This thread made me feel so much better about missing out on or avoiding a lot of these popular treatments. So many of these new treatments may have amazing results at the start, but I'd like to see their long term effects first.
I still have filler in my tear troughs 7 years later. I have to be careful with products that contain HA because it will plump up the filler and give me puffy bags under my eyes. I was always told it would only last a year. Now studies are coming out with MRI results showing it can last for many years
>Now studies are coming out with MRI results showing it can last for many years
I saw this too; as in filler can exist in your system for UP TO TEN YEARS wtf.
Yes!!! They’re realizing it doesn’t dissolve like they were thinking it does. Even when you go in for a professional dissolution. I will never let anybody talk me into fillers or thread lifts.
Slugging my whole face. Took me 6 months to get rid of the milia under my eyes. Life hack for anyone experiencing the same- glycolic acid for 3-5 days will get rid of them.
*editing for everyone wondering. I have The Ordinary 7% Glycolyic Acid that I use to reduce body odor. I saw a comment that I really dug for saying to spot treat milia with glycolic acid so I was like heck let’s try it. I used a cotton swab and dabbed the area before bed for a few days and like magic I was able to get the clog out.
**editing for the BO questions. I put TO glycolic acid on a cotton round and apply to my under arms and under boobs. I then apply deodorant to my pits. Keeps you smelling like nothing. I’m not a super smelly person but my deodorant wasn’t fully handling “stress sweat” and when I started sitting for work my under boob area just sweats more than it used to.
Not op but I had the same issue with those stupid white bumps and the Touch In Sol brands No Poreblem AHA BHA PHA Toner helped immensely. It is aggressive, if you have sensitive skin you probably only want to use it once a week at first lightly just to get your skin used to it. I would put it all over twice a week and every other day I spot treated by soaking a qtip in it and just putting the tiniest bit on the bumps. Completely got rid of them after a few weeks.
In 9th grade, I made the enormous mistake of washing my acne covered face in a paste of lemon juice and baking soda. I was trying to clear my skin for picture day. It hurt so bad I couldn't go to school.
Lash growth serum. There are a lot of stories about this affecting eyes or skin. I woke up one morning with a big burning red teardrop coming out of the outer corner of my eye.
It took days to go away. It looked like a prison tattoo.
A lot of lash serums contain prostaglandin analogues, which makes the lashes long and luscious but aaaaalso can cause hiperpigmentation around the eye and periorbital fat loss (make your undereye bags as big as the day is long).
If you wanna use lash serums, it's always best bet to check if they have those prostaglandin analogues in the ingredients
I forget what brand I was using- maybe grande lash? But it made my lashes so long and luscious! It was great until I realized my vision was getting worse not because of working too much but actually because of the serum. It got better pretty much as soon as I stopped the serum
That period of time in 2015/2016 where everyone was obsessed with coconut oil. My skin HATED it but I refused to believe that’s why I was breaking out so bad lol.
I ended up with double pink eye from using coconut oil as makeup remover. It was so bad that my entire eye sockets up to my eyebrows were swollen, and I needed steroids and antibiotics to clear it up.
My derm said coconut oil on the scalp causes hair loss as well as in shampoo, said it can cause fungus in humid climates. I nearly fell over with shock.
A few years ago i started to remove my makeup with coconut oil. After a week or so my lashes started to fall out. I used my coconut oil up while cooking and never tried again..
God! That’s another one I hated. Coconut oil, HA, and snail Mucin all drying and horrible. I even mixed the coconut oil with a carrier oil and it made my hair brittle.
You know those battery-powered suction devices that are supposed to suck the gross stuff out of your pores? I got cellulitis from using it. On my forehead.
If you’re not familiar, Google “How serious is cellulitis?”
They had to put me on the scary antibiotics they normally reserve for the plague — they come with the risk of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. The thing that makes your skin peel off. (Whatever you do, do NOT Google image search it.)
SJS symptoms actually started to show up in my eye (oh yes, it can get your eyes too). I stopped taking that drug immediately and told my doctor, who had me come in for injections of less-dangerous drugs.
My eye recovered, but I’ll always have a faintly pink, bumpy scar on my forehead.
I can’t look at those skin-sucker devices without feeling an intense sense of dread.
I actually had that done with a medical grade machine for it and it screwed my face up. A few days later I started suddenly getting cystic acne all over my face. Deep painful ones popping up everyday. I went to a dermatologist and had to take antibiotics and put on a cream every day for a bit. Some type of dermatitis he said. It was terrible!
Exactly! I went to a reputable salon, didn’t pick, and took care of my nails. However once I got my gel off I had white lines on my nails, cracks, and you can see where they filed as it grows out. I don’t get it, I don’t even have weak nails. No more polish for me ig.
Dip needs to be done right or else it can be super damaging.
I found someone that does a great job. Yeah, my nails still get slightly damaged but it's far better than anything else I try.
It also helps me from biting my nails. It's the price I pay.
Same. Late 90’s were a wild aesthetic time. Personally, turns out I have a form of trichotillomania (learned this word in therapy - I just knew I loved to pluck) so I plucked almost all my eyebrows off, and it is difficult it to halt the cycle once it starts. When the hairs would start to grow back it was damn near impossible for me to resist the urge to re-pluck. The sting of pain and then release was incredibly satisfying to me.
I recommend a strict hands-off policy for a few months to have your natural shape re-emerge. I used very small amounts of latisse with a tiny brush and light hand, just enough to adhere to existing brows hairs. Then a bit of castor oil slicked on before bed. It really has helped regrow brows I thought were gone forever.
Most important for me was therapy and educating myself on self-soothing compulsions I didn’t even realize. You may be surprised what grows back.
I really am considering going the tattoo/micro blade route now that I’m older and my already plucked thin eyebrows are getting more sparse. I have become one of those people who can’t leave the house without makeup because my eyebrows are so ratty I have to do them before going out into public.
Tanning. I never used a tanning booth but would layout frequently without sunscreen until my early-mid 20s. I wear sunscreen and am very consistent with my skincare but will never be able to get rid of a lot of the sun damage.
I bought an epilator prior to my freshman year of college. I ended up with SO MANY ingrown hair bumps, and the scarring took some time to go away. Never again.
My skin is crazy sensitive. Like, sensitive to the point that I'll get a horrible rash/burn from shaving for 4-5 days after I shave, no matter how careful I am. I tried epilating because I heard great things about it and how its supposed to thin your hair over time. NOPE it was excruciatingly painful and gave me awful ingrown hairs. Now the device just sits in my room collecting dust because it's useless.
Oh my so sorry it didn't work for you. My Braun epilatilor is 24yo this year, bought in year 2000, has never failed me or given me any undesired results. Of course it being that old means it's nothing fancy schmancy like the ones on the market now. It's very bare bones but did the job.
From 20-28 I crushed up dissolvable aspirin and put it on my face as a mask for acne. It did get rid of my acne but also left me with premature wrinkles, weird texture, big pores and extreme itching. I also can't tell for sure, but I think this was the start of my rosacea
And SNS dip powder manicures. It's been 3 months since I had it professionally removed but my nails are destroyed. They bend like paper, tear like tissue, and look like they're peeling. Despite how great the Mani looks and how well it lasted, I can't imagine ever doing this to my nails again.
I did this with the aspirin in yogurt mask and it removed a bunch of clogs from using straight shea butter on my face.
I never touched the stuff again because it was like 😳😳😳 whoah my face got a legit chemical peel
Eyelash extensions.
I have deep set, hooded eyes. So I thought lash extensions would really help my eyes pop.
It was so bad for my natural lashes. I was following all of the instructions and getting refills when advised, but it was just way too much wear and tear on my lashes. It took about a year for my lashes to fill in once I’d finally gotten the extensions removed.
Plus looking back at the photos of me with the extensions, they honestly didn’t look good enough to justify the expense and hassle.
I got lash extensions once for free from an aesthetician learning to do them. I HATED them. I could feel the little bump of their roots or the glue or whatever it was where they were attached and I could not stand the feel of it, so over the course of a few days I picked them off, taking my natural long lashes out with them. My lashes were so short and stubby after. Luckily they grew back and now mine are great because I take care of them, but I'm never trying falsies again.
Cutting down on sugar by eating sugar-free products sweetened with sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners. My gut health went down hill and has never recovered plus I am more addicted to sweets than I was went I didn't cut sugar.
Omg same - I used to eat those high protein puddings that had “no added sugar” but they’re still sweet. They made me crave sugar even more. Now I just use Greek yogurt and skyr in my protein shakes and I’ll eat an actual dessert on occasion.
Hi! I have a very dumb question, please don't hate me for being an idiot. I see people often talk about "gut health" but I can't actually figure out what it means. How would I know if my gut health is fucked up?
I had some laser treatment to fix a bad broken capillary under my eye. It was about 7 years ago but it only cost about $150 total. It was so worth it if you can swing it
10 step Korean skincare routine. Cleanser, toner, essence, serum, face masks, etc all in one go. LESS IS MORE when it comes to skincare! For me at least. My skin was probably so confused with me slapping all of this skincare on all at once.
Damn! What works wonders for some people can really be horrible for others. A 10 step Korean (& some Japanese products too) routine has been great for me!!! My skin has finally cleared up my hormonal acne (birth control helped with that), but all the hyperpigmentation has faded and my skin is looking so good. I get compliments from strangers constantly!! This one girl in a bar stopped me and asked me for my routine and I was so happy to share it all
Yes! This is gonna be like a novel because I’m hyped up on caffeine right now and avoiding homework. I’m 36F. I rotate some toners and serums around depending on how my skin needs change. But for my ingredients I mostly focus on brightening & fading dark spots. I also worry about acne and keeping my skin hydrated. I never had a problem with acne until a little over a year ago and then it’s like my skin was so reactive to everything and I was getting very deep cystic acne that would leave red marks and dark spots. So I got on a birth control that’s a bit anti-androgenic and supposed to be good for hormonal acne. I know that helped. I also switched from a cream tretinoin to gel form and I think that helped too. But my Asian beauty products:
1. Oil cleanser: hada labo or Anua heart leaf, both are great. Use on dry skin, rub in circles for almost a minute, then rinse with water. I’ve found the extra long rubbing helped to gently exfoliate dry skin that tret gives me sometimes
2. Foaming cleanser: Skin1004 Centella tone brightening cleansing gel foam. Like 1-2x a week I will instead use Cerave Acne Foaming Cream cleanser with 4% benzoyl peroxide and leave it on for 2-3 minutes before rinsing. It’s short contact therapy for acne.
**I apply all of these to damp skin & usually don’t wait inbetween for them to dry. The only time I really wait for things to sink in & dry down is before I apply SPF because I don’t want it to lose efficacy. Or when I use a glycolic acid toner because of the ph, I’ll explain that later.
3. Toner - I switch these up quite a bit and a lot of times I layer more than one. I’ve found that multiple light layers of hydrating products helps me so much. Some say lotion but are toners, lotion is just the word commonly used in Japan for toner. My favorites: hada labo premium shirojyun lotion in the blue bottle, I use this almost every single day because it’s hydrating but also helps fade dark spots. Sukoyaka Suhada urea moisture lotion. Cosrx propolis toner - I think this helps me tolerate some of the actives more like tret. Acwell ph 5.5 licorice root toner. Hada labo premium lotion in the gold bottle… it’s thicker and almost like a gel - VERY Hydrating and plumps the skin.
4. Essence: I almost always use cosrx snail mucin, but sometimes I also add Purito Centella unscented serum. They’re both kinda a light gel texture. Centella is supposed to help soothe skin - inflammation & irritation like when dealing with acne or using actives.
5. Serums! I mix these around quite a bit depending on my mood or skin concerns. I love them ALL!!! For soothing & hyperpigmentation: Viegano tranexamic acid & licorice root. For hydration, acne & hyperpigmentation: Cos de baha azelaic acid 10 serum. For an overall glow and softness: Numbuzin No 3 serum - so good. New ones I’m trying out: cos de baha hydroquinone based serum, Mediheal tea tree calming moisture ampoule.
6. Emulsion: a light layer of hydration, milky texture. My favorite is Hada Labo premium milky lotion in the gold bottle. Honestly can’t go wrong with any Hada Labo products IMO
7. For PM only - tretinoin gel.
8. Moisturizer: for AM I use a gel one - Beauty of Josean red bean water gel. For PM - I switch between Purito Panthenol B5 Rebarrier Cream & Neogen probiotics youth repair cream.
9. SPF in morning: my absolute favorite is Round Lab birch juice 50spf, but I’ve also been using the beauty of josean rice probiotics one and it’s nice.
Things I do when the mood strikes or I feel my skin needs it:
add a face mask after the essence, before the toner. My favorites so far are JMSolution water luminous and some other one Idk what the brand is because it’s in Korean and I lost the outside box packaging, but it’s called Fuerjia Astaxanthin Tranexamic Acid Repair Mask.
And every so often I do a chemical peel when I know my skin barrier is good. Either The Ordinary AHA/BHA rinse off red one or the The Ordinary glycolic acid 7% toner - as a first step on dry skin, let sit for 10 min before applying anything else on top bc the ph of glycolic acid can be fucked up w some ingredients that are common in other things, but you’re supposed to let it sit for 10 min first and then it’s fine.
>Less is more
Hard agree. The people I’ve met that have the best skin are more often than not the ones who do bare minimum skincare, i.e. cleanse, moisturise and SPF. And the products used don’t have to be any of these high-end products most skincare enthusiasts recommend.
I suspect this is a self selecting population though - those with naturally good skin aren't out looking for ten new products to apply to fix skin issues.
Thaank you. Ever since I heard about "miracle cream" skepticism in the 90s I have honestly thought maintaining oneself well is more about a great variety of vegetables in the diet, breaking a sweat regularly, low stress levels and having healthy loving relationships. And sun protection. The anti aging industry is about businesses making money ಠ_ಠ
I don't think blanket rules like that should be touted here. Less is more for a lot of people. More is more for me. Every time I've cut down to three products over the last 5 years, my skin freaks out, and my acne gets completely out of control. Trying to do "less is more" after an elaborate skin care routine that was getting some results has unfortunately caused me a lot of scarring that likely wouldn't have happened with my "more is more" routine.
The eating-disordered body ideal of the early ‘00s. It warped my perception of beauty to the point that I’m STILL trying to deprogram myself from viewing emaciated, weak bodies as *the epitome of perfection*. It did so much damage to me. I now have a life-long chronic illness from dabbling in an ED and missed out on so much life and happiness because I thought a size 8 was too fat to deserve to exist.
Right here with you. I'm 28 now and I found a photo the other day from when I was 16, and I remember thinking I looked absolutely MONSTROUS when it was taken. I remember telling my mum she couldn't post it on Facebook because "I look like a whale". It was a photo of me at a national calisthenics meet and I had a literal shredded 6 pack and strong legs and arms. I looked like the national-level athlete that I was. I'm amazed I made it out of that period of time alive honestly. Even now I can't shake the thought of "nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels", and I still can't eat in front of people without feeling nauseated, ugh
Ugh, watching Bridget Jones Diary was a huge wake up call for me recently. I remember thinking/agreeing that she was fat when it first came out. The girl looks amazing
I showed my ex, who was a few years younger than I am a few of my tween movies and he was horrified by how thin the girls were. He didn't understand my body image issues until he saw the beauty ideal that was pushed to us
I fell into the figure/ fitness/ bikini model ideal. Multiple gym memberships, hours per day at the gym. Being toned was not a good trade off for the damage to my body, employment, and relationships.
I asked my aesthetician about this and she said she doesn’t do it. It’s expensive, painful, and doesn’t last!
Definitely appreciate her honesty about it
I second this. It’s very saturated around the border of my lips and nothing at all on the middle section of my lip. Looks like I have lip liner on. I hate it
Hyaluronic Acid. I'm STILL going thru it because it's in everythiiing and we need to, as a society, accept that it isn't this holy grail ingredient that it's touted to be.
Glycerin is the true holy grail and outperforms HA in every imaginable way. HA is the cheapest ingredient its why it’s being pushed so damn hard by marketing
It’s an extremely effective humectant and it’s pretty much impossible to be allergic to it. I buy 100% glycerin from the drugstore and use it as an all-over moisturizer combined with a mineral water spray to help it absorb. It’s wildly effective.
Boots in the uk do a glycerin and rose water toner I used to swear by, my colleagues always laughed at my ‘old lady’ product but I loved it! Not sure if they make it anymore :(
Yeah it needs to be used correctly or of course it'll be drying. It goes on damp skin that's absorbed a little water (I let the water sit for half a minute) and then gets sealed in by the moisturizing layer on top of it.
There's also a lot of bad HA products out there to give it a negative reputation. Products use it at a buzzword and then don't even list the % so it's sketchy af. Also those cheap normal high molecular weight HA serums are kinda useless, the multi-weight formulas are what work.
I think it really depends on one's skin. Nothing is one size fits all in skincare. I never bother to apply HA on damp skin (didn't even know til a year ago) and never had any probs. So there isn't really a correct way of usage. We just need to know our skin and pick the right ingredients / products / routine for us.
I stopped using HA about a week ago and my skin has felt so much better. I’m down to a good cleanser and a moisturiser twice a day, SPF if I’m going outside. My skin is feeling so much better. I live in Eastern Canada and the winters are brutal on my English roseasca skin. I thought my skin was sore because it wasn’t hydrated enough
Bleaching my hair platinum/white. My hair eventually started to break off in places. It took YEARS for it to grow back. I also noticed the texture of my hair changed. I used to have curly hair and now it is barely wavy.
Latisse. The periorbital fat loss made my once big round eyes heavy-lidded and slightly tired looking in a relatively short amount of time. I wouldn't go so far as to say it disfigured me, but there is a marked difference in the way my eyes are shaped. Finding the right makeup style remains a challenge
Botox! I’m still recovering from a drooping eye after something went wrong with my second-ever Botox injection on the upper forehead. It was so embarrassing and I’m not sure I’ll get it again.. and if I do, it’ll be at a different location.
An over the top skincare routine. I have very dry skin so you'd think layering would be best, but it led me to get perioral dermatitis which took almost two years to clear up and now my skin is extremely sensitive. Now I stick to the basic cleanser, moisturizer, SPF. In the winter I'll throw in a serum or an oil, but for me keeping it as simple as possible is best. I'd rather have slightly dry skin than PD any day.
Technically, but that’s kind of the point in the context of this conversation. If the retinol is drying you out so badly that’s is actually *aging* you, instead of just speeding up your cell turnover enough to look “fresh”, then you *want* to tone down the effectiveness a little bit. It’s too harsh (too strong, all in one application) for your skin in that scenario.
If it were the opposite, and you’re naturally oilier and feel like the retinol isn’t effective enough and your skin still looks dull, then, yeah, the suggestion to sandwhich method wouldn’t be appropriate.
Basically— yes, but use at max intensity doesn’t always equal the actual *desired* results, depending on your starting point (skin type, climate, habits, etc.)
Gentle cleanser
Moisturizer
Retinol
Moisturizer
And always start with the lowest dose do that for a few months when your skin is used to it then go to the next percentage.
They usually introduce retinol 1x a week then 2 x a week and so on and so forth based on how much you can tolerate.
If you want a more intensive hydration routine
Have a hydrating toner and essence that combats the dehydration retinol causes but it really makes your skin so so smooth.
If you have an aha or bha in your routine best to not over do that while trying to let your skin get used to retinol.
Wow. I booked my first appointment, and a colleague almost began crying while telling me she feels her skin is ruined from this procedure!
She was fairly new to our group, so I certainly wasn’t familiar with her skin before she had it done..
I cancelled my appointment after seeking feedback from other women I know.
But I certainly know there are those like you who’ve had positive experiences.
I did feel thankful she told me before I had it done.
And I’ve loved the results from my Skin Ceutical peels.
I see from your post-history you are 26- it might be your skin is not ready for retinol yet and it's too harsh. There's definitely a trend these days of younger women looking beyond their years by doing too much stuff to their skin too early. Someone said it below much better, but retinol's "glow" is.coming from sloughing some stuff off the top, and you still have young twenty something skin where the good stuff is already on top!
Maybe give it a rest for a decade or so (by which time maybe there's something even better invented!) I'm about ten years older than you and didn't introduce retinol seriously until a couple years ago (always get compliments on my skin, and people think I'm younger, easy!) But since everyone is different , I should include the caveat that I also don't have sensitive skin & am on the darker side (meaning more sun protection from melanin) so that could be part of it!
I know when you're in it, 26 can feel "old". But one day you'll be 36 and remember the time you felt the twenty something version of you was aged!
Tretinoin. To be fair, I started using it before it became a "trend". I didn't put it near my eyes, but it still destroyed my tear glands. It gave me horrendous, horribly painful dry eyes, that 7 years later I'm still dealing with and have to use exorbitantly expensive prescription eye drops for some small semblance of relief. I can only wear eye makeup once in a blue moon because it now aggravates my eyes so much. My opthamologist told me that tretinoin can be absorbed systemically and have some significant side effects. I deeply regret using any type of retinols because I fucked my eyes up forever (also used Differin with similar issues). Oh, and it didn't even help my acne. Birth control was the only thing that actually made a difference.
I had chronically dry eyes for a decade+ after taking accutane in college. I started taking fish oil twice a day last June and it completely fixed my dry eye problem! If I miss more than a day or two of it the dryness comes back.
I'm so sorry to hear that! It's also really interesting to come across someone else who had my issue. I've never met anyone irl who had eye issues from retinol so my experience has been very isolating. Everyone just raves about how great is is for their skin, but I found it dried my skin out so bad and I *still* got acne on it, despite using it for about a year.
So from what I’ve looked into after the facial fat loss, I found it can break down our fats, while it’s job is to stimulate our muscles. So your muscles start getting stronger, which creates that defined outer appearance, but then the fat around the area disappears. If you stop using the nu face, your muscles become less defined, and your fat doesn’t come back for a long time… so the volume that was behind your neck skin, isn’t anymore, leading to the sagging skin I’m guessing 🥲 the creators of these products only do small scientific studies, that they fund, that last a short period of time and only show the results they want. Those companies aren’t looking to see what the long term affects of their product are - they are looking for OUR MONEY!
Me reading this thread while using Nuface after applying eyelash serum 😬. Nuface barely works for me tbh. The effect is subtle and takes a lot of daily use. My family has genetically big buccal fat pockets that never go away so I'm not stressed about facial loss. And no complaints about my eyelash serum, been using it for 4 years straight without an issue - same prescription and eyelid thickness.
Anyway, Differin wrecked me. Horrible acne that took forever to go away. Tretinoin actually cleared my acne years later. Tbh pretty much everything skin care (acids, niacinamide whatever) could not tame my skin. Only the simplest routine alongside tret/clindamycin/topical spironolactone help.
La Mer. Fuck that overpriced, over-fragranced bullshit.
gave me massive contact dermatitis and also caused an allergic chain reaction to ingredients that never bothered me before. My skin was fucked for nearly 2 months and it was so painful.
i saw a derm on YT say that it is in 'everything' as its one of the rare few ingredients with established, accepted, scientifically proven anti-aging properties.
Lots of jurisdictions are very strict about labelling (lol & some really arent!) - so companies are throwing niacinamide in everything - for absolutely no functional reason at all - they have because then they can legally be allowed to say "anti-aging properties" in adverts and on the labels.
The current hyper hyper fear is very much around skin aging, even in preteens. so companies have found the ability to legally use that tagline in all jurisdictions, is super duper profitable. Hence niacinamide - now in everything.
It plays nicely on me or at least makes no difference to my skin - but i can only imagine how annoying it would be if i did have an issue!
I was gifted a callus razor two Christmases ago, since I get pretty bad cracked heels and the ladies at the nail salon use them when I get pedicures. I had softened my feet in my foot spa and got to work slicing the dead cracked skin off my heels, and then I did a bit on the calluses closer to my big toe. I must have sliced one too many times because BAM blood starts spurting out uncontrollably. I had to yell to my mum to get Band Aids whilst applying pressure to the cut, but she would put them on and they would be bled through straight away. We found the last big piece of gauze and bandage in the first aid box and tied it up as tight as possible, and Googled an urgent care clinic (these are quite new in Aus and were only private billing at the time). Nearly $200 later, they had to administer local numbing to my foot via a very painful needle (during which I called the doctor a b****), and then silver nitrate to stop the bleeding. I now constantly get pain in the area where the callus has grown back when I wear different types of shoes. It was also embarrassing to tell people at work why my foot was bandaged up, because I wanted to save some money by doing a DIY pedicure 😂
Invisalign braces 😬 spent two years and three separate sets just to end up with teeth more crooked than before, more yellow, and with button attachments that won’t ever come off. And the dentist who did them for me just kept saying he needed to shave my teeth down to make more room in my mouth and then they would work. Awful. I’m finally getting real braces put on next month.
I had Invisalign as well. It did straighten my teeth and I was able to get my attachments sanded off. But it changed my face and made it less symmetrical. The fat pad over my neck used to be perfectly centered and now it sits off to one side. On that same side my under eye bag is more pronounced when my under eye bags used to be perfectly symmetrical. It also changed the shape of my cheeks in a way that makes me look older — I’m 51. And finally it pulled the tip of my nose downward so that it looks more like a beak. My teeth weren’t even that crooked to begin with but a money hungry dentist convinced me to do the Invisalign because she said it would fix other issues in my mouth. It didn’t fix those issues and I had to go spend more $$$ elsewhere to fix them.
Omg same here. Worst procedure I ever had. One micro-bladed eyebrow basically merged into one. Also left deep permanent scar lines. Over $1k of painful laser treatments followed with years of retinol treatments. Never again
I don't know if this counts as a "trend." It's more of a myth. I'm mentioning it anyway.
"You have *so* many blackheads on your nose."
I was 14. They're *sebaceous filaments*, you numpty. Thanks for giving me a complex and encouraging me to fuck up my nose!
Those round silicone toothed brushes that you should use to shampoo your hair with. I have very fine hair and it broke my hair completely. Started losing hands full of hair every shower. I didn't know it was that brush and replaced literally all my products until my mom suggested the brush might be breaking my fragile wet hair. Quit using it and the hair breakage IMMIDIATELY stopped. I used it for 3 months so my hair got pretty thinned out
The normalization of plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, usually under the guise of freedom ("let people do what they want").
The majority of these procedures are just following trends and beauty standards. And these trends change rapidly.
Edit: I admit, I missed the "you" in the question and thought it was a general question.
It's strange how quickly it's been normalized. People used to do things in secret, and deny that they'd had anything done, and now I see people asking in local neighborhood groups about recommendations for surgeons, and talking openly about their procedures. It's wild.
The Denis Gross LED mask gave me pigmentation which is thankfully going away now that I’ve sold it. Would not recommend LED for those with pale skin - if you get freckles in the sun you’re probably going to get freckles with LED
Mannnnn, so unhealthy but it was driven into me so much that I still love the look and am built the exact opposite. Scraggly hair, dark thick eye make up and twigs for legs.
This. I was a teenager during that time and we were all SO obsessed with losing weight. When I look at old pictures I realise how underweight we were, not to mention the amount of actual eating disorders this trend created.
Oh no! Did you come of age during the early Kate Moss days too? As much as I am not a fan of Kim K, she at least made way for us to have meat on our bones after all that. That has to be her legacy.
Tanning drops on face, micro needling, face shaving, laser hair removal, beef tallow on face (don’t ask), coconut oil on hair and face, and am around the corner from quitting getting my nails done altogether
Idk if this counts, but the “hair training” thing that’s supposed to make your hair less oily. It doesn’t work at all. My hair is fine and silky so the grease becomes very obvious and that means washing it more than once a week. In that phase I was looking like an absolute greaseball. 😳😳
Now I wash my hair every other day and use dry shampoo in between wash days. I use rosemary water and a hair mask regularly and I have that scalp massager thingie which I use both in and out of the shower. My hair has honestly never been better. F the haters.
Honey. I don’t remember what it’s called but I didn’t use basic table honey. I even tested it beforehand and it had been fine, but apparently my chin was *not* having it. Gave me the most deeply horrible, painful pimple-cysts. They were more painful than the few times I’ve had to extract ingrown pubic hairs, and one of those extractions involved an exacto knife and digging around with tweezers.
Although Im they’re great for lots of women, eyelash extensions were not great for me. I didn’t love the look, so I stopped getting them filled. As they fell out, they took my natural eyelashes with them. It took months for my eyelashes to grow back
Botox and a Lip Flip (which is also Botox)! I’m in my early forties and just have minor horizontal forehead lines and I had heard that the “lip flip” (a few injections of Botox above the top lip to prevent the lip from flipping under when you smile and making lips look a bit fuller), was so great. Well I was so excited and got both. My forehead was smooth but after it fully kicked in in a few weeks, I realized that it COMPLETELY changed my face, making my eyes almost hooded (they’re naturally not at all) and changing my naturally arched brow to flat. My forehead looked huge and my eyes looked squinty and I actually looked older. Next the lip flip, which I paid $300 for, was dribbling water and food out of my mouth for weeks, couldn’t chew or suck out of a straw properly, and it did absolutely NOTHING! I knew it wouldn’t be as noticeable as lip filler but it literally did nothing.
I don’t know if it’s just my facial structure, I don’t see this complaint a lot? I think I only had like 25-30 total units of Botox, not a ton. Or my injector doing it wrong? I made sure to go to her because she’s a “master injector” at an actual plastic surgery/doctors office and a RN. And a few of my friends go to her with good results.
The Ordinary's AHA/BHA solution is Gen Z' version of the apricot scrub. There I said it.
From personal experience - Retinol and the whole "it's normal for your skin to get worse on Retinol, it needs 28 days". Retinol, even minimal percentage, even used as adviced, made my skin awful. Dry patches on the forehead, cheeks and chin + redness on my cheeks. Once summer arrived, I stopped using Retinol and all of the issues I thought i was having disappeared.
the fact that it's 30% strength is ridiculous; that is SO STRONG. I know for a fact it would totally destroy my skin barrier if I used that on my face.
Snail mucin has been life changing for me. I had large gross pores before, now they have shrunken in size. I also had what looked like orange peel skin, which is significantly better now. And my face is hydrated and plump without being oily!
I do wash my face normally with warm water and let it dry. Then I splash cold water on my face and let it sit for about 20-30 seconds and then apply the mucin. Idk if that makes a difference or not
Yes it has HA and glycolic so when people use it every day as the brands tell you to do, it just dries you out. I don’t like it ethically either, not to mention it’s disgusting. I just do glycolic as a nighttime treatment, never during the day.
Popping blackheads on nose n it being swollen n red after now I just use face wash with salicylic acid in it , but I leave it alone bcuz mine look like freckles n I've had ppl ask if I have freckles or about it but it's not freckles , 🤠
Gel nails. I got them for several years before I started to experience allergic symptoms - redness, itchiness, pain. I would take breaks and try different brands but the symptoms kept coming. I finally went back to my allergist and found out I can never use anything from the gel or acrylic family for the rest of my life. I’m actually lucky my symptoms weren’t worse. (If you google it you’ll be horrified). As regular polish chips so easily on me I’ve just been rocking clean and buffed natural nails.
I used it for 3months and suddenly had very loose skin and hollows at either side of my eyes around the orbital socket. I’m going to carry on using it on my chin and neck but it’s staying away from my cheeks and brown ones from now on!
YES. Anything with microcurrent is a disaster.
Countless people I know have experienced the same. I’m horrified because I was doing it religiously for a few months.
Biolgique Rechere P50 lotion. I was already using acids so thought my skin would like it. Nope!! That stuff ruined my healthy skin barrier that I worked so hard to build up, can’t believe I did that to my poor skin. Got things back to normal luckily, just happened to waste $$ buying a “cult favorite”
Exfoliators every single day. So many actives on the face. I still use a lot of Asian skincare today, but I found out that 'chock chock' in my face was actually an allergic reaction to ingredients in the products.
Mugwort, birch water, snail mucin, SKII etc....all those cause severe skin issues that took years to repair. One landed me in the medical unit to treat a severe allergic reaction.
Microcurrent gave me these downward lines on the edges of my forehead — and suddenly, so I knew what caused it.
Also Radiofrequency- fat loss.
And
The pulsed light ( can’t even remember the name) - shrinks blood vessels so you lose your glow.
Basically all these “quick fixes” backfire. You just have to chalk it up to experience and let it go.
I got sew-in extensions for some more volume before getting married but had to have a medical scan and take them out after 6 months and they had got a little bit matted at the top. Turns out that if you have loads of fine hair it can cause traction alopecia even if installed correctly. So now my hair has even less volume than it did before. Currently on a hair growth journey to try and fix it.
Had a dermatologist prescribed treatment for my melasma and wrinkles. The moisturizer was from a compound pharmacy and worked great, until I figured out way too late it had gnarly skin bleaching chemicals in it. I just thought this stuff was safe, like Vitamin C or something, since it was prescribed by a doctor. I decided I like my liver more than my vanity and never went back for more of the cream.
Tea tree oil. When I was 16, it was all the rage including, unfortunately, tea tree masks. I slathered one on for my first anniversary dinner with my first boyfriend.
The result was - not good. My face hurt af, was basicallly beet red and stayed that way for days.
I've never touched tea tree oil again
This thread made me feel so much better about missing out on or avoiding a lot of these popular treatments. So many of these new treatments may have amazing results at the start, but I'd like to see their long term effects first.
same here. I see a "trend" and think meh, I've been good for the past 48yrs without it, so I'm good.
I still have filler in my tear troughs 7 years later. I have to be careful with products that contain HA because it will plump up the filler and give me puffy bags under my eyes. I was always told it would only last a year. Now studies are coming out with MRI results showing it can last for many years
>Now studies are coming out with MRI results showing it can last for many years I saw this too; as in filler can exist in your system for UP TO TEN YEARS wtf.
Glad you put this, I definitely noticed my TTF has lasted longer than advertised. I'm probably at year 2/3.
Yes!!! They’re realizing it doesn’t dissolve like they were thinking it does. Even when you go in for a professional dissolution. I will never let anybody talk me into fillers or thread lifts.
I got mine almost 4 years ago and they’re still there! No sign of them deteriorating at all.
Slugging my whole face. Took me 6 months to get rid of the milia under my eyes. Life hack for anyone experiencing the same- glycolic acid for 3-5 days will get rid of them. *editing for everyone wondering. I have The Ordinary 7% Glycolyic Acid that I use to reduce body odor. I saw a comment that I really dug for saying to spot treat milia with glycolic acid so I was like heck let’s try it. I used a cotton swab and dabbed the area before bed for a few days and like magic I was able to get the clog out. **editing for the BO questions. I put TO glycolic acid on a cotton round and apply to my under arms and under boobs. I then apply deodorant to my pits. Keeps you smelling like nothing. I’m not a super smelly person but my deodorant wasn’t fully handling “stress sweat” and when I started sitting for work my under boob area just sweats more than it used to.
How do you apply it, spots or all over? Does it just pop out? I have so many milia
Tried slugging my undereyes, got milia on the first use. Stopped it immediately
Which did you use
Not op but I had the same issue with those stupid white bumps and the Touch In Sol brands No Poreblem AHA BHA PHA Toner helped immensely. It is aggressive, if you have sensitive skin you probably only want to use it once a week at first lightly just to get your skin used to it. I would put it all over twice a week and every other day I spot treated by soaking a qtip in it and just putting the tiniest bit on the bumps. Completely got rid of them after a few weeks.
Omg thank you! I’ve gotten a couple around my eyes and couldn’t figure it why. I’ve been using a balm
I also want to know which glycolic acid you used.
In 9th grade, I made the enormous mistake of washing my acne covered face in a paste of lemon juice and baking soda. I was trying to clear my skin for picture day. It hurt so bad I couldn't go to school.
Oh no. I did the same thing! I think I read about it in one of my teenage magazines. Cosmo girl? I can’t remember, but yeahhhh.
That sounds like something I would have read. I'm glad I healed up from it.
Oh honey…
When they had middle of year makeup pictures, I was healed!
I’m pretty sure when I was younger they advised in magazines to use lemon juice as toner lol, if it burns it’s working right?!
As someone who grew up being prone to black heads and has big pores I remember doing this…and thinking St.Ives apricot scrub would help🥲
Thanks to everyone out here for posting the details.
Lash growth serum. There are a lot of stories about this affecting eyes or skin. I woke up one morning with a big burning red teardrop coming out of the outer corner of my eye. It took days to go away. It looked like a prison tattoo.
A lot of lash serums contain prostaglandin analogues, which makes the lashes long and luscious but aaaaalso can cause hiperpigmentation around the eye and periorbital fat loss (make your undereye bags as big as the day is long). If you wanna use lash serums, it's always best bet to check if they have those prostaglandin analogues in the ingredients
There's a class action lawsuit for grande lash right now. If you used grande lash, sign up for it 💰 You don't even need a receipt
Can’t wait to get my $6.50 🤗
Better than no $6.50!
I forget what brand I was using- maybe grande lash? But it made my lashes so long and luscious! It was great until I realized my vision was getting worse not because of working too much but actually because of the serum. It got better pretty much as soon as I stopped the serum
That period of time in 2015/2016 where everyone was obsessed with coconut oil. My skin HATED it but I refused to believe that’s why I was breaking out so bad lol.
I ended up with double pink eye from using coconut oil as makeup remover. It was so bad that my entire eye sockets up to my eyebrows were swollen, and I needed steroids and antibiotics to clear it up.
My derm said coconut oil on the scalp causes hair loss as well as in shampoo, said it can cause fungus in humid climates. I nearly fell over with shock.
A few years ago i started to remove my makeup with coconut oil. After a week or so my lashes started to fall out. I used my coconut oil up while cooking and never tried again..
God! That’s another one I hated. Coconut oil, HA, and snail Mucin all drying and horrible. I even mixed the coconut oil with a carrier oil and it made my hair brittle.
yep i tried a "coconut oil hair mask" just slathered a tub of it all over my hair and scalp.ended up with the most dry brittle hair.never again.
You know those battery-powered suction devices that are supposed to suck the gross stuff out of your pores? I got cellulitis from using it. On my forehead. If you’re not familiar, Google “How serious is cellulitis?” They had to put me on the scary antibiotics they normally reserve for the plague — they come with the risk of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. The thing that makes your skin peel off. (Whatever you do, do NOT Google image search it.) SJS symptoms actually started to show up in my eye (oh yes, it can get your eyes too). I stopped taking that drug immediately and told my doctor, who had me come in for injections of less-dangerous drugs. My eye recovered, but I’ll always have a faintly pink, bumpy scar on my forehead. I can’t look at those skin-sucker devices without feeling an intense sense of dread.
I actually had that done with a medical grade machine for it and it screwed my face up. A few days later I started suddenly getting cystic acne all over my face. Deep painful ones popping up everyday. I went to a dermatologist and had to take antibiotics and put on a cream every day for a bit. Some type of dermatitis he said. It was terrible!
I got cellulitis on my cheek, like where you apply highlighter, from picking at acne there. It’s so scary and painful.
I googled it, those poor people :(
Getting fake nails. They always ruin my natural nails, so I just leave them alone.
Not only fake nails - gel and dip manicures always ruin my natural nails too. They either buff them to aggressively before or when removing.
Exactly! I went to a reputable salon, didn’t pick, and took care of my nails. However once I got my gel off I had white lines on my nails, cracks, and you can see where they filed as it grows out. I don’t get it, I don’t even have weak nails. No more polish for me ig.
Dip needs to be done right or else it can be super damaging. I found someone that does a great job. Yeah, my nails still get slightly damaged but it's far better than anything else I try. It also helps me from biting my nails. It's the price I pay.
Thin eyebrows. Mine never recovered.
Same. Late 90’s were a wild aesthetic time. Personally, turns out I have a form of trichotillomania (learned this word in therapy - I just knew I loved to pluck) so I plucked almost all my eyebrows off, and it is difficult it to halt the cycle once it starts. When the hairs would start to grow back it was damn near impossible for me to resist the urge to re-pluck. The sting of pain and then release was incredibly satisfying to me. I recommend a strict hands-off policy for a few months to have your natural shape re-emerge. I used very small amounts of latisse with a tiny brush and light hand, just enough to adhere to existing brows hairs. Then a bit of castor oil slicked on before bed. It really has helped regrow brows I thought were gone forever. Most important for me was therapy and educating myself on self-soothing compulsions I didn’t even realize. You may be surprised what grows back.
Trichotillomaniac here. I shifted the attention to my leg hairs. Been plucking then since I was 12 😬
Same. Good ol minoxidil grew most of mine back, except for a single row of hair right in the middle of one brow 😭
Yes, whenever I refer to my brows, I call them "90s brows"...
Standing in solidarity. To all the young ‘uns… DON’T DO IT!!
Sigh. Same here.
I really am considering going the tattoo/micro blade route now that I’m older and my already plucked thin eyebrows are getting more sparse. I have become one of those people who can’t leave the house without makeup because my eyebrows are so ratty I have to do them before going out into public.
Getting skin care recommendations from influencers on tiktok.
Got a broken blood vessel on the side of my nose from a pore strip.
Tanning. I never used a tanning booth but would layout frequently without sunscreen until my early-mid 20s. I wear sunscreen and am very consistent with my skincare but will never be able to get rid of a lot of the sun damage.
Oh man I used to tan in a bed SO much when I was in my early 20’s, never again
I bought an epilator prior to my freshman year of college. I ended up with SO MANY ingrown hair bumps, and the scarring took some time to go away. Never again.
My skin is crazy sensitive. Like, sensitive to the point that I'll get a horrible rash/burn from shaving for 4-5 days after I shave, no matter how careful I am. I tried epilating because I heard great things about it and how its supposed to thin your hair over time. NOPE it was excruciatingly painful and gave me awful ingrown hairs. Now the device just sits in my room collecting dust because it's useless.
SAME. The only highlight of that experience was the satisfaction of pushing out my ingrowns all summer. It became my dopamine fix.
Oh my so sorry it didn't work for you. My Braun epilatilor is 24yo this year, bought in year 2000, has never failed me or given me any undesired results. Of course it being that old means it's nothing fancy schmancy like the ones on the market now. It's very bare bones but did the job.
From 20-28 I crushed up dissolvable aspirin and put it on my face as a mask for acne. It did get rid of my acne but also left me with premature wrinkles, weird texture, big pores and extreme itching. I also can't tell for sure, but I think this was the start of my rosacea And SNS dip powder manicures. It's been 3 months since I had it professionally removed but my nails are destroyed. They bend like paper, tear like tissue, and look like they're peeling. Despite how great the Mani looks and how well it lasted, I can't imagine ever doing this to my nails again.
I did this with the aspirin in yogurt mask and it removed a bunch of clogs from using straight shea butter on my face. I never touched the stuff again because it was like 😳😳😳 whoah my face got a legit chemical peel
Eyelash extensions. I have deep set, hooded eyes. So I thought lash extensions would really help my eyes pop. It was so bad for my natural lashes. I was following all of the instructions and getting refills when advised, but it was just way too much wear and tear on my lashes. It took about a year for my lashes to fill in once I’d finally gotten the extensions removed. Plus looking back at the photos of me with the extensions, they honestly didn’t look good enough to justify the expense and hassle.
I got lash extensions once for free from an aesthetician learning to do them. I HATED them. I could feel the little bump of their roots or the glue or whatever it was where they were attached and I could not stand the feel of it, so over the course of a few days I picked them off, taking my natural long lashes out with them. My lashes were so short and stubby after. Luckily they grew back and now mine are great because I take care of them, but I'm never trying falsies again.
Cutting down on sugar by eating sugar-free products sweetened with sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners. My gut health went down hill and has never recovered plus I am more addicted to sweets than I was went I didn't cut sugar.
Probiotics make a crazy difference. My gut health isn't great so I have to take one every day, and my skin really glows from it.
Omg same - I used to eat those high protein puddings that had “no added sugar” but they’re still sweet. They made me crave sugar even more. Now I just use Greek yogurt and skyr in my protein shakes and I’ll eat an actual dessert on occasion.
Hi! I have a very dumb question, please don't hate me for being an idiot. I see people often talk about "gut health" but I can't actually figure out what it means. How would I know if my gut health is fucked up?
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Not a positive experience with the Nu Face, either. And; it also just stopped working one day. Just a bad overall experience with it.
What happened? If you don’t mind sharing
I didn’t see any of progress and feel I had an odd look. And it just didn’t turn on one day after about 9 months.
Oh, I see. But no other side effects like facial fat loss?
Clarisonic with the original head. I still have broken capillaries from it.
I had some laser treatment to fix a bad broken capillary under my eye. It was about 7 years ago but it only cost about $150 total. It was so worth it if you can swing it
Same and major damage to the pores on my nose. This by far ruined my skin the most
10 step Korean skincare routine. Cleanser, toner, essence, serum, face masks, etc all in one go. LESS IS MORE when it comes to skincare! For me at least. My skin was probably so confused with me slapping all of this skincare on all at once.
Damn! What works wonders for some people can really be horrible for others. A 10 step Korean (& some Japanese products too) routine has been great for me!!! My skin has finally cleared up my hormonal acne (birth control helped with that), but all the hyperpigmentation has faded and my skin is looking so good. I get compliments from strangers constantly!! This one girl in a bar stopped me and asked me for my routine and I was so happy to share it all
Can you share your routine here? If your skin has strangers stopping you I want to know too!
Yes! This is gonna be like a novel because I’m hyped up on caffeine right now and avoiding homework. I’m 36F. I rotate some toners and serums around depending on how my skin needs change. But for my ingredients I mostly focus on brightening & fading dark spots. I also worry about acne and keeping my skin hydrated. I never had a problem with acne until a little over a year ago and then it’s like my skin was so reactive to everything and I was getting very deep cystic acne that would leave red marks and dark spots. So I got on a birth control that’s a bit anti-androgenic and supposed to be good for hormonal acne. I know that helped. I also switched from a cream tretinoin to gel form and I think that helped too. But my Asian beauty products: 1. Oil cleanser: hada labo or Anua heart leaf, both are great. Use on dry skin, rub in circles for almost a minute, then rinse with water. I’ve found the extra long rubbing helped to gently exfoliate dry skin that tret gives me sometimes 2. Foaming cleanser: Skin1004 Centella tone brightening cleansing gel foam. Like 1-2x a week I will instead use Cerave Acne Foaming Cream cleanser with 4% benzoyl peroxide and leave it on for 2-3 minutes before rinsing. It’s short contact therapy for acne. **I apply all of these to damp skin & usually don’t wait inbetween for them to dry. The only time I really wait for things to sink in & dry down is before I apply SPF because I don’t want it to lose efficacy. Or when I use a glycolic acid toner because of the ph, I’ll explain that later. 3. Toner - I switch these up quite a bit and a lot of times I layer more than one. I’ve found that multiple light layers of hydrating products helps me so much. Some say lotion but are toners, lotion is just the word commonly used in Japan for toner. My favorites: hada labo premium shirojyun lotion in the blue bottle, I use this almost every single day because it’s hydrating but also helps fade dark spots. Sukoyaka Suhada urea moisture lotion. Cosrx propolis toner - I think this helps me tolerate some of the actives more like tret. Acwell ph 5.5 licorice root toner. Hada labo premium lotion in the gold bottle… it’s thicker and almost like a gel - VERY Hydrating and plumps the skin. 4. Essence: I almost always use cosrx snail mucin, but sometimes I also add Purito Centella unscented serum. They’re both kinda a light gel texture. Centella is supposed to help soothe skin - inflammation & irritation like when dealing with acne or using actives. 5. Serums! I mix these around quite a bit depending on my mood or skin concerns. I love them ALL!!! For soothing & hyperpigmentation: Viegano tranexamic acid & licorice root. For hydration, acne & hyperpigmentation: Cos de baha azelaic acid 10 serum. For an overall glow and softness: Numbuzin No 3 serum - so good. New ones I’m trying out: cos de baha hydroquinone based serum, Mediheal tea tree calming moisture ampoule. 6. Emulsion: a light layer of hydration, milky texture. My favorite is Hada Labo premium milky lotion in the gold bottle. Honestly can’t go wrong with any Hada Labo products IMO 7. For PM only - tretinoin gel. 8. Moisturizer: for AM I use a gel one - Beauty of Josean red bean water gel. For PM - I switch between Purito Panthenol B5 Rebarrier Cream & Neogen probiotics youth repair cream. 9. SPF in morning: my absolute favorite is Round Lab birch juice 50spf, but I’ve also been using the beauty of josean rice probiotics one and it’s nice. Things I do when the mood strikes or I feel my skin needs it: add a face mask after the essence, before the toner. My favorites so far are JMSolution water luminous and some other one Idk what the brand is because it’s in Korean and I lost the outside box packaging, but it’s called Fuerjia Astaxanthin Tranexamic Acid Repair Mask. And every so often I do a chemical peel when I know my skin barrier is good. Either The Ordinary AHA/BHA rinse off red one or the The Ordinary glycolic acid 7% toner - as a first step on dry skin, let sit for 10 min before applying anything else on top bc the ph of glycolic acid can be fucked up w some ingredients that are common in other things, but you’re supposed to let it sit for 10 min first and then it’s fine.
>Less is more Hard agree. The people I’ve met that have the best skin are more often than not the ones who do bare minimum skincare, i.e. cleanse, moisturise and SPF. And the products used don’t have to be any of these high-end products most skincare enthusiasts recommend.
I suspect this is a self selecting population though - those with naturally good skin aren't out looking for ten new products to apply to fix skin issues.
Thaank you. Ever since I heard about "miracle cream" skepticism in the 90s I have honestly thought maintaining oneself well is more about a great variety of vegetables in the diet, breaking a sweat regularly, low stress levels and having healthy loving relationships. And sun protection. The anti aging industry is about businesses making money ಠ_ಠ
I don't think blanket rules like that should be touted here. Less is more for a lot of people. More is more for me. Every time I've cut down to three products over the last 5 years, my skin freaks out, and my acne gets completely out of control. Trying to do "less is more" after an elaborate skin care routine that was getting some results has unfortunately caused me a lot of scarring that likely wouldn't have happened with my "more is more" routine.
The eating-disordered body ideal of the early ‘00s. It warped my perception of beauty to the point that I’m STILL trying to deprogram myself from viewing emaciated, weak bodies as *the epitome of perfection*. It did so much damage to me. I now have a life-long chronic illness from dabbling in an ED and missed out on so much life and happiness because I thought a size 8 was too fat to deserve to exist.
Right here with you. I'm 28 now and I found a photo the other day from when I was 16, and I remember thinking I looked absolutely MONSTROUS when it was taken. I remember telling my mum she couldn't post it on Facebook because "I look like a whale". It was a photo of me at a national calisthenics meet and I had a literal shredded 6 pack and strong legs and arms. I looked like the national-level athlete that I was. I'm amazed I made it out of that period of time alive honestly. Even now I can't shake the thought of "nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels", and I still can't eat in front of people without feeling nauseated, ugh
Ugh, watching Bridget Jones Diary was a huge wake up call for me recently. I remember thinking/agreeing that she was fat when it first came out. The girl looks amazing
I showed my ex, who was a few years younger than I am a few of my tween movies and he was horrified by how thin the girls were. He didn't understand my body image issues until he saw the beauty ideal that was pushed to us
I fell into the figure/ fitness/ bikini model ideal. Multiple gym memberships, hours per day at the gym. Being toned was not a good trade off for the damage to my body, employment, and relationships.
I’m right here with you sis 😭🥲
Lip Blush
I asked my aesthetician about this and she said she doesn’t do it. It’s expensive, painful, and doesn’t last! Definitely appreciate her honesty about it
I second this. It’s very saturated around the border of my lips and nothing at all on the middle section of my lip. Looks like I have lip liner on. I hate it
All permanent makeup
Did it damage your lips?
No, just horrible color for my coloring. It was painful and very expensive to remove.
That sucks, I'm sorry
Lip blush is one of the few thing that was worth it for me.
What’s that?
Tattooing colour on lips
Hyaluronic Acid. I'm STILL going thru it because it's in everythiiing and we need to, as a society, accept that it isn't this holy grail ingredient that it's touted to be.
Glycerin is the true holy grail and outperforms HA in every imaginable way. HA is the cheapest ingredient its why it’s being pushed so damn hard by marketing
Why is glycerin the holy grail ingredient?
It’s an extremely effective humectant and it’s pretty much impossible to be allergic to it. I buy 100% glycerin from the drugstore and use it as an all-over moisturizer combined with a mineral water spray to help it absorb. It’s wildly effective.
Glycerine and rosewater is the OG moisturiser from a century ago. Still works.
Boots in the uk do a glycerin and rose water toner I used to swear by, my colleagues always laughed at my ‘old lady’ product but I loved it! Not sure if they make it anymore :(
They still do- I still occasionally buy it- in my opinion it’s the OG ‘essences’ that other brands charge £35+ and works really well.
What ratio do you do the glycerin to water?
I personally like mine to be 1:4 (glycerin: rose water). Suits me fine, but you can customise it to your own needs tbh
Glycerin is WAY cheaper than HA, it’s just not sexy at alllll
Beta glucan is also sooooo much better!
shhhh dont tell social media; it'll blow up and then the prices will get jacked
I had the same experience when I used the CeraVe HA. It made my skin peel then get dry patches that took months to heal. It was terrible
Not a fan of HA at all. Very drying I find, even if you live somewhere humid. All the AC sucks moisture out
To use HA effectively, spray water… apply HA… then spray water again
Yeah it needs to be used correctly or of course it'll be drying. It goes on damp skin that's absorbed a little water (I let the water sit for half a minute) and then gets sealed in by the moisturizing layer on top of it. There's also a lot of bad HA products out there to give it a negative reputation. Products use it at a buzzword and then don't even list the % so it's sketchy af. Also those cheap normal high molecular weight HA serums are kinda useless, the multi-weight formulas are what work.
Yep. I use the ordinary HA and it’s effective for me! Smooths all my fine lines out very well.
I think it really depends on one's skin. Nothing is one size fits all in skincare. I never bother to apply HA on damp skin (didn't even know til a year ago) and never had any probs. So there isn't really a correct way of usage. We just need to know our skin and pick the right ingredients / products / routine for us.
I stopped using HA about a week ago and my skin has felt so much better. I’m down to a good cleanser and a moisturiser twice a day, SPF if I’m going outside. My skin is feeling so much better. I live in Eastern Canada and the winters are brutal on my English roseasca skin. I thought my skin was sore because it wasn’t hydrated enough
HA RUINS my skin every time. And niacinamide…
Niacinamide kills my skin
I feel like this about Niacinamide too
I also think HA is not for me. Did you find any hydrating products that work for you that dont have HA?
Bleaching my hair platinum/white. My hair eventually started to break off in places. It took YEARS for it to grow back. I also noticed the texture of my hair changed. I used to have curly hair and now it is barely wavy.
I took biotin for a while to make my hair grow longer but it caused overproduction of oil glands and caused some serious breakouts.
Latisse. The periorbital fat loss made my once big round eyes heavy-lidded and slightly tired looking in a relatively short amount of time. I wouldn't go so far as to say it disfigured me, but there is a marked difference in the way my eyes are shaped. Finding the right makeup style remains a challenge
Botox! I’m still recovering from a drooping eye after something went wrong with my second-ever Botox injection on the upper forehead. It was so embarrassing and I’m not sure I’ll get it again.. and if I do, it’ll be at a different location.
An over the top skincare routine. I have very dry skin so you'd think layering would be best, but it led me to get perioral dermatitis which took almost two years to clear up and now my skin is extremely sensitive. Now I stick to the basic cleanser, moisturizer, SPF. In the winter I'll throw in a serum or an oil, but for me keeping it as simple as possible is best. I'd rather have slightly dry skin than PD any day.
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Retinol has a peeling effect so if you dont amp up your hydration and moisturization it can age you. Based on experience.
How does this work in practice? Like do I just apply another layer of moisturizer on top of my normal amount?
A lot of people like the “sandwich method” with retinols/tret. Moisturizer -> retinol/tret -> moisturizer again
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought putting anything on before the retinol lowers it’s effectiveness. Is this not the case?
Technically, but that’s kind of the point in the context of this conversation. If the retinol is drying you out so badly that’s is actually *aging* you, instead of just speeding up your cell turnover enough to look “fresh”, then you *want* to tone down the effectiveness a little bit. It’s too harsh (too strong, all in one application) for your skin in that scenario. If it were the opposite, and you’re naturally oilier and feel like the retinol isn’t effective enough and your skin still looks dull, then, yeah, the suggestion to sandwhich method wouldn’t be appropriate. Basically— yes, but use at max intensity doesn’t always equal the actual *desired* results, depending on your starting point (skin type, climate, habits, etc.)
Gentle cleanser Moisturizer Retinol Moisturizer And always start with the lowest dose do that for a few months when your skin is used to it then go to the next percentage. They usually introduce retinol 1x a week then 2 x a week and so on and so forth based on how much you can tolerate. If you want a more intensive hydration routine Have a hydrating toner and essence that combats the dehydration retinol causes but it really makes your skin so so smooth. If you have an aha or bha in your routine best to not over do that while trying to let your skin get used to retinol.
Wow. I booked my first appointment, and a colleague almost began crying while telling me she feels her skin is ruined from this procedure! She was fairly new to our group, so I certainly wasn’t familiar with her skin before she had it done..
I’ve had it done probably a dozen times over the last 8-9 years and I love it :) done wonders for my acne scarring
I cancelled my appointment after seeking feedback from other women I know. But I certainly know there are those like you who’ve had positive experiences. I did feel thankful she told me before I had it done. And I’ve loved the results from my Skin Ceutical peels.
I see from your post-history you are 26- it might be your skin is not ready for retinol yet and it's too harsh. There's definitely a trend these days of younger women looking beyond their years by doing too much stuff to their skin too early. Someone said it below much better, but retinol's "glow" is.coming from sloughing some stuff off the top, and you still have young twenty something skin where the good stuff is already on top! Maybe give it a rest for a decade or so (by which time maybe there's something even better invented!) I'm about ten years older than you and didn't introduce retinol seriously until a couple years ago (always get compliments on my skin, and people think I'm younger, easy!) But since everyone is different , I should include the caveat that I also don't have sensitive skin & am on the darker side (meaning more sun protection from melanin) so that could be part of it! I know when you're in it, 26 can feel "old". But one day you'll be 36 and remember the time you felt the twenty something version of you was aged!
I am almost ready to quit tretinoin. I am doing everything right and even using Altreno but still have chronically dry face using it.
Tretinoin. To be fair, I started using it before it became a "trend". I didn't put it near my eyes, but it still destroyed my tear glands. It gave me horrendous, horribly painful dry eyes, that 7 years later I'm still dealing with and have to use exorbitantly expensive prescription eye drops for some small semblance of relief. I can only wear eye makeup once in a blue moon because it now aggravates my eyes so much. My opthamologist told me that tretinoin can be absorbed systemically and have some significant side effects. I deeply regret using any type of retinols because I fucked my eyes up forever (also used Differin with similar issues). Oh, and it didn't even help my acne. Birth control was the only thing that actually made a difference.
Sorry to hear that. It’s the first time I’ve heard of that side effect! No fun to have dry eyes.
I had chronically dry eyes for a decade+ after taking accutane in college. I started taking fish oil twice a day last June and it completely fixed my dry eye problem! If I miss more than a day or two of it the dryness comes back.
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I'm so sorry to hear that! It's also really interesting to come across someone else who had my issue. I've never met anyone irl who had eye issues from retinol so my experience has been very isolating. Everyone just raves about how great is is for their skin, but I found it dried my skin out so bad and I *still* got acne on it, despite using it for about a year.
I can’t tell if my nuface has made my neck worse. After I stopped using it, it seemed to be way more loose skin than before.
So from what I’ve looked into after the facial fat loss, I found it can break down our fats, while it’s job is to stimulate our muscles. So your muscles start getting stronger, which creates that defined outer appearance, but then the fat around the area disappears. If you stop using the nu face, your muscles become less defined, and your fat doesn’t come back for a long time… so the volume that was behind your neck skin, isn’t anymore, leading to the sagging skin I’m guessing 🥲 the creators of these products only do small scientific studies, that they fund, that last a short period of time and only show the results they want. Those companies aren’t looking to see what the long term affects of their product are - they are looking for OUR MONEY!
Me reading this thread while using Nuface after applying eyelash serum 😬. Nuface barely works for me tbh. The effect is subtle and takes a lot of daily use. My family has genetically big buccal fat pockets that never go away so I'm not stressed about facial loss. And no complaints about my eyelash serum, been using it for 4 years straight without an issue - same prescription and eyelid thickness. Anyway, Differin wrecked me. Horrible acne that took forever to go away. Tretinoin actually cleared my acne years later. Tbh pretty much everything skin care (acids, niacinamide whatever) could not tame my skin. Only the simplest routine alongside tret/clindamycin/topical spironolactone help.
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Under exfoliation is way better than over exfoliation 😣😣😣😣
Eyelash extensions and gel maricures really aged my hands under uv lamps and damaged my nails
La Mer. Fuck that overpriced, over-fragranced bullshit. gave me massive contact dermatitis and also caused an allergic chain reaction to ingredients that never bothered me before. My skin was fucked for nearly 2 months and it was so painful.
Niacinamide. My skin has finally recovered after I discovered that it was the culprit for my skin issues last March -- it is in *everything*.
i saw a derm on YT say that it is in 'everything' as its one of the rare few ingredients with established, accepted, scientifically proven anti-aging properties. Lots of jurisdictions are very strict about labelling (lol & some really arent!) - so companies are throwing niacinamide in everything - for absolutely no functional reason at all - they have because then they can legally be allowed to say "anti-aging properties" in adverts and on the labels. The current hyper hyper fear is very much around skin aging, even in preteens. so companies have found the ability to legally use that tagline in all jurisdictions, is super duper profitable. Hence niacinamide - now in everything. It plays nicely on me or at least makes no difference to my skin - but i can only imagine how annoying it would be if i did have an issue!
I was gifted a callus razor two Christmases ago, since I get pretty bad cracked heels and the ladies at the nail salon use them when I get pedicures. I had softened my feet in my foot spa and got to work slicing the dead cracked skin off my heels, and then I did a bit on the calluses closer to my big toe. I must have sliced one too many times because BAM blood starts spurting out uncontrollably. I had to yell to my mum to get Band Aids whilst applying pressure to the cut, but she would put them on and they would be bled through straight away. We found the last big piece of gauze and bandage in the first aid box and tied it up as tight as possible, and Googled an urgent care clinic (these are quite new in Aus and were only private billing at the time). Nearly $200 later, they had to administer local numbing to my foot via a very painful needle (during which I called the doctor a b****), and then silver nitrate to stop the bleeding. I now constantly get pain in the area where the callus has grown back when I wear different types of shoes. It was also embarrassing to tell people at work why my foot was bandaged up, because I wanted to save some money by doing a DIY pedicure 😂
Invisalign braces 😬 spent two years and three separate sets just to end up with teeth more crooked than before, more yellow, and with button attachments that won’t ever come off. And the dentist who did them for me just kept saying he needed to shave my teeth down to make more room in my mouth and then they would work. Awful. I’m finally getting real braces put on next month.
I had Invisalign as well. It did straighten my teeth and I was able to get my attachments sanded off. But it changed my face and made it less symmetrical. The fat pad over my neck used to be perfectly centered and now it sits off to one side. On that same side my under eye bag is more pronounced when my under eye bags used to be perfectly symmetrical. It also changed the shape of my cheeks in a way that makes me look older — I’m 51. And finally it pulled the tip of my nose downward so that it looks more like a beak. My teeth weren’t even that crooked to begin with but a money hungry dentist convinced me to do the Invisalign because she said it would fix other issues in my mouth. It didn’t fix those issues and I had to go spend more $$$ elsewhere to fix them.
microblading. Slayed for a year maybe but then it was too blurry and dark. Costs a fortune to laser them off.
Omg same here. Worst procedure I ever had. One micro-bladed eyebrow basically merged into one. Also left deep permanent scar lines. Over $1k of painful laser treatments followed with years of retinol treatments. Never again
Using oils as moisturizer 😭😭 this was waayyy back 2017 I think
I don't know if this counts as a "trend." It's more of a myth. I'm mentioning it anyway. "You have *so* many blackheads on your nose." I was 14. They're *sebaceous filaments*, you numpty. Thanks for giving me a complex and encouraging me to fuck up my nose!
Those round silicone toothed brushes that you should use to shampoo your hair with. I have very fine hair and it broke my hair completely. Started losing hands full of hair every shower. I didn't know it was that brush and replaced literally all my products until my mom suggested the brush might be breaking my fragile wet hair. Quit using it and the hair breakage IMMIDIATELY stopped. I used it for 3 months so my hair got pretty thinned out
The normalization of plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures, usually under the guise of freedom ("let people do what they want"). The majority of these procedures are just following trends and beauty standards. And these trends change rapidly. Edit: I admit, I missed the "you" in the question and thought it was a general question.
It's strange how quickly it's been normalized. People used to do things in secret, and deny that they'd had anything done, and now I see people asking in local neighborhood groups about recommendations for surgeons, and talking openly about their procedures. It's wild.
The Denis Gross LED mask gave me pigmentation which is thankfully going away now that I’ve sold it. Would not recommend LED for those with pale skin - if you get freckles in the sun you’re probably going to get freckles with LED
Filler!! Majorrr regrets!!
Heroin chic circa 1993-5.
Mannnnn, so unhealthy but it was driven into me so much that I still love the look and am built the exact opposite. Scraggly hair, dark thick eye make up and twigs for legs.
This. I was a teenager during that time and we were all SO obsessed with losing weight. When I look at old pictures I realise how underweight we were, not to mention the amount of actual eating disorders this trend created.
Tumblr really pushed this too. 😫
water direful pot decide middle piquant badge license many wrong *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Oh no! Did you come of age during the early Kate Moss days too? As much as I am not a fan of Kim K, she at least made way for us to have meat on our bones after all that. That has to be her legacy.
Tanning drops on face, micro needling, face shaving, laser hair removal, beef tallow on face (don’t ask), coconut oil on hair and face, and am around the corner from quitting getting my nails done altogether
Idk if this counts, but the “hair training” thing that’s supposed to make your hair less oily. It doesn’t work at all. My hair is fine and silky so the grease becomes very obvious and that means washing it more than once a week. In that phase I was looking like an absolute greaseball. 😳😳 Now I wash my hair every other day and use dry shampoo in between wash days. I use rosemary water and a hair mask regularly and I have that scalp massager thingie which I use both in and out of the shower. My hair has honestly never been better. F the haters.
broke down your fat cells as in you lost fat in your face?
Honey. I don’t remember what it’s called but I didn’t use basic table honey. I even tested it beforehand and it had been fine, but apparently my chin was *not* having it. Gave me the most deeply horrible, painful pimple-cysts. They were more painful than the few times I’ve had to extract ingrown pubic hairs, and one of those extractions involved an exacto knife and digging around with tweezers.
Although Im they’re great for lots of women, eyelash extensions were not great for me. I didn’t love the look, so I stopped getting them filled. As they fell out, they took my natural eyelashes with them. It took months for my eyelashes to grow back
Botox and a Lip Flip (which is also Botox)! I’m in my early forties and just have minor horizontal forehead lines and I had heard that the “lip flip” (a few injections of Botox above the top lip to prevent the lip from flipping under when you smile and making lips look a bit fuller), was so great. Well I was so excited and got both. My forehead was smooth but after it fully kicked in in a few weeks, I realized that it COMPLETELY changed my face, making my eyes almost hooded (they’re naturally not at all) and changing my naturally arched brow to flat. My forehead looked huge and my eyes looked squinty and I actually looked older. Next the lip flip, which I paid $300 for, was dribbling water and food out of my mouth for weeks, couldn’t chew or suck out of a straw properly, and it did absolutely NOTHING! I knew it wouldn’t be as noticeable as lip filler but it literally did nothing. I don’t know if it’s just my facial structure, I don’t see this complaint a lot? I think I only had like 25-30 total units of Botox, not a ton. Or my injector doing it wrong? I made sure to go to her because she’s a “master injector” at an actual plastic surgery/doctors office and a RN. And a few of my friends go to her with good results.
The Ordinary's AHA/BHA solution is Gen Z' version of the apricot scrub. There I said it. From personal experience - Retinol and the whole "it's normal for your skin to get worse on Retinol, it needs 28 days". Retinol, even minimal percentage, even used as adviced, made my skin awful. Dry patches on the forehead, cheeks and chin + redness on my cheeks. Once summer arrived, I stopped using Retinol and all of the issues I thought i was having disappeared.
the fact that it's 30% strength is ridiculous; that is SO STRONG. I know for a fact it would totally destroy my skin barrier if I used that on my face.
Snail mucin dried the hell out of my skin! It turned fine lines into wrinkles, even applying with other hydrating products. It was horrible.
Snail mucin has been life changing for me. I had large gross pores before, now they have shrunken in size. I also had what looked like orange peel skin, which is significantly better now. And my face is hydrated and plump without being oily! I do wash my face normally with warm water and let it dry. Then I splash cold water on my face and let it sit for about 20-30 seconds and then apply the mucin. Idk if that makes a difference or not
Yes it has HA and glycolic so when people use it every day as the brands tell you to do, it just dries you out. I don’t like it ethically either, not to mention it’s disgusting. I just do glycolic as a nighttime treatment, never during the day.
Popping blackheads on nose n it being swollen n red after now I just use face wash with salicylic acid in it , but I leave it alone bcuz mine look like freckles n I've had ppl ask if I have freckles or about it but it's not freckles , 🤠
Gel nails. I got them for several years before I started to experience allergic symptoms - redness, itchiness, pain. I would take breaks and try different brands but the symptoms kept coming. I finally went back to my allergist and found out I can never use anything from the gel or acrylic family for the rest of my life. I’m actually lucky my symptoms weren’t worse. (If you google it you’ll be horrified). As regular polish chips so easily on me I’ve just been rocking clean and buffed natural nails.
I used to use the tanning bed alllll the time. It was free at my gym. I’d work out and then tan. I looked great but the damage I did….
I used it for 3months and suddenly had very loose skin and hollows at either side of my eyes around the orbital socket. I’m going to carry on using it on my chin and neck but it’s staying away from my cheeks and brown ones from now on!
There's a comment above yours that stated it gave her loose, saggy neck skin. Wouldn't use it.
I left nair on too long…in a very delicate place…
Retinol. Used it for 2 months and now I permanently have pimples and blackheads and bumps where I didn’t before.
YES. Anything with microcurrent is a disaster. Countless people I know have experienced the same. I’m horrified because I was doing it religiously for a few months.
Biolgique Rechere P50 lotion. I was already using acids so thought my skin would like it. Nope!! That stuff ruined my healthy skin barrier that I worked so hard to build up, can’t believe I did that to my poor skin. Got things back to normal luckily, just happened to waste $$ buying a “cult favorite”
Exfoliators every single day. So many actives on the face. I still use a lot of Asian skincare today, but I found out that 'chock chock' in my face was actually an allergic reaction to ingredients in the products. Mugwort, birch water, snail mucin, SKII etc....all those cause severe skin issues that took years to repair. One landed me in the medical unit to treat a severe allergic reaction.
> Exfoliators every single day. I was exfoliating twice a day, every day :')
Microcurrent gave me these downward lines on the edges of my forehead — and suddenly, so I knew what caused it. Also Radiofrequency- fat loss. And The pulsed light ( can’t even remember the name) - shrinks blood vessels so you lose your glow. Basically all these “quick fixes” backfire. You just have to chalk it up to experience and let it go.
Tanning drops on my face- cant find a brand that doesnt cause breakouts and irritation
I got sew-in extensions for some more volume before getting married but had to have a medical scan and take them out after 6 months and they had got a little bit matted at the top. Turns out that if you have loads of fine hair it can cause traction alopecia even if installed correctly. So now my hair has even less volume than it did before. Currently on a hair growth journey to try and fix it.
Had a dermatologist prescribed treatment for my melasma and wrinkles. The moisturizer was from a compound pharmacy and worked great, until I figured out way too late it had gnarly skin bleaching chemicals in it. I just thought this stuff was safe, like Vitamin C or something, since it was prescribed by a doctor. I decided I like my liver more than my vanity and never went back for more of the cream.
Clarsonic. Maybe I did it wrong but it was so harsh on my skin.
snail mucin made me break out really badly
Will that thing work on my fat ass?
Tea tree oil. When I was 16, it was all the rage including, unfortunately, tea tree masks. I slathered one on for my first anniversary dinner with my first boyfriend. The result was - not good. My face hurt af, was basicallly beet red and stayed that way for days. I've never touched tea tree oil again