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 commented earlier but haven't read the whole thread since. If anyone is interested in ingredient focused skincare and tailoring their routine, The Ordinary products are really brilliant for that. There are ingredients that are scientifically proven to have benefits (retinol for skin renewal, vitamin c for brightening/anti oxidant properties/niacinamide for oil control/alpha arbutin for fading marks). Most brands both high end and drugstore might have products containing these but at ineffectual strengths, poor quality or mixed with mineral oil, sulfates and other unnecessary filler ingredients.

That isn't an ad by the way!

Clairtree1 I too am in my 50s, and I know that my skin would not look like it does if I didn’t look after it. Both my parents, who smoked heavily and didn’t look after their skin looked much older than their years. Perhaps you don’t go out in the sun, or smoke ( that certainly helps) but I cannot agree that nobody needs to put at least a moisturiser on their skin or to cleanse properly.

I agree fuckedoffat48b a thread full of people who are lucky enough not to have severe acne or rosacea or need any intervention apart from soap . Ridiculous .

Acne and/or rosacea (and there are both in my family, as well as eczema) need Dermatologists, not cosmetics.

Dermatologists will still prescribe retinoids and those that have an interest in cosmetic dermatology will recommend many of the other things talked about in this thread: sunscreen, vitamin c serum, AHA/BHAs, etc. Most on this thread understand that the crap made by cosmetic companies is pretty underwhelming. But not everything.

Some dermatologists are really not that well versed however, so you really have to shop around for a good one, not one that will simply throw antibiotics or even accutane (scorched earth solution, imo), at the problem.

And yeah, really annoyed at the smugness of the ‘perfect skin with just soap and water crowd.’ Be glad you are so lucky! Believe me, if you had festering sores on your face, you’d be looking for solutions too!

Not read the full thread, but I have crap skin, hormonal cystic acne throughout the month, by using a combination of Paula’s choice and the Ordinary it is more controlled now.
DH has fab skin, but he shaves daily, and I think that is a thorough exfoliation.

There are definitely Dermatologists who are in it for the money. But not all are, and a good Dermatologist works wonders.

I agree OP. It’s an absolute con and gullible women queue up to be fleeced.

@GodivaEater for spots la roche posay and avene. The wash, toner and cream.
If i see any spots appear i just get the toner and cream on them. I use avene now as its cheaper as seem to get rid of my spots even quicker.
I still wear makeup everyday and my skin is clear. I wish id listened to my friend sooner!

And for dermatitis o’keefes cream.

Dermatologists aren’t necessary with the active ingredients available these days I use azeliac acid on my face for rosacea and squalene oil that I can buy myself and allegedly I should just use soap and water because someone who has perfect skin tells me it’s all they use

I am lucky to have good skin - never really had spots. Never had a skincare regime, far too lazy, just soap and water, and moisturiser when I remember and it feels dry. Also have never worn makeup as I look how I look and can’t see the point in spending hours and pounds trying to look different. I also use the same sunblock on my face as on the rest of me, and not often enough. I am now 63 and probably look 63, why not? Clearly I am weird

I'm very interested to see photographs of those who claim, "I'm 68, only wash with lard and a brillo pad and I often have police approaching me asking if I'm playing truant from school"

I love this - it is the basis of a really good Daily Mash article

I like nice skincare. The right combination of products undoubtedly make a difference. I don't smoke, drink much or sunbathe. I have good genes and I don't yo yo diet. All those things help. But I just like using nice potions and that's fine.

Interestingly I have a colleague who bangs on about how useless skincare regimes are and how soap and water are just FINE. She has a face like a crumpled paper bag. So that's my scientific proof that soap and water alone does not maketh dewy skin.

is it hell. she was less lucky with genes than you are.

this thread should be in the religion topic. utter refusal to believe evidence, inability to sort out causation and correlation and many heads firmly up arses.At least that keeps the sun off.

Depends on your skin type, if you're oily maybe you don't need to moisturise but as a dry skinned girl, can't go without it

Skincare isn't rubbish, but I find most people aren't versed in the products that work for them. Plus if you buy supermarket aisle products you're just coating your face in chemicals without a thought

My mother and my aunt had very similar skin types. My aunt spent her life in the sun (lived in ME for ages in a pre-sunscreen world) whereas my mother spent very little time in the sun. Both saw dermatologists from time to time and both were quite attentive to their appearance.

My mother died age 77 with absolutely beautiful skin. She looked after it carefully but far from obsessively - micellar water and a good moisturiser were her mainstays. My aunt, on the other hand, has been very worn for years: not just on her face but in her body.

Another way of looking at skincare products is thinking of them as commodities (we all need to clean our skin of dirt and protect it from the elements - these are basics of 21st century life) that are hyped up by marketing teams who know that people’s appearance is at the very heart of their ego. I have plenty of friends in the cosmetics marketing industry and there really is a LOT of BS! There are also other sorts of companies that are closer to medicine, pharmacy, dermatology etc that aren’t about hype, endless innovation and expensive marketing campaigns. Bioderma, who invented the original and best micellar water, is a terrific company/brand.

My skin is MUCH better when I take the time and trouble to look after it - which for me is proper cleansing, exfoliation, bit of spot treatment where needed, and moisturising with a light cream in the summer, something richer in the winter. Sometimes I get lazy and skimp a bit, and then my skin is a bit rubbish. However, I've not found high-end products to yield better results than decent basics - for me it's all about technique and thoroughness.

Ah I know the industry is terrible but I have terrible skin. It is eczema prone, sensitive, dry and I have acne. I also have photosensitive eczema so I can't go in the sun.

I have searched high and low for the right balance of make up remover that doesn't agitate my eczema but cleans my face enough to help keep my spots in check.

And a moisturiser that keeps me hydrated but doesn't have perfume. I even have to use a face oil to keep my skin non-flaky.

I feel that without the wide choice, I would have been in misery with my skin. It took me until age 30 to work it out.

Not sure if anyone's interested I use Balanceme make up remover
Body shop vitamin e moisturiser for dry skin
Body shop vitamin e face oil

What, for you, would be examples of high and low end products?

Yabvu

Teen Dd s trying out different skin products to get control of her spots. She can see te difference if she does her routine with products or just wash with water like she’s used to as a child....and so she carries on, because she knows her skin will go bad very quickl6 if she doesn’t keep on top of it.

If you are lucky enough to have good skin then great, no need to bother with skin care.

I’d have thought it very obvious that the reason women have more in the way of cleansers etc is because some women wear makeup. Wherever there is makeup there will be skincare, because makeup has to be removed somehow. . The two go hand in hand.

Good skin + no products = genetic.
I am one of those annoying people so will offer no useful advice. But I spent my 20's and 30's shelling out hundreds of pounds on expensive gunk. Then I had a baby and forgot to use any of those creams for months and there was no difference...so now I just use a simple moisturiser and make up remover.

YABU somewhat. There are some basic differences between men and women:

• Women get periods and men dont. This causes more acne, skin aging etc
• Women also use makeup more than men and therefore the cleansing routine needs to be a lot more stingent
• Most women are concerned about aging but men are less so. This requires things like sunscreen, moisturiser etc.

Companies capitalize on this by taking it to the nth degree - fragrances, branding etc. We buy into that. For men the equivalent is the sports industry.