wrinkles and i only just turned 20!

spotlessphanty · Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 2

For the past few days i've been depressed over the discovery of lines seemingly etched right under my eyes. :( :? I am soo shocked because I've never had any bad skin habits in the recent years. I am a heath food addict, and completely straight edge. I drink green tea before bed every night. I lather on sunblock before swimming, even tho I didn't as an early teen. But then I had very temporary sun exposure only during vacations.

I did however, lose weight during the past few months. I hightest I've weighed is 96 pounds, and now I've come down to a teeny 87.6. I do wonder if the dramatic loss of fat around my face has something to do with it? My eye sockets also look more noticeable than ever before.

So I'm not sure if thes wrinkles are the first signs of prematurely aging skin9(the cause of which i just can't put my finger on :? ), or just because of my weight loss?

help PLEASE?

:(

drtodorov · Site Admin Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Posts: 3177

How tall are you? If you are average height, 87 pounds could be underweight for a 20-year old. Malnutrition might contribute to wrinkles...

spotlessphanty · Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 2

5 feet/4'11ish.

i've always been small and slim tho...but a loss of 10 pounds may be too much for my body yes...

drtodorov · Site Admin Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Posts: 3177

Have a nutritionist evaluate your diet. If you are deficient in some nutrients, or have protein malnutrition, that may contribute to wrinkles and reduced ability of skin to heal.

jamesherried · Joined: 07 May 2005 Posts: 784

Eliminate the green tea and see what happens. At least two other people on this forum said that green tea caused them to lose weight (presumably body fat) and as a result they lost volume in their face, and they weren't pleased with that. And I've read in numerous places that green tea has been successfully used for weight loss, which for some people would be good, but for others no, if it really does cause loss of fat and volume in the face. Organic raw cocoa powder is even higher in antioxidants than green tea (at least 4 times higher) and it contains the same types of antioxidants that green tea has (catechins) plus others not found in green tea, so you might try that instead. But maybe cocoa powder can cause you to lose weight also, although I've never heard that it does. If it does just eat some dark chocolate every day (organic, at least 70% cocoa, they have a good one at Trader Joe's). Dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) has an ORAC of 13,500, whereas green tea has an ORAC of about 3,000. And dark chocolate would not cause you to lose weight(it might do the opposite), plus the flavonoids in it are supposed to be good for your skin. But since it does contain sugar, you should brush your teeth immediately after eating it, and dont' eat it (or any sugar or high glycemic carbs) before bed, since the realease of insulin that may occur in the blood would inhibit the release of HGH that normally occurs during the first few hours of sleep. In any case, you might just eliminate the green tea first and see what happens.

jessica9 · Joined: 16 Aug 2005 Posts: 137 Location: Washington DC

Your BMI is 17.6, which is underweight, but is not seriously underweight. If you only gained two pounds, you weight would be in a normal range. I am 5'9", 27, and naturally thin. I teeter between just underweight and in the low normal range. Doctors recommend staying in the low normal range, so you are basically there. I always struggle with keeping weight on, and I lost a lot of weight a year ago after stopping a medication. I have noticed some of the changes you have as well.

It never hurts to go to a nutritionist. I am seeing one now and when I follow a good, healthy diet religiously, it shows in my skin. I have a friend who has been losing weight and on a very healthy diet and her skin looks much better than it did before.

I suppose if I could ask a question: when people gain some weight back if they lost weight suddenly, is the fat redistributed differently depending upon age? Using myself as an example - at 27, would some of the fat I lost in my face full my face out as it was prior or am I old enough that it would look a bit different. I also notice changes in my eye area and I did not notice them until I lost the weight. Is it possible with proper nutrition or supplements to change anything? I was eating poorly for awhile and am just now starting to stick to my new diet. Can I notice improvements that occured during a time of acute stress? Any answers are appreciated, and Dr. Todorov, if you would not mind responding, I would appreciate it. Thank you.[/quote]