To think that skincare is a load of old rubbish?

[GodivaEater]

It dawned on me today while in Boots that the size of the men’s toiletries bit was one aisle and the women’s stretched into the dozens. And then I thought- men for the most part just wash their faces and then get on with their day. Your average man does not use serums, toners, face masks, moisturisers, nowt.

So why do we as women believe we need all this shit? Why do we buy in to all this shit? Why do some of us spend so much money on this shit? (That includes me in the past). And isn’t it all making our skin worse? You rarely see men with bad skin. Ask the average woman however and most reckon we/they need to sort their skin out.

The older I get the more I think that skincare is a load of bollocks and that most of us don’t need to buy in to any of it. And I say that as someone who has struggled with acne and horrible oily skin for 20 odd years.

Thoughts?

I wash my face in the shower with whatever I'm using on my body or hair. I don't wear any make up except lip balm. I have very few wrinkles - purely, I believe, because it's all genetic. Look at your mum/dad's skin. That's you, that is. And all the £500 hyporetinolicliptideserum won't change it. Might make it feel temporarily better, on the surface, but it won't do a damn thing to stop you wrinkling.

Angelil
Think doublewear is one of the best foundations on the market, certainly not like concrete, unless you plaster it on.

I suffered with acne into my 30’s.
I’d tried everything from my gp and i’d almost given up with what was on offer at the shops.
Then i changed my facial Wash and cream.
Now i only use the two brands.
I have spot free skin.
I’ve added in vitamin c serum and gyloclic peel as they leave my skin glowing.

In her youth, my mother spent a lot of time working outdoors, and generally doing outdoorsy things. Her skin was quite damaged - broken veins, lines, very dry - and she dinned into me the importance of looking after my skin if I didn't want to look old before my time. We both have hypothyroidism, which makes skin dry.

I was using Oil of Ulay at 16, then switched to more heavy-duty moisturisers and then to those with sunscreen when they came out. I started using an eye cream when I got the beginnings of lines when I was in my early 30s, and use a serum, but not obsessively.

At 36, I looked 10 years younger (my age was subject of some debate in the office, apparently). People generally think I'm in my mid-40's now; I'll be 63 next month. And I'm a smoker, and I drink moderately.

It's entirely possible that none of the money I've spent on skincare has made any difference, but I'll never know. I'm not going to stop, in case I suddenly age 20 years.

I'm not convinced that top-end stuff is really much better than basic ranges though. I had a Clarins addiction, but weaned myself off as part of an economy drive when I went part-time 3 years ago. I now mostly use L'Oreal Revitalift and I haven't noticed it being any worse. However, when a thread on here was full of praise for Lidl's "gold" moisturiser, I bought a pot and it gave me dreadful spots!

I take my make-up off with a wipe, then use a micellar water or a cream cleanser that rinses off, and just use a mild facial wash in the morning. I don't bother with a toner. After people raving about hot cloth cleansers, I tried a few from time to time, but they all brought me out in spots, too. I use Bio-Oil (originally bought for post-op scarring) on any age spots, and that really does work.

And let’s be honest the retinoids are massively oversold. You have to be so careful when you use them because of the extra sun sensitivity it causes that you basically need to be inside with factor 50 on otherwise the sun damage will be worse

I wouldn’t say oversold, but patience (and patch testing!) is necessary as it will take months to see any benefit. Also, it’s best to limit usage to a few times a week until you build tolerance. But it does actually work, and at a very low cost as well. And high quality sunscreen all day every day is a must with Retin-A and its derivatives, but if you cared about anti-aging, you’d be doing this anyway.

If there’s one skincare product you need to splurge on, it’s your sunscreen. It not only has to have UVA/UVB protection in high amounts (UVA esp) but it should have a nice finish so you’ll actually want to use it!

One interesting thing about mature skin is that being a bit on the heavier side is great to plump out those wrinkles. Extreme dieting can really wreak havoc on your skin, and thin faces tend to look gaunt as they age.

Think it was Bardot who said that you can have a great bum or pretty face as you age ... but you can’t have both.

Yes, a lot of it is pseudoscience, trying to persuade women that they need the latest 'nanotechnology' or whatever. Some people are lucky though, thanks to good genes, but there's little doubt that most of us benefit from some form of moisturiser though, and more importantly, sunscreen. I don't think there's an enormous difference in the efficacy most bog standard moisturisers, so a cheap Lidl or Nivea cream can be just as good as a pricy overpackaged one where they pay a 'celebrity' to endorse it.

@MrMeSeeks: it's not bad, just very thick, and I wouldn't recommend it for all skin types at all. I have quite oily skin and would never wear it. I just can't imagine that it lets your skin breathe.

@LakieLady, @ginghamstarfish: the nice part about blogging is that it lets you test loads of things, and I have come to the same conclusion as you: that clearly not all expensive products are good and not all cheap ones are bad.

Many people have replied to this - has anyone tried Environ? It's expensive and can't be bought off the shelf. But it's meant to be very good.

I used to suspect the same, though I've never taken the time to look into the scientific evidence. Then I tried a new moisturiser and almost instantly I stopped getting the spots I've been getting since I was a teenager. I ran out of the moisturiser and the spots came back. Went back on it and the spots stopped...

Obviously some products are ineffective for me, like the moisturiser I was using before that. But this one has had a very positive effect on my skin.

@mrmeseeks what do you use?

I don't know who dreamed up the term "serum" in the beauty industry. Every time I see this word I want to reach for my gun. Serum is a component of blood. It has no other meaning........

quite hard to guess ages in real life, but then I know a lot of bouncing 70 year olds!

dress and make up can really age in photos. the Boots skin care ballerina is a classic, the blackened hair and thick slap add a decade, she looks so much younger when clean and smiling. the Times fashion correspondent also looks late fifties when in the fashion shoots ( thick slap, high heels, huge frumpy florals or comedy trousers) - then she did a yoga shoot and we find she is actually early forties.

@eggsandchips I'm sure I have waaaaaay back in the past but can't seem to find the review for some reason! Seem to recall good things though.

serum

My elderly mother asked me to order online her serum, now she in increasingly immobile and unable to visit the beauty counters. Not knowing the term, i asked what it was..creme, oil, a mix, what else is there ?

Oh no, she assured me, it's a precious, precious liquid... not at all like oil or creme 😆

Sorry, I don’t agree with you. I have looked after my skin since I was 13 years old. I’ve cleansed toned and moisturised every day and have used the best skin care I can afford during my life and that has been different amounts. I spend a lot on skin care & I think I have good skin for my age and it has made a difference. It is certainly not a waste of time.

For anyone who thinks a bar of soap makes their skin look good, I'm sure it does. And maybe you're right in that no one needs skincare products. But try something like The Ordinary's AHA BHA Solution and tell me your skin doesn't look and feel better. It's just like anything else, nice shoes, nice handbag, nice jacket - might not need them but they go a long way to giving confidence.
(Now someone will be along to tell me they never buy new clothes and just fashion them out of old tea towels they've had for twelve years)

I have to use a special skincare range as i have acne and the only thing that not only gets rid of it but prevents it as well is Pro active.

Eggs, I've used Environ and it's very good. Their sebuwash for oily skin is the best - really cleans out the pores without drying out the skin.
My beauty therapist friend uses environ on clients and hersellf. She 50, looks 10 years younger and has a great skin.

I hope those of you who only wash your face with water don’t wear any makeup. Water is not going to remove foundation or mascara

I agree that stuff like Creme de la Mer is overhyped and its scientific claims do not stand up to much scrutiny. But people with dry skin are unlikely to be able to use soap on their faces (far too harsh), or to be able to get away without using moisturiser. And most people would look less lined in their fifties if they had worn sun cream regularly in their 20s and 30s. For pale-skinned redheads like me, it is essential.

I could just use baby oil to remove makeup, but I like the smell of my cleanser. I could use E45 as a moisturiser (and often do in winter) but in summer I like something lighter. I use Soltan Once facial sunscreen if I’ll be outside a lot because I burn easily even in the UK (I burnt the side of my calf sitting outside a cafe in cropped trousers last week). I also usually wear some B.B. cream or foundation now I’m approaching 40. Other people may not need it, I personally think I look better with it on and it’s my choice really isn’t it?

I've had skin that' prone to breakout all my life. Every now and then I decide I'm going to "do" something about it and follow a proper regime. It gets worse every time without fail.

Sorry, I don’t agree with you. I have looked after my skin since I was 13 years old. I’ve cleansed toned and moisturised every day and have used the best skin care I can afford during my life and that has been different amounts. I spend a lot on skin care & I think I have good skin for my age and it has made a difference. It is certainly not a waste of time.

I am 50s with perfect skin, I have never cleansed, toned or moisturised even once in my entire life.

None of that would has the slightest effect. The cells you are applying all this to are dead, and are being constantly replaced.

You have good skin because you have good skin, it isn't anything you have done, none of those products would change anything or do anything.

I have good skin but i have large pores on my cheeks.
I have been using a vit c serum for 2 months and it has improved them. They are definitely smaller. In addition i have upped my cleansing routine and exfoliate daily. Two friends have commented on my skin having a glow.
Some products do work well but the results are limited. No cream or lotion is going to make my pores disappear permanently.

Claire, some of these product (like sunscreen) prevent damage to the still-living cells below. Some (like AHAs or exfoliators) remove excess dead skin (you may not have excess dead skin yourself, those of us with dry skin often do). Cleansers prevent clogging of pores and removal of excess oil (which again, you may not have but plenty do).

If you have perfect skin, good for you. For those of us who don’t, it is simply false to say that skincare products don’t do anything. Of course they do. Not as much as is claimed, but if I just used soap and water I would have red cracked bleeding skin in winter, and burnt skin in summer.

After having balanced skin which I did very little with, I came off the pill. My skin became really oily and I had loads of blackheads, blemishes, a really congested forehead and open pores.

I researched and started a new routine using acids, double cleansing and serums and my skin has cleared up. My forehead is now smooth, I’ve had no further spots and my skin tone is more even.

So I will absolutely be continuing to use these ’unneccesary’ products.

This thread is a bit like those 'I'm slim and think people should just eat less and move more' threads.

I deliberately avoid getting skincare advice from people with perfect skin and learnt this trick in my teens. Honestly, what the fuck do they know?