I slather myself with lotion as soon as I get out of the shower every day. A few times as week, I use Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair on my neck and upper chest area. I have no idea if it's really working, but my mother asked me once whether I used lotion or anything on my neck/chest. She noticed some of my friends had very wrinkly/saggy necks and chest areas so thought I must be using something. I was a sun worshiper in my youth and still spend a lot of time at the beach, but in the last 10 years or so realized I wasn't doing myself any favors. I use a ton of sunscreen now, sit under an umbrella often, or wear a t-shirt over my bathing suit. I'm not sure if the Neutrogena is helping but I also noted that the women my mother was referring to are both very fair and freckled, and as athletes up through college, I think they probably had that area exposed all the time. I'm half Italian and have olive skin so maybe my sun damage just isn't as noticeable or as bad as theirs. I don't have saggy knees but I can tell my skin definitely has sun damage and will eventually be crepey.

I wish I had listened to my mother in my youth. She is nearly 100% Irish and never sat in the sun at the beach. At 76, her skin is nearly flawless. I know sound like my mother when I warn my kids to use sunscreen ALL the time, and sit under the umbrella, etc, but of course they don't listen. They do use sunscreen but not enough and thankfully, they aren't laying out for hours slathered in baby oil or Hawaiian Tropic oil like I did, but they do occasionally get burned. Two of my kids have my olive skin, but the other two are blonde/blue eyed kids with fair (tho not super fair) skin. I worry for my son b/c he does not listen and gets burned all the time on his face and neck when playing sports. Sorry, I went off on a tangent......

I remember a thread last year where someone recommended layering lotions. After showering put on an oily type lotion then put on a regular body lotion. I only think about using body lotion in the winter but my forearms are crepey so I really need to get into the habit of at least moisturizing those year round to see if it helps. The layering does make sense....a double whammy for dry skin.

I have been in the habit of using lotion on my arms and legs as soon as I get out of the shower for a long time. I use Curel fragrance free now. I can't even remember what I used a long time ago, but it was something with a lot of lanolin in it and not terribly greasy. Then it wasn't available any longer. I use some free samples of moisturizers on my décolletage and Nectifirm on my neck.

I have olive skin and am fairly dark, tanning easily, but don't try like I did when I was a teenager. At 69, I think my skin looks pretty good, but I can definitely tell it is getting saggy around my knees more lately no matter what I do.

As a part of that other thread, I bought Vanicream for my crepe paper arms. It is helping. It took 70 years to get this way so... I'll be slathering it all over in a couple more months.

Squats for sagging knees.

Jellytoast- not the answer I wanted to hear :-) But I will be doing them as of today. Thank you for the advice. I had a feeling there was no solution in a bottle.

sport should definitely help (my friends are getting some good results), but I for example don't have this option, not anymore. It's very frustrating, because no feeling of control..and even feeling of control can be partially enough for the looks you know. At least in one's mind. It's strange, but true.

Also I'm a vain and shallow person..:) and as such want to ask, since it's not off topic or so I hope -did anyone/their friends/acquaitances tried some mild procedures? say I've been reading about Exilis, microneedling..I'm very confused, and a bit scared too. I have sensitive skin, limited budget, and DH that should get glasses since he doesn't understand what bothers me.

maybe someone knows something about such body treatments and can share whether was worth it? I'd be very happy with 60%-70% improvement say..not striving for perfection

The skin is not crepey (yet) or sun damaged, it's just that I lost some muscle bulk and it started showing. I was wearing mini only two years ago..not mini mini but my favorite length, 34-35. But now I'm getting very shy about it. I even bought a cover up for the beach!

PS I do use lotions and creams and try new ones from time to time, but not as diligently as I should. It's an effort..after all..:) Face, I'm diligent about, but spreading cream on the face takes several seconds.

I also heard some good things about new complex in a pill, Elastin I think..I bought it but then was wary to actually take it..:)

A few days ago I started using Aveeno Positively Ageless Anti-Aging Firming Body Lotion on my arms and legs as I came across a $4 coupon for it, otherwise it might not have caught my eye. It claims to firm skin in 2 weeks, so we shall see.

It sounds like I'm probably doing all that I can right now.

I just turned the big 6-0 today, and am feeling less comfortable wearing anything above my knee than I have in the past. I'd rather show my midsection in a bikini than my knees!

My routine is to use Amlactin all over my body after my shower, and sometimes I put on another lotion in the evening, when I remember. I think that it really helps with my neck and chest. I've been trying some "firming" creams lately, the most recent is Nivea Skin Firming Hydration with CoQ10, though I can't tell if it is making any difference. I do notice that being well hydrated helps. When I was walking the Camino this summer on hot day, when I had been sweating a lot I noticed the skin on my legs was more slack, and there were quite visible lines above my knees. Hydrating myself helped get it back to normal.

I also work my quads to build that muscle to "pull up" the skin above my knees.

I'm pretty sure that there's no magic cure, but I remain hopeful!

Exercise is the key to preventing creepy skin. Building up the underlying muscles for a toned look is essential. My gym has a circuit of weight machines that can be done in 30 minutes. At home I use hand weights and YouTube videos. I know this isn't a quick fix, but one of the best books on the topic is Strong Women Stay Young.

I wouldn't call it magic, but squats really do work for toning the area right above the knee and greatly reducing the wrinkles there. I wear shorts most of the year, so I'm not willing to cover up my knees. I did read that Christy Brinkley gets laser treatments on that area, so maybe there is a "magic" cure." But her legs look like she works on them, too.

Yes, exercise is important to keep the underlying muscles toned, but really doesn't affect the condition of the skin. Believe me, my muscle tone isn't the issue here! I'm sure that we've all seen an older woman in great physical condition who still has crepey skin. I'm afraid I'm becoming one!

I have even more incentive to firm up my skin now. My kids gave me a wonderful birthday gift - they've arranged for all of us to be in Mexico for Christmas this year! So the bikini body challenge is ON!

I was just going to say that terriks has walked over the Pyrenees and across Spain, twice, so I don't think muscle tone is the problem here. :)

I agree. Muscle tone certainly helps, but the elephant knees are gonna get ya!

I've been seeing on line a lot about dry brushing...something I'd like to give a try. I like to use a spray oil, (Neutrogena) in the shower before I get out.

okay so really depressing knowing my personal challenges with exercise lol

what do you say about swimming though? something limited in time, not strenous..as light as can be

does swimming help, with toning the muscles? from your experience?

Oh, sorry, I saw "crepey body skin" and "saggy knees" as two separate issues! Unfortunately, I don't know of any cures for crepey skin. I've never used a skin creme that did anything at all for improving skin other than getting rid of dryness.

I posted last new year about discovering dry brushing. After a year I am still an addict. It is really a form of exfoliation but cheaper. I do it every am before a shower and my skin is firmer and softer. It is also the only thing that has ever helped my KP. Like, SA creams or the facial brushes it stops working if discontinued.

I'm gonna try that, roarah!

what do you say about swimming though? something limited in time, not strenous..as light as can be

Obviously, any kind of exercise is good for you, but I don't know if you can get the same muscle building results from swimming as you can from lifting weights, or doing body weight exercises like squats, lunges, push ups, etc.

I have done dry brushing off and on over the years, but haven't been consistent with it. I'm never really sure how much time I need to spend doing it.

There's something else that I just started doing that I forgot to mention. A Planet Fitness gym just opened in my town, so although I work out at home, I went to check it out. They have this machine that they call Total Body Enhancement. It's like a stand up tanning booth, but instead of UV lights it has red light therapy lights, and the base of it is a vibration platform. The red light is supposed to stimulate collagen production, and the vibration is supposed to firm muscles. The membership dues are low enough that it's worth it just to use this thing (if it works) so I joined. I've used it about a half dozen times so far, and I know that it will take a while to see any kind of results, so I'll report back in a few months.

roarah, I just bought a brush last night and tried it this morning. OMG! I can hardly wait til bedtime to do it again. I am not good at maintaining routines, but the brushing felt so good, I think I will be an addict.

Yes, swimming is one of the best kinds of exercise there is for overall toning. However, it tends to smooth you out rather than bulk you up the way weight-bearing exercise does.

But there's a reason so many doctors recommend swimming as their first choice for their patients. Nothing else is as good for your respiratory system, and it puts less stress on your joints than most other kinds of exercise.

ETA For all you drybrushing addicts, I'm curious as to which brush you like.

I just got a long handled bath brush like this one from Target

I just don't know how long I should spend brushing

roarah provides a link to the brush she uses on THIS thread.

Thanks, terriks and jellytoast!

thank you writerblock..so, to dig a pool? lol, that should be a separate thread

(I'm good with smoothing..if that can be achieved)

you won't believe-I mean I can't believe-but that's my brush! The one you linked to, the roarah's one. I never knew people use it for that..whatever "that" means

I looked at some online, but wanted to try it right away, so I headed to the drugstore. I bought a boar bristle hair brush that was flat (not rounded) and square. It seems to be just the right stiffness for my skin. I also got a smaller softer natural bristle brush (meant for polishing shoes) for my face.

I've not tried this, but the creator of the facial exercise program has mostly great reviews (some not-so-great, too) on another site that is as obsessed with skin as we are with deco! Right now it's $10 USD but I read the price is going up at the end of Oct. Again-- I have not tried it! https://www.agelessifyoudare.org/  (Scroll down to the last item: The Ageless Body.)

Where can I read the reviews of this program?

This is a thread over 100 pages long, but the last few pages talk about the body program (the other ones are about the face exercises): Ageless (I linked you to the 2nd-to-last page that's currently up.) Oops, here's a better dedicated thread on the same site: Ageless Body

Thanks, though I really don't see how exercise can affect the condition of the skin. But I suppose it's worth a look.

These are not exercises, according to the thread I linked. The videos teach dry brushing and massage techniques for the body. Her facial program uses both exercises and massage, from what I understand.

I'm 74 and have been exercising 3 times weekly now for 11 years. I really concentrate on my legs as they need to work for me when my poor old damaged lungs can't. I could still wear shorts in the summer until about 5 years ago when gravity finally got my knees. It was inevitable. I have very strong muscles in my legs but it's the skin, not the muscles. Yes, I have been a sun worshiper for many years. It doesn't help my skin but tanned saggy skin looks SO much better when it's tanned.

At 60, you don't yet have the old bruised, scared legs that will appear over the next 10 years. Out skin on our calves thins and a small bump can result in a deep cut. My lower legs look like someone has been beating them with a stick! But when they're tan, they look much better and the scars and bruises don't show as much.

It is very hard to age when one is vain. One must do the best one can and accept the rest with humility.

Anglophilia, have you tried using sunless tanners? The modern ones really do work well. I've been using one made by Jergens that you apply to your wet skin in the shower. I was worried about it staining my white towels, but they have remained spot free.

http://www.ulta.com/natural-glow-wet-skin-moisturizer?productId=xlsImpprod15623027

"It is very hard to age when one is vain. One must do the best one can and accept the rest with humility."-that should be my signature, really

I'm younger but the skin is very thin and sensitive, always was..bruises, everything..that's why i'm very wary of procedures too..not sure how much would help but sure i'll be covered with bruises for several months..

So, I self tan too..for years already. That helps a lot

(I started this dry brushing.not every day but very often..also bought some salts..)) will tell you in a month or two whether there is some difference..)

terriks, they work if one has smooth skin; not well with dry patchy skin. I go to the beach for a month each summer, so that is my choice - beach sitting and a tan. I'll accept the consequences.