is your job aging you?

[RobotNurse]

my housemate is also a nurse and we both have noticed we have started looking prematurely aged since we started working in healthcare. i'm only 25 and have always been guessed to be younger, carded for entry to clubs, etc. i feel like i've aged 15 years since i started working as a nurse. i've not been working as a nurse for that long, but i know constant stress ages people. my skin looks dull and i hate looking worn out and older than i am.

has anyone else experienced this, and is there any way to avoid being aged by the stress? i eat a clean diet and work out regularly even though i always feel exhausted from work.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

I had someone tell me once that they liked that I looked directly at them with a 'frown' of concentration because that meant I was really paying attention. Since it is a habitual thing, I have the lines between my eyebrows. Maybe a look of serenity delivered via botox is okay for some, but I 'earned' this face and would like to keep it as is.

Now, if we're talking droopy jaw lines and under chins, if I had the money I'd get me a subtle lift in that area!

[Nola009]

Yes, I think so. People almost ALWAYS thought I was much younger than I was, and now i don't get many of those "you look younger" comments. Also notable- I gained 20# during nursing school and haven't lost it two years later

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

I gained weight. I am looking forward to switching to a job where I can not work 3 days in a row frequently with one week is 4 days in a row. It is near impossible to eat healthy that way.

[RNJill]

I actually loved 3 in a row (or 3 days a week) a lot and am really missing it as an NP! Crazily enough, it seems that I'm pretty much workig 11-12 hour days 4 days a week and often pushing 10-10.5 on the other day. So the grass isn't always greener-lol. I was thinking about the aging thing too. I try to sleep reasonable amounts, eat well(ish), and exercise moderately, but it is hard! Hopefully my Olay Regenerist night cream and specific eye cream for nighttime will protect me a little.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I definitely have forehead wrinkles, a couple of under-eye wrinkles, and I have recently developed some faint lines along that divide between the cheeks and the nose/mouth area. Definitely not liking what I am seeing! I still get mistaken for younger than I am. I'm guessing that's probably due to the foundation I use. It's a little hard for me to figure out how people think I am still in my early 20s (I am 26) when I have WRINKLES!

It doesn't help that I have a ton of acne partially from the form of birth control I use and stress. I feel like it's going to be a nightmare switching from anti-acne to anti-aging stuff. I'm probably going to be broken out all of the time. If I could just find something that tackles both wrinkles and acne, I'll be good to go!

Retin A treats both acne and fine lines. You can get it from a dermatologist, it is a prescription. I believe in chemical peels to help acne and sometimes fine lines.