animated and our friends don't stare at our 'defects" intently. On holiday there was a huge magnifying mirror in the bathroom.If I'd spent long in front of it I would never have left the room. Pores became craters. Let's make the best of ourselves no matter our age (65) smile and go out and get on with living. When I've found myself moaning about my eye bags, fat knees etc I try and remind myself that at least I can see, well etc.