Skincare Regimens

[Paulina]

I've kinda had fantasies of setting my face on fire, possibly related to self-consciousness about acne/stubble/facial hair/all-around gender dysphoria, and was wondering about doing something like starting a general hygiene/cosmetic?/skin care topic, since all I can remember hearing from people in person went along the lines "you're a boy, you don't need to know/nobody cares/everybody expects you to look+smell like shit/as long as you shower once a day you're fine," etc

Ask and you shall receive~.

So, because I really like Rehab I love talking about skincare I am a person on this earth, I decided to make a topic about skincare. A comprehensive skincare regimen isn't that complex (there are only 2-3 steps). I'm not particularly knowledgeable; these are just tips I've picked up from dermatologists and gurus, and use myself. Also, these products are completely different from cosmetics (foundation, blush, etc.) and should be used by both men and women. Yay for youthful skin and wrinkle prevention!

STEP 1: Cleanse

Cleansing can be done in the morning or before bed. I usually like to cleanse before moisturizing, so I do this at the end of the day. Cleansers remove the daily build-up of sweat, oil, etc. Rinse with water. It's important to choose the correct cleanser for your skin type. People are usually one of three types; dry, oily, or combination (typically oily on the forehead and nose, dry around the cheeks). If you have dry skin like me, you'll want a cleanser formulated for dry skin, which will clean without over-drying. Google "[your skin type] cleansers" to find specific suggestions.

Paulina Recommends: Boscia

Boscia makes great cleansers for dry skin at semi-affordable prices (~$25). They might be too mild if your skin is oilier/prone to acne. That said, even if you have oily skin, you shouldn't buy something too harsh/astringent.

STEP 2: Exfoliate

Do this once every 3-4 days. Skip cleansing if you're exfoliating, as exfoliation will remove both sweat/excess oil and the uppermost layer of dead skin cells. A good exfoliater is usually some kind of microdermabrasion scrub. Lightly rub the scrub into your cheeks, nose, forehead, and neck (avoid the skin under your eyes; it's very delicate and doesn't need to be exfoliated). Rinse with water.

Paulina Reccommends: St. Ives

St. Ives makes great microdermabrasion scrubs for both dry and oily skin. They're also incredibly inexpensive – you can find them at most drugstores for under $10.

STEP 3: Moisturize

The cornerstone of youth! Along with frequent sunblock, moisturizing is essential in preventing wrinkles and premature aging. Apply the moisturizer to your cheeks, nose, forehead, neck, and undereyes, paying extra attention to areas that tend to crease (the lines between your eyebrows, on your forehead, by your mouth, on your neck). I like to do this at night; evening moisturizers are usually more hydrating than ones marketed for daytime use. When you wake up, rinse with water.

Paulina Reccommends: Olay

Great brand, fairly inexpensive, and they make high-quality moisturizers.

General tips

*Don't wash your face with soap. This is very drying, and will speed up the breakdown of collagen and elastin in your skin (i.e., premature wrinkles, saggy skin). For everyday cleaning, use a cleanser.

*When applying cleanser or moisturizer under/around your eyes, use your ring finger. This is typically the weakest finger and tugs the least. This is important for the skin around your eyes, which is fragile and prone to creasing. For the rest of the face, I use my ring and middle fingers (i.e., not my entire hand).

*Don't touch your face! It's a hard habit to break, but try not to pull/tug at your face during the day. I cringe whenever people rub their eyes and yank down their cheeks. Aaagh.

*Don't scowl. Marionette lines (the wrinkles around your mouth) are unavoidable -- it would be depressing to never smile. But don't scowl or raise your eyebrows excessively. Lines between your eyebrows and on your forehead are avoidable.

*Don't go outside during peak sun hours (12 pm to 1 pm). Aside from aging prevention, the sun's cancer-causing UVA rays are at their peak. If you're going to be in direct sunlight for an extended period from 10 am to 4 pm, apply sunblock semi-regularly (SPF 30 or higher).

And that's my little skincare regimen. Feel free to completely disagree with everything I've said share your own regimen/advice here.

[Samias]

Some extra little tips:

Using toner after cleansing seals back up the pores to reduce what gets back in after you cleanse. It also removes excess cleanser, which can also be a skin irritant. Cleansing on its own can leave your skin dry and prone to more breakouts.

Don't go to bed with makeup (mascara, eyeshadow, foundation, etc) on no matter how tired you are, because you'll get breakouts. Water is usually not enough because most makeup is made to be water resistant so if you're planning on wearing makeup you should have a good remover on-hand as well.

Drink a lot of water. Your body's hydration really impacts your skin and can cause you to produce too much/too little oil and be more prone to everyday risk factors. If your lips are cracked and prone to bleeding, lip balm can only help so much.

For daytime moisturizers, look for ones that have SPF protection. It's not a replacement for sunscreen if you're spending all day outside but it helps for limited exposure.

In general don't use bars of soap when you wash your body, because they'll mess up the pH balance of your skin and cause your skin to dry out. If you do use soap, look for fattier soaps (such as glycerin soap) with lower alkali levels. However, shower gel/bodywash is generally considered better for your skin because they are pH balanced and often contain moisturizer.

[Paulina]

Thanks for the tips Samias. =) I hadn't heard that about toner. From what I've read, toner can be somewhat astringent/irritating. This article about toner was interesting. It's pretty on the fence, but it does say that most modern day toners aren't too astringent, so they won't dry the skin too much. Thanks again for all the tips. =3

[Samias]

I am one of those unfortunate people of which cleanser alone makes me break out worse, so I use an alcohol-free toner to remove residue from my face. I have terrible combination skin which is dry by the nostrils but oily everywhere else. Basically it's a crazy balancing act because I also dehydrate easily. Being conscious about what I put into my body like fried food can sometimes be a struggle and diet really impacts the body. Not as much as the sun (public enemy #1) but eating nutritiously and drinking water can go a long way towards long term skin health and better health in general.

[Momentai~]

I was told to use some soap that I forgot the name of and (distilled extract of) witch hazel afterwards.

Was this good advice or am I killing my face? It seems to be working pretty well for me, but idk.

[Lord Chrom]

If you shave your face, be sure to apply a non-alcoholic aftershave to hydrate your skin, and prevent wrinkles. I got this tip from American Psycho. Surprisingly, it was good advice, coming from a movie that focused on blood lust.

[Excellen Browning]

Women and their skin products~

Anyway, how about us men join the discussion with shaving?

I personally shave with an electric razer, and although the stubble doesn't grow so fast I need to shave every day, I still do it. Every shaving technique I've used irritates my skin so much it ends up looking like a WW1 battlefield and the longer I take to shave, the worse it gets. So every day, I spend a little time shaving and when I'm finished I rub some after shave balsem. This makes the irritation mostly disappear.

[Shin]

E45 cream is my product of choice! I swear it does everything! Some interesting tips, even for guys, I'm never looking at a bar of soap the same way again!

[deleted35362]

Speaking of shaving, I want to ask about the elephant in the room. Has anyone ever used that "No-no" commercial hair remover product? Supposedly it freezes the process of hair regrowth after using it. It's pretty damn expensive, though.

[Samias]

Nope, never used that stuff. I've waxed, though, which really isn't that painful at all but it is significantly messier and more time consuming than shaving.

Speaking of shaving, I can't say much about face shaving but when it comes to shaving the legs, shave with the grain, not against it. Fewer incidences of in-grown hairs and itchy skin. Shaving agitates the top layers of your skin so having some sort of aftercare is important.

[Darros]

As a non-shaving tip, Stage makeup is a million times worse than regular makeup, or so all the ladies tell me. But if you ever find yourself wearing it, take it off as soon as you don't need it because it can seriously screw up your face, I know from experience. It makes you break out like crazy and gets you greasy and it's terrible. Use lots of make up remover and clean well afterwards.

[Rehab]

I-whoa

Thanks much for the topic and advice Paulina! (and Samias, and Excellen, and everybody contributing)

Looks like great material! I wish I had more to say than "shucks*N"

Oh, another question on acne, I used to, uh, pop like a lunatic (me own parents recommended it before I knew better, arr), and I'm much less than sure I did so in the most sanitary wary possible. Does anybody know if that could've resulted in really permanent scarring, the likes of which doesn't go away just with good skin care?

[Samias]

I think it depends on the type of acne and how deep the inflammation goes into the skin. My fiance had severe acne problems requiring medical intervention that left some deep permanent scars on his face. And I'm talking about a scar so deep it looks like someone cut a chunk of his face out with a knife. I'm no expert on problematic acne though, since by some miracle I only get a few pimples here and there despite my combination skin giving me flaking issues AND oiliness at the same time. You might suffer areas of discolouration akin to picking at scabs though.

[Agro]

I don't know about you guys but whenever I go on an alcohol binge I find myself with horrible breakouts afterwards.

I never realised there were issues with how I moisturised, though. I kind of tend to just rub it all over my face with the palms of my hands but I guess that explains why I'm so ugly.

[Teapot]

There's a reason why they call it beauty sleep. Getting a full night's rest is as key to skin care as your diet is. You can preen all you like, but if your biological state is a mess, there's really only so much you can do.

Personally, I just sort of wash my face whenever I feel a bit gross and it generally prevents breakouts. I start breaking out when I have a shitty sleep schedule or if I'm really stressed. I am a terrible example.

Edited June 27, 2013 by · j e a l o u s y ·

[Tangerine]

User requested lock.