2w ago

I tried skincare and now I have pimples

I got suckered. I saw some posts about how men don't take care of their skin, and how it has more of an effect as we age. So I thought, what's the harm? Let's give it a try!

Welp, after five days of putting a tiny bit of moisturiser on my face, I have a couple of tiny pimples on my nose. I haven't had zits in decades, and here we are. I stopped applying the moisturiser a couple of weeks ago and I'm still getting those zits.

Thanks skincare.

21 comments

Are you washing your face before putting moisturizer on? Did you get a moisturizer that says you can use it on your face?
If yes to both, it could be that that particular moisturizer just isn't for you and you might want to try a different one.
- Yes, I am washing my face, but no, it does not explicitly mention faces on the package. I guess that's my first mistake.
  
  If you want a recommendation, Nivea soft is quite lightweight, I used it for a while before I got an SPF moisturizer (more expensive but they do make a difference in aging/preventing skin cancer)

Moisturiser doesn't cause pimples / zits unless it's too thick and/or you applied too much, essentially clogging your pores and depriving them of oxygen.
So if that doesn't apply, it's just a coincidence and you're attributing it to something that didn't cause it

There's a word for that: noncomedogenic. That means it doesn't clog pores.
Face moisturizers try to be noncomedogenic. Other types of moisturizers don't care as much.
Skin care isn't a sham. Skin care is like anything else. Everyone is different. You have to find whatever works. For some people it's very simple, and other people will find themselves going down a rabbit hole trying to improve their skin.
- How will I know when it's working?
  
  Depends on what you want out of it. I use one (1) daily face lotion thing with a light sunblock in it. It helps prevent UV damage & keeps me from feeling itchy/flaky in the winter.
  But I am pale as the damn grave, so someone with a different complexion might not care as much about that as a heavier duty moisturizer, for example.
  It's easy to get sucked down the cosmetics rabbit hole- you just need to decide what you actually want out of it & find the product(s) that help you towards that. That said, look for things labeled as specifically for your face & possibly unscented or for sensitive skin to start- they'll be less likely to clog up your pores or cause an allergic reaction.
  
  Don't listen to them, skin care is actually a scam.
  Just get some sunflower oil and put it on your dry skin. That's all you need.
  Edit also, use the littlest amount of soap and shampoo that is humanly possible, myself I use almost none.
  Edit... I don't take the down votes personally, most people are locked into the idea that we need to continually slather ourselves in bullshit. Don't forget that 2 million years of human evolution existed before soap and shampoo and skin care stuff. Basically stop hassling yourself and you'll get more results.

Skincare isn't a scam, it's mostly trial and error, everyone has different skin and your natural biome is different. Lots of factors for LOTS of different products.
It's a trial and error routine that may take no take at all or take a while before you find products that work for you, but I can promise you there are products for you that work.. also you have to wash your face before applying most things to your skin, and you can buy gentle cleansers like ones with glycerine in them.

Correlation yadayada causation.

Yup this same story seems to play out all the time. Whether it's a product or s home remedy, it seems like everything people try to do with their face has the opposite of desired results.

Sorry to hear about that. Pimples are no fun! Each skincare product will affect each person's skin differently, and some products are more comedrogenic than others. If your moisturizer has cocoa butter in it, you might be getting breakouts because cocoa butter is known to be rather comedrogenic, meaning that it easily clogs pores. Shea butter on the other hand has a very low comedrogenic rating so I would check the ingredients of the moisturizer that you've been using to see exactly what might be clogging your pores. A lot of it is about trial and error and finding the product that your skin agrees with! 🙂

It's not that easy... Skincare should always be adapted to you, not only in terms of products but when and even how to apply them. It's not the same to be a professional athlete than a programmer that works at home; it's not the same to take care of a dry skin than to take care of an oily one. Also, dermatological issues need to be taken care of.
For example, my skin is prone to acne and I suffer from seborrheic dermatitis, I stay at home, and my skin is dry. I need a light sunscreen. Mineral sunscreens are recommended over chemical ones because they're healthier, but it needs to suit one's skin. I need a moisturizer to deal with my dry skin without being oily and heavy because, otherwise, I may exacerbate some acne or dermatitis. And I don't use serums, masks, etc.
I admit I often only use my moisturizer (because I know that even at home the Sun is causing damage, but I struggle to keep new habits). I add tea tree oil to my moisturizer for my dermatitis. Tea tree oil has helped me a lot with acne in my body too. It never goes directly to the skin, though, in case you try it.
And that's what helps me. In case you are like me (dry skin that reacts negatively to heavy products), I haven't had problems with gel moisturizers for dry skin. Also, no fragrance, hypoallergenic, etc.
There are a lot of tutorials, especially inspired by Korean routines, that are not for everyone. My advice: Keep it as simple or as elaborate as you feel your skin needs. Good luck.

IVE BEEN SAYING THIS ALL MY LIFE!! SKINCARE IS A FUCKING SCAM!!!
I don't use any of that crap, except yk, shampoo and eh, shower gel stuff.
my skin's very healthy, and I never even wash off my makeup. I get like 1 zit per month but that's cuz I'm still young. Then I used to have friends that kept complaining that they had zits DESPITE their excessive use of "skincare" products. which is, duh its not DESPITE , its because. also I never got the deal, as long as your skin doesn't rot or you know, hurt, what's the issue?
- Lots of downvotes, but nobody to unpack it. Let me try:
  my skin's very healthy, and I never even wash off my makeup. I get like 1 zit per month but that's cuz I'm still young.
  It's because you are young that it doesn't have much impact now.
  Then I used to have friends that kept complaining that they had zits DESPITE their excessive use of "skincare" products. which is, duh its not DESPITE , its because.
  The experiences of your friends is different because genetics are different. You might be blessed with good skin genes, or they might be cursed by bad skin genes
  I never got the deal, as long as your skin doesn't rot or you know, hurt, what's the issue?
  I mean, there's a whole spectrum between rotting and healthy that you generally don't want to experience for any prolonged amount of time. Leaving makeup on your face will clog up your pores, and (prolonged) exposure might harm the collagen and elastin in your face, so your face ages faster.
  Enjoy it while it lasts, I guess!
  
  yes I guess, I can't articulate myself well. I just mean that putting random chemicals on ur face makes things worse (also, from a capitalists perspective, they don't want you to get better, they want to make it worse or do nothing so you buy more of their product.) and its absolutely stupid to buy this stuff.
- I use water and soap. For everything. Including my hair. Unscented soap with no industrial chemicals to make it "smell good".
  I horrify my coworkers when I tell them this. They're convinced my hair is going to fall out, and that my skin will dry out and slough off despite literally years of me not showing any of this.
  I'm pretty sure the makeup industry is purely a scam.
  
  yup! exactly.

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