Do you have good skin?

Are you one of those people?

it always stays right where i put it

...

RIP I Love Style :(

i have terrible skin, spottier now at 25 than i was at 15, also it gets really dry during the autumn/winter!

aw surms I knew you were jealous of my super-sweet acne

i had the worst acne ever in middle/high school, nuked my body with accutane, and have basically been zit free ever since (not really, but they're infrequent).

nope. had terrible acne till i got some proper cream
its thin and scars easily

The warning that come with Accutane are SCARY:

http://isotretinoinsideeffects.com/img/causes_birth_defects.gif
http://reporting.journalism.ku.edu/fall06/fred-musser/accutane-pics-thumb.jpg

BUT, I know a lot of ppl for whom it has worked wonders.

In answer to the question, yes I do and it's just pure luck. I mean I take care of it etc. but I think most of it has to do with genetics.

i'm scared of accutane not because of birth defects but it might make me suicidal or something. my friend took it and it made her so sick and she looked disgusting with her skin peeling off in layers.

i do not have good skin at all

yeah i think accutane is no longer prescribed that much anymore. when my sis did it (age 14) she totally flipped out when the doc wanted her to go on birth control

curious to know what accutane actually ~does~ biochemically, wonder if we'll cover it in pharm

it's funny that they make you go on birth control at the same time because then how do you know if it's the accutane or the birth control doing the work?

I feel like Accutane is a last resort and a lot of docs would have already tried BCP first? I don't know though - it's an interesting q.

I have 2 big spots on my cheek and I'm 32 :(

I've never had proper pizza-face acne though so I guess it could be worse.

i'd been thru a bunch of stuff before accutane, it was def a last resort

they make you go on birth control so that u DO NOT GET PREGNANT and have a flipper baby

pizza face acne?

yea, accutane is primarily used only after exhausting other options

face + pepperoni

its a saying!

yeah xp i know *why* they do but it's like if you are a girl you should try that first for a few months. scientific method and stuff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YiEAbEoPHg

GBX - right but because BCP can clear up bad skin I think Harbl was saying if you go on both at once and your skin gets better, how do you know which RX worked its magic? I guess it doesn't really matter if the end result is an improvement.

The skin on my face is actually mostly OK. It's soft, not particularly wrinkled, given my age, not really prone to pimples (these errupt all over the rest of my body, but fortunately they only ever happen in areas my clothes usually cover).

I could give some spiel about how it's down to drinking lots of water, not smoking, rarely if ever wearing makeup, using very light moisturiser sparingly, etc. - but, erm, I think I'm just lucky. That said, my mother has always suffered from bad skin so it's not genetic.

ah, didn't know that about BCP!

http://reporting.journalism.ku.edu/fall06/fred-musser/accutane-pics-thumb.jpg

Ha, when my brother was on accutane I taped those 'no pregnant women' symbols on like everything I owned.

some doctor you are! bcp is a miracle cure ime xp

Yeah - certain kinds are actually prescribed specifically to clear up acne even in women who aren't sexually active.

mostly we have learned about how BCP helps you so that you DO NOT GET PREGNANT not how it makes yr skin clear up

but thanks, u know

is that baby picture supposed to be a defective baby?

I have a keloid scar on my SHOULDER from acne.

yeah it's broken

YES! Big headed baby.

i would wear a roaccutane tshirt if they sold them: totally saved my skin + confidence + eye contact etc. it was pretty amusing shifting from all the gentle warnings of antibiotics to aggressive ACCUTANE WILL FREEZE YOUR LIVER OILS (or whatever it says) etc. always a little nervous to represent for it to others because it really messes with some people, but it's one of the things i'm most grateful for ever now.

schlump's skin tip: avoid sugar

that baby looks super intelligent

Maybe baby has this: http://www.answers.com/topic/macrocephaly ??

^^^ this is sorta how i feel, too. like it worked like fucking magic, it was amazing. def salvaged my self-esteem at a critical juncture

xp

Oh I will tell you what I do for my skin - I wear sunscreen ever single day of the year and always use eye cream!

My brother's pills did not have the non-humorous macrocephalic babies on them back in...1999? And I think if yr a lady you have to be on 2x forms of birth control. Not that they can follow you home and make sure you make the guy slap on a condom, too, but still

ha xp to Erica
looking at macrocephalic baby photos = an effective form of birth control (ie 'oh fuck I think I'll never have kids')

i want to marry a pizza face

i think i used roaccutane cream at one point during adolescence - they said it may cause depression. i was already depressed because of the acne tho duh.

also a bad drug to take if you don't like needles---they draw yr blood like every week

Yeah and you have to get preg tested every month if you have ladyparts. I think.

yup

I do this anyway, despite the lack of ladyparts. Can't be too careful y'know?

Good skin too, although tis peeling to buggery after last weekend.

i did accutane in my late-20's; my skin didn't get bad until I was about 22. it does something radical to whatever it is in your body that produced oil; being on it was kind of hell, but it cleared up what was turning into cystic acne pretty quickly and I haven't had those problems again. my skin still isn't great, but I also don't drink enough water, drink too much coffee, etc.

thank you roaccutane. you made 6th form bearable. you made it easier for me to make friends and you even got me a hot girlfriend. thanks to you i discovered sex, drugs and rock n roll.

wonder drug!

it does something radical to whatever it is in your body that produced oil; being on it was kind of hell

yeah - i mean, your face like falls off during it, i remember my mouth looking kinda zombified for a couple of months, but even through that it was kind of worth it - the fact that otherwise, pretty quickly, my skin was staying constant, wasn't blighted every day was such a nice change. my skin isn't perfect now but i have this karmic relationship with foods and looking after it, that i'm constantly grateful that it's nice enough when it used to be bad.

also orange juice is like kryptonite for my skin.

I'm a smoker who wears makeup every day and even picks at the pimples she does get (once a month to welcome my period, awesome!) and I owe it all to genetics (Mom's got lovely skin) and a bit to BCP. I didn't get *many* pimples when I was younger but I get compliments nowadays on my skin all the time. I also make sure to moisturize my neck every night before bed because I don't like the look of the older ladies' necks.. time will tell if it actually helps, of course..

wait why is N1ck getting pregnancy tests

i hate my skin right now. tinea versicolor fuck my life.

my skin is actually pretty good, though i do get overly embarrassed by the zits i occasionally get -- mostly because when i was zitty and pubescent my dad would PICK MY FACE ugh ffs so gross

like he would bribe me with $20 bills if i let him squeeze the blackheads

so fucked up

LOL jesus I have to admit I was staring at a blackhead on a co-worker's face, wanting to pop it the other day.. but I've never actually asked anyone if I could. HAH.

i don't understand people who enjoy squeezing spots, if i even touch a spot i have to go wash my hands immediately. one doctor told me that if you squeeze spots then it just spreads all the stuff around under the skin and it'll erupt elsewhere.

an ex girlfriend and i had a similar arrangement to elmo and his dad, except it wasn't for money and probably belongs on tmi, or not on the internet at all.

whoa

i still maintain sunshine/outdoors/sweaty exercise/good food/lots of water is the best thing for your skin. which is why i always assumed it was the geeks in school who ended up with really bad acne.

i have a friend whose gf squeezes his spots. She does it in company as well. He doesn't get many spots. But still. Once is too much.

OK, I'be never traded money or sex for the privilege of being able to do it, but I LOVE popping zits. If I see someone who has visible blackheads it makes me anxious just looking at them and all I want to do is squeeze. Yes, I realize this is strange but I can't help it. I sometimes think that I should have just been an esthetician but I don't know if I'd actually want to do it on someone I didn't already know.

No acne issues, but I don't have great skin -- scars easily, hyperpigments easily, keloids, etc. (Would not mind a drug that more literally makes you molt and start over with a fresh new coat.)

acid

thread took a pleasant turn

Dr Crippin to thread...

me, i have very good skin on my face and head (which is a welcome change from my teenage years), slightly less good on arms, bum and back but nothing of great concern

am trying to work out just how much sun is optimal for skin quality, probably overdid it yesterday

Thank you Louis for the update on the complexion of your ass. That was probably what everyone here was waiting to hear. I know I've been awaiting this information for quite some time now.

maybe your butt just needs more sun

based on nothing but hunches and instinct (like all good skin conjecture) i think sunshine = good for complexion, bad for actual skin (like, aging etc).

the sun shone off of his behind
no it's not like any other post
this one is different because it's LJ

^ :-)

exfoliation is important

lolol well, a deep tan does help to obscure any residual spot-marks (which is what can be found on the aforementioned areas; it isn't a complexion issue, simply a smattering of inconsistency), hence the sun thing is overall a good plan.

history of malignant melanoma in the family = i may have to rethink this at some point

itt exfoliate a butt

Friend of the family's kid actually for real went blind when he was an early team from Accutane, and then later killed himself, although the suicide might be unrelated. It is a really sad story, though.

My skin is okay, not great, but not bad enough (or I don't care enough) to put a lot of effort into FIGHTING WRINKLES AND AGING AND ZITS AND GRAVITY AND AND AND AND OMG YOU'RE HIDEOUS. I wash my face twice a day with regular soap (OMG!) and put sunscreen on it in the morning. The only thing I'm really uptight about is washing off make up when I wear it, but that is more because makeup feels like clothes for my face and not washing it off would be like, I don't know, sleeping with my shoes on.

backne is the worst thing forever

when he was in his early teens.

WTF, I think I'm drunk.

back zits are the most physically painful zits

I avoid contact with sunlight. At this rate in a few years I'll look half my age...

SPF 70 on my face every day.

itt exfoliate a butt

― i want to marry a pizza (gbx), Wednesday, July 1, 2009 1:50 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

I do this with something awesome called Buffy the Backside Slayer from Lush. You know, just in case you were wondering.

LJ maybe I am alone on this one, but dude: unless your career plans are very different from what I imagine, if I were you I would not worry too much about having "inconsistent" pigment or a freckly-looking ass. back, maybe, if it's important to you to look good without a shirt on, but I'd recommend keeping the ass low-priority, that's just me

it's a tough economy, people all over are ending up in careers they'd never imagined

!!!

the ass was an afterthought

I mean men are sort of lucky in that generally when people look at our bare asses they are not super-invested in it being an aesthetically revelatory experience

xpost - okay, excellent

my most painful ones are more due to ingrown hairs, mostly on thighs and neck

maybe louis should depilate a butt

bicurious lj you know what else they say is good for your skin.

Does choice of fabric affect the health of the skin beneath?

CB you ain't tryina seduce me right

crackle that is a lie

from what I hear

Sex generally causes the number of spots on my legs to rise slightly, just sayin'

...and this thread should be on ILTMI

i mean semen is essentially like 90% urine and i don't think uric acid is good for skin tbh

this thread is going to turn me against the whole human body, isn't it

i mean semen is essentially like 90% urine

this is false isn't it?!!!!!!! ew

I have good skin, but I don't really give much thought to it. Had a short period with acne in the past, don't remember it being a huge deal. Cigarettes do terrible things to people's skin. It's pretty sad when you can just look at a person's face and tell.

yeah elmo i think you're doing it wrong

I think urea is actually a pretty common ingredient in skin care products Elmo.

yeah urine helps heal wounds actually. i heard.

where do they get the urea for skin care products though?

pissed on my leg once after a jellyfish sting iirc

yeah if you get stung by a jellyfish, you pee on the jellyfish it makes the sting go away

xx-post probably animals?

it makes the jellyfish mad though X( xp

watched a friend piss on a stingray once, from a canoe, under a full moon, in a fit of pique

revenge piss

the stingray scared him

I heard urine was quite good for skin too :-/

Ultimately, where I stand, forgetting daily concerns of washing, getting sun, and wearing good fabrics, is that if your complexion is good save for a few hormonal quiddities, there's no need to really change much of your personal hygiene routine.

Speaking of hormones, aren't the hormones released in sex supposed to be the beneficial element? The contact itself might cause a few more spots but it's supposed to be good for the complexion (which, as established, is the main thing), isn't it?

(xpost) anything can happen in the next half hour...

what the hell journals are you guys reading

duh "nothing but hunches and instinct (like all good skin conjecture)"

POPPAGE DIGEST

You can also drink urine if it's fresh. But I do labor to avoid that necessity.

can and should are two different things

You're taking the piss...

journal lols

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/327/7429/1459

i mean semen is essentially like 90% urine

Semen is nothing like urine, except that they're both mostly water.

Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma related to gravitational challenge: systematic review of randomised controlled trials
Gordon C S Smith, professor1, Jill P Pell, consultant2

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, 2 Department of Public Health, Greater Glasgow NHS Board, Glasgow G3 8YU

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?????

That abstract is amazing.

BMJ = British Medical J4gg3r

backne is the worst thing forever

;_;

semen is mostly water + some proteins & of course some freaky gametes – no urea

There's a debate as to how chemically similar 'female ejaculate' is to urine, but that is a completely different topic.

i may have some facts wrong but i just don't think anyone should put spooge on a face to make it prettier

should have phrased that differently

so it was you who vandalised the Mona Lisa...

"It's full of babies! It'll make your skin baby soft!" That's a joke a woman made in the movie 'Inside Deep Throat.'

It would only be full of babies if we reproduced like Mogwai.

It's spelled Gizmo with a G, Kenan, so I'm just going to assume you're talking about the band

I just spent 2 frantic minutes scrolling through iTunes looking for an apposite song-title, and there really isn't one

"COME ON DI YOUNG"

I've never even met her!

loooooool yeah, add a comma and that's a deal Nabisco

Somehow I don't think that Ramzi quite expected the thread to wind up like this when he started it this morning.

sorry about your thread, ramz :(

death and major trauma related to gravitational challenge

Gravitational challenge? Look, bubs. Gravity didn't fuck with you. You fucked with it.

ENBB what sunscreen do you use? my face is already freckly enough and i'm worried about sun damage, but i fuckin hate the feeling of sunscreen on my face, and i hate that it wipes off onto everything, no matter how you rub it in.

my skin: gorgeous (if i do say so myself) when i was a teen/early 20s - ppl, sometimes strangers, would often comment on it. now it is SHIT.

what happened??

so it was you who vandalised the Mona Lisa...

i dunno. it started going downhill in my mid-20s - i used to get one zit per 6 months, now i get a couple every couple weeks, lots of blackheads/ugly pores, often it just feels really gross and blah. oh and i recently noticed what looks like broken capillaries across my cheeks (i'm not an alcoholic! i swear!)

No, you're a redhead. You have very very special skin.

but i'm not a real redhead!

Justine - I use some Nuetrogena dry touch stuff. I like it but I'm not completely sold on it. Might try something else when it runs out.

i accidentally got cetaphil with spf 50 and it was AWFUL

:-( Ppl seem to like Cetaphil too. That sucks.

i like cetaphil with spf 15 but it smells weird

the cetaphil i usually use has something like an spf 30

the one i use is pretty much fragrance-free, or maybe i'm just used to it?

but i'm not a real redhead!

Color me fooled.

seeing this thread made me immediately think of enbb. and not me, though i guess i have no deep complaints.

Maybe baby has this: http://www.answers.com/topic/macrocephaly ??

hahaha Oh damn. This reminds me of the time a doctor said my oldest daughter might have hydrocephaly "But don't it spoil your weekend... Why do you look so worried?"
Apparently XL BIG HEADS run in both my husband's and my families. I knitted a lacy hat for a small lady head, seems to be a tight fit for my 3,5 year old. Roffle.

I hate it when some complain they get pimples like every couple of months. (Sorry Justine!). Try this: my nose is still full of little black zits. :-((((((((((

it's every couple of weeks!

i wish it was every couple of months :(

and in the same goddamn spot, no idea what that's about

Oh wow Mookie thank you! That's really nice.

even weeks! at least it takes time off. ;-) my nose is like a sea of goddamn black zits mocking me

enbb, if i had your skin (and overall prettiness), it'd just stare at the mirror every day for half an hour. ;-)

ok that came across as goddamn creepy. sorry

my skin is not as nice as it used to be. my pores are too big. what can we do about pores? my guess is nothing.

also i hated that neutrogena dry touch stuff. and i burned with it on.

I think my wife has a Clinique product that it supposed to reduce the size of your pores...?

"pore-minimizer"

Nath - wow thanks - ack - *blush*.

This thing: http://www.clinique.com/templates/products/spp/index.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY4919&PRODUCT_ID=PROD866

dan, there are like 1000 products that purport to reduce the size of your pores, but it's all snake oil i think.

but maybe i'll try it cause i'm a sucker.

also, i had normal acne i guess - never really bad, just standard adolescent zits. and now i get them around my monthly time, but my little sister always had really bad skin and it's kind of funny that i'm 3.5 years older and taller but her roommate in peru guessed i was 20? 20?!?! srsly wtf.

I hope you made out with her after that. I would have.

Also fwiw I think you have great skin!

dan, there are like 1000 products that purport to reduce the size of your pores, but it's all snake oil i think.

Actually, it's silicone. Nothing can reduce the size of your pores. It's like putting toothpaste in the nail holes in your wall before you move out.

aw, thanks e!
i feel ilke i get away with looking like i have good skin but when you really look at it it is a mess.

Hahaha I got carded at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago! The server was confused when we burst out laughing.

Yeah I still get carded. I think I'll be pissed when that stops happening regularly tbh.

One of my friends in HS did the accutane - birth control thing. I took something else - forget what it was - but I remember the doctor telling me that side effects included yeast infections and I fainted. It was the only time I have ever fainted.

My skin's pretty good now -- I drink a lot of fruit juice.

water and not smoking are probably the best things you can do.

also, i feel like my skin was never bad but as soon as i went off birth control i noticed a drastic decline?

Fruit juice is U&K, yep

Remember Retin-A? I was prescribed that for a brief time in high school. It keeps you looking young and pink-ish because it basically burns off your topmost layer of skin. Charming, that.

if it caused yeast infections it was prob an antibiotic

retin-a works really good!

xp what is U&K?

xxp I think it was retin-A, actually.

it is the same thing as accutane but topical so it doesn't peel layers off your entire body including your organs LOL

retin-a is i mean

i had retin-a in high school but it was so harsh!!!!

urgent and key xps

Retin A quickly changed my face from too-oily to too-dry, because the trouble turned out to be that my skin wasn't overly oily, I just didn't wash it enough. Pfft. Teenagers.

retin-a + bcp is the only thing that has worked for me. i was on every possible antibiotic incl one that is like, dangerous :(((

They prescribe it to ward off wrinkles too. I was thinking about asking for a rx at my next Dr. appt but it's like $150 a tube or something! Not covered by insurance. :-(

retin-a, I mean

I don't know if I should look into changing the fabric of my clothes or getting more sun on my freaky white English skin, but my face is clear as a bell but the rest of me... ugh. I just put on a tank top because of the heat and my pimples all over my shoulders and chest are out of control.

There is no pain like a BREAST PIMPLE. For real, I once got one pretty much ON my nipple. Or at least the aureole.

The only thing that really causes my face to break out is snogging. I don't know if it's caused by beard friction, or if it's some allergic reaction to having saliva all over my chin, but even kissing boys (on the rare occasion I actually do it) invariably brings out a massive SEX ZIT. (and yes, it's they're zits, not a cold sore.)

i feel ilke i get away with looking like i have good skin but when you really look at it it is a mess.
mine used to be really pretty too, compliments from strangers and the whole bit. i almost never got zits as a teen, but then when i was in my 20s something happened and it just got...bumpier. it's more texture than anything else. i miss my old skin.

xp whoa tmi

"sex zit"

Two words that never needed to be grouped together.

All over your chin? That is some sloppy muhfuggin kissin' right there. Do you both wear a lobster bib?

IT'S TOTALLY TRUE, THOUGH!!!

KISSING BOYS CAUSES SEX ZITS!!!

(if there weren't a Story behind my current screen name, I'd totally change my name to that)

kind of amazed at the mythology that surrounds skin tbh--eating fruit, plenty of water, sleep, exercise, blah blah blah then it's like if you have bad skin everyone just assumes you're like an obese loser who just eats candy all day and never showers. it's pretty much genes and hormones.

The only thing that really causes my face to break out is snogging.

Yeah, when my bf and I first started dating he had a beard, and I'd break out - primarily the dry itchy kind. Once he shaved it off (this was 8 years ago) it would only happen when we make out and he hasn't shaved for a couple days.

Kate, maybe you're reacting to your laundry detergent; we've had similar issues when we've switched off of using Tide.

I don't get sex zits (shudder), but I get stress zits. Oddly, on the rare occasion when I do get zits, it's usually in the winter when my skin is always dry.

Hey - I mentioned the hormones thing upthread and it stands. But fruit juice is U&K in any living discourse. :D

maybe you're reacting to your laundry detergent; we've had similar issues when we've switched off of using Tide.

d@n this is none of my business but i really don't think you and your wife should be using detergent in your lovemaking

xp Being a healthy person never hurts, no.

d@n this is none of my business but i really don't think you and your wife should be using detergent in your lovemaking

aw

xp not you just in general. obviously if your diet is 100% pizza you're going to look disgusting but if eating fruits clears up your acne you don't have bad skin to begin with!

"Alright baby. Sure I'll eat that ass. Where's the Tide?..."

xp Hi Dere: yeah, sounds like a laundry detergent issue. Maybe try some organic liquid stuff.

xxp okay, a bunch of posts appeared before I submitted this, and now it sounds dirtier.

good thing we use Tide

Ha ha, actually did switch about 6 months ago from Ecover to some cheapie brand I got in the 99p shop due to extreme poverty and being dole scum. I should switch back to Ecover and see if it makes a difference.

But I've pretty much always had back and shoulder pimples really badly, since before puberty even.

weird you should say that as i just ate domino's and am sat here with a box of potato wedges my brother didn't want xps

is it not vital to clear any non-organic oils from the skin as soon as possible?

Not necessarily - I put oil on my face as a moisturizer.

xp harbl - fruit juice doesn't really clear up acne, but it does reduce pore size, make my skin less blotchy, etc. Probably wouldn't have done much when I was a teenager and had acne, but my skin got better as an adult.

xp LJ: umm, organic oils also cause problems.

i know, i didn't mean you in particular! skin advice it just makes me go X(

'sex zit' was the worst Vanity 6 song

Yeah, I agree with Harbl. I think that most of it really is just down to hormones/genetics whatever.

I can't believe I've been posting on this thread all day. At this point I think I'm just doing it to stay awake until 5 and in the hopes that LJ will tell us more about the state of his ass, of course.

Please LJ, enlighten us with tales of inorganic oils!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/Michael-Jacksons-doctor-is-father-of-his-two-kids-Magazine/articleshow/4723484.cms

There's not really such a thing as 'inorganic' oil fwiw, tho some conspiracy theorists suggest petroleum/oil in the earth didn't come from v ancient carbon based life forms, but just some weird abiotic chemical process.

ha xp w/sarahel

State of the nation address from the Minister of The Posterior

i think he means 'should i wash off this pepperoni grease now or just wait until bedtime'

Even mineral oil is made of hydrocarbons and/or organic compounds.

snoball are you saying I'm an ass? ;_;

i think he means 'should i wash off this pepperoni grease now or just wait until bedtime'

― harbl, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 3:55 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

That's what I thought he meant too!

it is one of the things I am a real irritating, unpleasant pedant abt, the word 'organic' & esp the word 'chemicals

snoball are you saying I'm an ass? ;_;

― kind-hearted, sensitive keytar player (Abbott), Wednesday, 1 July 2009 20:56 (29 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

No, it was an xpost to ENBB who was hoping that LJ would update us re: posterior er acne

just washed fwiw

stay tuned for more exciting oil-based developments

just washed your? oh no...

(xpost) are Texaco drilling down there or something?

xp I was horrible at chemistry and can respect your pedantry Abbott!

hands and mouth, like a good boy

ass can wait, my hasty friend

louis

ass cannot wait, have you learned nothing

LOOOOL

tho some conspiracy theorists suggest petroleum/oil in the earth didn't come from v ancient carbon based life forms, but just some weird abiotic chemical process.

The funniest thing about this post, apart from the snark, is that this part is true.

I know! 0_O

i did mean "oils not produced by human processes" but yeah even they can cause difficulties

I think Kate and I can attest that oils produced by human processes can also cause skin problems. ... or at least I can.

Oh hell yeah, same here, my skin is right-wing-loon levels of oily & it doesn't help.

Oils produced by those human processes contain mega amounts of hormones which is the ground zero of sex zits.

http://brotherpeacemaker.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/human_stainbook.jpg

i do have good skin right now, except for one red zit that's been on my face for the past two weeks. it's almost gone now.

the dry heat out here has been a godsend for my skin -- however, it's been humid lately.

back zits are the most physically painful zits
Every now and then I get one of those painful deep ones under where my bra hooks.

"It's full of babies! It'll make your skin baby soft!" That's a joke a woman made in the movie 'Inside Deep Throat.'
I think this was Helen Gurley Brown. I'd rather not have my face look like hers.

ack i hate dry weather!
in peru, i thought my whole face was gonna flake off
xpost

The skin on my face is clear, which is where it counts the most, I guess. I don't get zits but I do have keratosis pilaris which is pretty benign but irritating to look at. It's never really bothered me so I haven't bothered trying to get rid of it, besides some half-hearted attempts with salicylic acid and a dermatologist prescribed lotion which contained 20% urea or something (!). Neither helped.

(Would not mind a drug that more literally makes you molt and start over with a fresh new coat.)

― nabisco, Thursday, July 2, 2009 1:40 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark

This is kinda repulsive but I remember reading/hearing about a middle-aged lady infected with a flesh-eating bacteria which caused all her skin to slough off, but she made a full recovery and when her skin grew back it was literally as soft and wrinkle-free as a baby's.

lol the stuff of dreams

"Do you have good skin?"

http://summerwoman.net/productions/images/ed-gein.jpg

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Thanks for that. I'm going to have nightmares now.

I think I'm more frightened of myself for immediately knowing who that is.

Yeah, that's a good point. I should probably be concerned about myself too.

xpost me too. but then i was your "typical' serial killer obsessed teenager. haha

WHY

Q: good skin?

let's see... psoriasis on my elbows, shins and a few other spots, but not (thank goodness) on my face or privates... wrinkles starting, but the deepest creases are the laugh lines and those furrows where the bridge of my nose meets my brow (puzzlement)... a few moles... some freckles... loss of suppleness.

A: Passable, not especially good or bad.

Ah f, I forgot about the TERRIBLY skin on my head. My hairdresser claimed it was stress (as it comes and goes, just like her).

I get stress zits.

Hah. Could be why I have constant blocked pores on my nose. Ek.

i do kno that makeup isn't the best thing for ur skin but tbh, i don't care. it's just way too cool not to use.

this summer's been hard on my skin but i can feel it beginning to perk up again.

i have terrible skin but i think its gotten a lot better this last yr

Moving to a new environment, which I just did, always means it's time for a

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjCvQuezeBQ/S6TaBjlEZwI/AAAAAAAAA5A/dTcz2j0K4fY/s400/swing+out+sisters+url_jpg.jpg

just in time to get new state ID photos & c.

I have good skin, despite the occasional stressed breakout.

Stopped by chic cosmetics store near me and snagged Eve Lom cleanser and moisturizer samples. Have now cleansed, could get used to this.

generally i do have good skin! i would like to find a nongreasy moisturizer so i can carry my good skin into my old age without getting zits right now.

^^ truthbomb

My skin is great in an "I don't get acne way", less great in a "Oh no, the sun's out! I have about five minutes to take cover before I start to burn" way.

My skin looks worse than it actually is because of the chicken pox scars on my forehead.

My skin is blemish and fairly wrinkle-free (and I still look heaps youger than I am), but I have dreadful redness in my face, and drinking (presumably) has aggravated it so now I have some burst cappilaries also.

Once I get makeup on I look fine, but I really hate wearing makeup, I feel like I have rubbed dirt onto my face.

no.

my skin is pretty clear and even, though of course now that i've said that....

i don't really wash it that often, and i dont drink that much water, and i smoke, and not so much with vitamin & nutrient intake... let's see how much longer it lasts.

but when i do wash my face, its with shiseido extra gentle cleansing foam.

I have no idea if I have good skin or not. I mean I don't really pay attention to it? I don't get zits or burn easy so I guess I'm pretty content, and I think some really drunk girl at a party once told me I had great skin.

Can anyone who's met me tell me if I have nice skin or not?

I think I have good skin as these things go

I've been meaning to look for a thread for face wash suggestions, and this seems like as good a place as any. So:

Please recommend a face wash for me! For years I've been using regular soap on my face, but I remember that years ago when I was using proper face wash (from Whole Foods, I think), my skin felt better.

I have fairly oily skin, no significant acne or other problems. Please recommend anything from drug store to department store to crazy upscale boutique. Oh, and maybe home made stuff, too.

Thanks!

http://a248.g.akamai.net/7/248/8278/20070411225908/www.sephora.com/assets/dyn/product/P173632/P173632_hero.jpg

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P173632&categoryId=B70

its like $30 but lasts awhile since you only need to use a little bit. its really really good....

My skin is both bad and good: bad in that I have what's politely called 'high color', so my face is usually a permanent shade of pink, and gets horribly blotchy if I have a glass of wine. Gets itchy in airconditioning, have a dreadful time in the sun.

But, the good is that it looks about 5 years younger than it is and is pretty smooth and nice with makeup on...I do my silly cleaning regimen 3 times a day and don't get breakouts unless I'm lazy and sleep in my makeup.

But the pink/red thing drives me barmy.

lol 3 times a day - twice, actually.

Thanks, Phil. Do you have a cleaning regimen? I am obsessed with scrubbing the shit out of my face with some buffer thing I bought at CVS.

I love that it's called "The Skincare"

I also have crescents of blackheads right underneath both of my eyes. These are starting to go away.

(Would not mind a drug that more literally makes you molt and start over with a fresh new coat.)

― nabisco, Thursday, July 2, 2009 1:40 AM (10 hours ago) Bookmark

This is kinda repulsive but I remember reading/hearing about a middle-aged lady infected with a flesh-eating bacteria which caused all her skin to slough off, but she made a full recovery and when her skin grew back it was literally as soft and wrinkle-free as a baby's.

Where can I get this treatment? I would travel a thousand miles to visit a spa that did this!

I have fairly oily skin, no significant acne or other problems. Please recommend anything from drug store to department store to crazy upscale boutique. Oh, and maybe home made stuff, too.

Don't use soap on your face! Cetaphil is what I use and is one of the best cleansers out there. I believe they make a version for normal - oily skin and you can get it at any drug store. Purpose is good too and also pretty cheap.

If your skin is sensitive then maybe you shouldn't use a soap. My dermatologist recommended Cetaphil. However I live in a very dirty area and I love getting in the shower with a good scrub to get all that nasty shit off! I love a good masque or facial and how bright your skin is afterward.

my skin's usually perfect but yesterday at football i scraped several layers of epidermis off my leg, now it fucking hurts. what can i do??

I have to say that the Eve Lom is working a treat.

In the shower, I use whatever cleanser is on sale or clearance when I go to the store--I prefer foaming cleansers, because they rinse off easier. Out of the shower, I use those dry disposable-washcloths-impregnated-with-cleanser things.

Ken C: How much did it bleed after it happened? Did you wash it with soap and water afterwards? How big is the wound? Is it covered with something?

Where can I get this treatment? I would travel a thousand miles to visit a spa that did this!

i once went to this fish-spa in malaysia where you dip your feet into this pool filled with hundreds/thousands of little fish who suck off all the dead skin on your feet & toenails. it tickled like a beeyatch, but after 30 mins my feet were like ridiculously soft & smooth. i looked into buying the fish to start one in new york called "nibbles spa" but then the fish got outlawed in most states in america....

Thanks, Phil. Do you have a cleaning regimen? I am obsessed with scrubbing the shit out of my face with some buffer thing I bought at CVS.
oh, i just use it when my face is feeling oily... summer once a day, winter less often....

LOL Phil, just when I was getting decadence guilt re. Eve Lom.

Kiehl's do a good foaming cleanser for about £15, and it lasts a year with careful use. My skin also improves whenever I take a zinc/magnesium supplement daily.

Technically I could afford to buy a £78 tub of cleanser and £50 for the moisturizer but I baulk at spending £15 in a charity shop, on CLOTHES, so that would be wrongish. Far better to hit up ESM beauty editor for unsolicited promos from them as she is 15 years my junior and does not need this stuff yet.

Oh man those fish pedicures freak me out. I really don't think I could do it.

Suzy I'm jealous of your Eve Lom hookup! That stuff is supposed to be great.

"Ken C: How much did it bleed after it happened? Did you wash it with soap and water afterwards? How big is the wound? Is it covered with something?"

not loads of bleeding. most of it was surface scratch except there was the middle bit where the scrape was way deeper which was bleeding. i kind of did nothing until the shower.. which HURT LIKE HELL. i didn't want to put anything on it as 1) the wound area was very big! 2) not sure what to put on it?? anything like plaster/those cloth things will just end up embedding a load of fabric onto my leg and then when it comes off i'll die as i rip the wound back open??

so the surface scratch bit is all kind of dark red now, the middle bit is pink with some blood showing. there was one bit that gushed some goo last night also.. all very attractive

Ken, rub vaseline lightly onto the dry wound before you put down any bandage, then it won't stick. If it gushes anything gooey again, go to the GP tomorrow.

MOVING ALONG Seems to me, that with just a cursory look, the Eve Lom stuff is mineral oil, lanolin and cocoa butter-based, with a bit of alcohol as an emulsifier between that and chamomile oil, eucalyptus oil and clove oil. It could be VERY simple to concoct an approximation of the cleanser with one visit to a health-food store.

78 pounds for a tub of cleanser? yikes! im in the wrong business!!!

enbb, the fish pedicure was awesome. if you're ever in SE Asia or elsewhere where animal health safety etc laws are a little more lax, give it a shot!

Thanks to internet you can buy a lot of that fancy spa shit for under $30, some basic ingredients + fragrances or oils and you're in business. I gave my sister homemade soap for Christmas. I saw suction machines for the face at CVS!

You can get lots of homemade bath and beauty stuff on EBay. I'd recommend some people, but none of them seem to be there any more.

It doesn't compare to cystic acne sufferers' suffering, but my skin will turn on a DIME into break-out city, where each pore just seems to grow a little bio-dome of infection in a matter of hours if left sweaty...or just left. Suzy, I'm going to try to mag/zinc supplement idea, I've always wondered how to find out if I'm missing something, like nutritionally, because normal blood work-ups like doctors do apparently don't show any probs and yet it's like I'm allergic to my own sweat which is just crazy.

I have good skin on my face (rarely get pimples) but I have keratosis pilaris on my upper arms and thighs..and splotchy skin elsewhere. as long as my face looks good I DON'T CARE.

I've always wondered how to find out if I'm missing something, like nutritionally, because normal blood work-ups like doctors do apparently don't show any probs

Then you don't have any nutritional deficiencies. The problem is somewhere else.

Well I didn't think it was scurvy or anything. But maybe a normal multi-vit would help -- haven't taken one for years.

I don't know if I have good skin or not. I know it used to be good. It used to be rather pretty. I would even occasionally receive compliments on it. Lately, though? Kinda splotchy, dry, overly freckled. Not zitty, just not as nice looking as it used to be.

it's like I'm allergic to my own sweat which is just crazy

Ohman, I had completely forgotten, but I had this thing a while back on my upper body where my skin would break out in a crazy rash like it was allergic to my own sweat, allergic to deodorant, allergic to being washed with any product I tried, so that was kind of hard to deal with.

It has gone away now, not quite sure why. Not diet, as I was eating a lot more healthily and remembering to take supplements more then than now. I am living somewhere with much softer water now, so it might be that.

Anyway I had thought my face skin was a lot better these days too but today I have a giant spot so I guess not.

I would recommend that anyone who is annoyed with their skin should probably take zinc/magnesium, possibly some extra B vitamins and the kind of fish oil you can get from eating some mackerel or salmon (if more practical, you can get fish oil capsules). Drink at least four glasses of water a day. Try not to touch your face other than in the morning when putting it on and at night when taking it off (my downfall). I think if you've got sebum building up in your pores, an oil-based cleanser warmed in your hands before it goes on the face will dissolve the plugs out of the pores - you should massage it in for a few minutes - and it tricks your body's sebum factory into making a bit less. This is also why a good moisturizer is important. Do this with vigilance for 28 days - no falling asleep with a face full of cosmetics, a clean pillowcase each night - and if there's any problem that hasn't gone away after that, you might need to look at your shampoo, bath gel, styling products, or perfume.

I imagine clove oil is in Eve Lom for the same reason it's often mooted as a natural toothache remedy - soothes and lessens swelling, whether gums or pores.

I've found products I can live with after some trial & error, several of which I make in my kitchen. But the break-outs never end and neither does the laundry, since anything that's touched my sweat has to be washed before wearing again.

Oh, the problem is with my erm cleavage & neck. It's not my face that's the problem, mostly, and I already do the cleaning regimen + clean pillowcase number. But people who can shower like every 2-3 days and look, y'know, kind of sweaty but nothing worse...I hate you all.

;_;

Thanks for the recommendations.

ENNB, people used to yell at me for using bath soap (Lever 2000, Irish Spring, Dove) on my face, and for a while I changed my ways, but my skin is completely NOT sensitive at all, so I can get away with using pretty much anything on it without bad results. It's just that it feels so good when I use something nice.

I know I should moisturize, but I hate it so much. I've had one little tube of facial moisturizer since 2006. It makes me feel like I've undone all the cleaning (ie, oil removal), even though the stuff is water-based.

My mantra in late high school and early college was "dry skin is healthy skin."

In high school and college, that's undoubtedly true.

I remember the "dry that skin out" propaganda. All I got was a big ugly scabby bump on my skin. At some point I discovered steaming...it helped me.

I have pretty good skin but in certain lights the circles under my eyes really show. I think it's from "stress" or something. :\

laurel, one of my best friends gets TERRIBLE breakouts on her chest - like, really big painful spots, and always has. she's tried everything to no avail, but she did notice a reduction in the spots when she started heavily using sunscreen (high zinc content).

She has all my sympathy, j!

This being the Northeast, I don't put sunscreen on my chest b/c it rarely ever sees the light. At most, it might get some indoor fluorescence on a VG day.

maybe try the zinc supplement suggested by suzy?

i just bought this body scrub from trader joe's - it's just a bunch of oils + sea salt, and it was ridic cheap, so i'll see how it goes.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. In my experience, and backed up by some of my medical reading, exposure to sun helps clear your skin up. But then you get "sun damage" or age prematurely...or you get yechh freckles and brown patches.

keratosis pilaris! i never knew what it was called! i have always called it 'the thing' (i have it on my upper arms and am constantly having people say 'you're sunburnt!').

got decent skin at the moment but it's relatively recent - the thing i used to get it under control was aleppo soap (ie just olive oil and lye), though i've switched to some ridiculous lush product made of clay and almonds now. Still got scars on my cheeks tho, fuck getting acne in your early twenties. :(

i have pretty decent skin, except for the fact that i am a white person WITH FUCKING VITILIGO UGH .

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs185.ash2/44846_547753864744_4302681_32003337_3188943_n.jpg

and i don't have health right now. i need to see a dermatologist, it's been getting so much worse in the past year or so.

What is the treatment for vitiligo? I suppose it's better being white and having it than dark-skinned and having it, right?

yeah. treatments include medicine and weird UV-light treatments.

i will probably not have health insurance for another few months. eh.

Interesting news. I went to the dermatologist* today and thought about this thread and my request for skin cleaning advice. I asked him what he recommended. I told him I use plain old soap, and waited for him to gasp and apply facial defibrillator paddles to my cheeks, but he said facial cleansers are 99% marketing and that all you really need is cheap-o mild soap. He also said the very best thing for your face is to use shampoo. If your shampoo is treating your scalp well, use it on your face.

Now this is a the guy who has his own retail skin care store in his building, so I thought he would have some killer products to sell and exotic secrets and rules for maximum facial awesomeness (I mean, look at his website http://www.ad sci.com/ (I broke the link b/c I don't want ILX on the referral log).

Ooops, the asterisk:

* I had big bug bites and I was really afraid they were from bed bugs, but after a biopsy and more questions, he determined they indeed bug bites, but not bed bugs.

Shampoo sounds crazy—I can't imagine using that on my face. I use low sulfate shampoo because the normal stuff is to drying for my hair, and my face is much more sensitive.

I use handmade goat's milk soap on my face. It's dry skin formula that I get from Etsy, and when I tried to switch to a different mild soap, my skin got flakier. I used to use cetaphil on my face, but it was too drying.

I don't get blemishes much, but I have a lot of problems with dryness and flaky skin. Manual exfoliants don't really help, and they seem to irritate my skin–I have a lot more broken capillaries now.

I was very surprised at his suggestion, especially after seeing that he sells pricey house brand cleansers! I think one reason he was so nonchalant was because I haven't been having any negative reactions to ordinary soap. Like I said, my skin is super not-sensitive.

my skin is awful.

can anyone recommend a good facial soap that will hopefully stop whiteheads, i seem to get at least one a day either at the side of my nose or just above my chin

(that they sell in UK)

use an astringent after washing your face, did wonders for me

nice one. i'll give it a whirl. thanks

i have great fucking skin

keratosis pilaris! i never knew what it was called! i have always called it 'the thing' (i have it on my upper arms and am constantly having people say 'you're sunburnt!').

http://www.xojane.com/beauty/how-i-fixed-my-keratosis-pilaris-aka-chicken-skin-and-got-awesome-hair-boot

This article says coconut oil for keratosis. I couldn't find any straight coconut oil at the grocery store, but I found a lotion with it as an ingredient. My arms have cleared up a ton. Worth a shot, imo.

I'm afraid of upsetting the balance - what if it migrates to my FACE??!

thanks for putting the fear back in me.

thanks, flatbread! will look out for coconut oil when next i go shopping.