To think skincare is a con

[Hannahbsnana]

i occasionally have a cup of tea and a natter with a woman who lives a few doors down from me. She’s 79 but quite young minded and totally on the ball. She also has pretty good skin.

We were moaning about the price of stuff in the shops a while back and I was telling her how much I spend on cleansers, toners. serums,, moisturisers etc. She said she’d never used anything of the sort - only suncream when she’d gone abroad. She washes her face with ‘soap and water’.

it got me thinking…..I’m getting on for 50 and have used skin products all my adult life and I’m pretty sure I look at least my age.

So I made a decision, I used up the last of my products and then didn’t replace any of them except my cleanser.

For the first week to ten days my face felt dry, especially after washing. But I persevered. It’s now been about 7 weeks. My skin no longer feels dry. I honestly believe it has balanced itself out and is producing iits own oils as required.

my skin is not suddenly amazing or anything.it’s no better than it was before when I was spending a fortune on products. But….it’s definitely no worse either!!

iI’ll carry on using suncream when needed, but other than that, I’m done. I’m going to save myself about £60 a month.

AIBU to think us women are being conned? Clever marketing and misogyny has made us terrified of not slathering chemicals on our mugs every day!

[prescribingmum]

@FuckFuckGo

Oh no, I’m really sorry it’s come back. I remember when mine came back after the first round of isotretinoin, it was infuriating.

And I know exactly what you mean about anti aging not even featuring. Although isotretinoin and tretinoin are excellent anti-agers so there’s a silver lining at least!

Thank you, I have been fortunate to have inept had one course so far which was in my early 20s but it was utter hell. It got SO much worse before it got better - horrific deep cysts all over my face which left scars that took years to heal.

Sometimes I try tell myself to see the silver lining in getting 3 months’ tretinoin on prescription for less than £10 when skin&me etc charge £20/month! Like any other acne sufferer, I’d swap it for clear skin in a heartbeat

[MilkyYay]

I get a lot of compliments on my skin. Its clear and not too bad for lines for my age, i think. I don't really ever get dry skin.

Im with your neighbour - suncream, soap & water!

I wear very little makeup too which helps. The less you do to your skin the better!

[Metabigot]

I know it's a con. But. Like other posters i enjoy the routine of it, I like the messing around with serums and creams. Hey, I probably need to get out more. But until I do, this is a good substitute.

I have excellent skin. Whether that's due to genetics/ luck or the products I use I couldn't tell you.

[Clarich007]

Yes I agree OP.
I've always looked after my skin as I had acne as a kid, then rosacea in middle age. 2 years ago i started with eczema especially on my face. I stopped using anything, just washed in warm water. I have spent a fortune over the years, didn't seem to do me any good at all.
Sometimes I wonder if my skin problems were caused by too many creams lotions and potions

[FuckFuckGo]

@prescribingmum

@FuckFuckGo completely agree although I was told earlier in the thread acne isn’t relevant here because it’s a medical condition. Like you, my acne meant I would carefully follow anything that kept it somewhat under control and at whatever cost. Sadly mine has suddenly worsened in the last 2 months and I’m back on tretinoin plus gp told me to reconsider isotretinoin if I’m definitely done having kids :(

Im so preoccupied with trying to have clear skin that anti aging doesn’t even feature on my radar, I would just kill to have skin with no spots or scars for a while

Oh no, I’m really sorry it’s come back. I remember when mine came back after the first round of isotretinoin, it was infuriating.

And I know exactly what you mean about anti aging not even featuring. Although isotretinoin and tretinoin are excellent anti-agers so there’s a silver lining at least!

[snowbellsxox]

I'm 30 but compared to a lot of people I mean this in the nicest way, my skins is really good condition. I use like £1-5 products I can't afford anything else food is important, water and Nivea ... always get compliments on it

[prescribingmum]

@FuckFuckGo completely agree although I was told earlier in the thread acne isn’t relevant here because it’s a medical condition. Like you, my acne meant I would carefully follow anything that kept it somewhat under control and at whatever cost. Sadly mine has suddenly worsened in the last 2 months and I’m back on tretinoin plus gp told me to reconsider isotretinoin if I’m definitely done having kids :(

Im so preoccupied with trying to have clear skin that anti aging doesn’t even feature on my radar, I would just kill to have skin with no spots or scars for a while

[FuckFuckGo]

@NameIsBryceQuinlan

I don't understand the superiority implication on these threads.... That if you just use a bar of soap and look 20 years younger than you are that this makes you superior.

I have a highly stressful life with a disabled child and I love the ritual of cleansing my face in the evening, applying serum and giving myself a massage. It's such a lovely part of my day. Many cultures have rituals around washing and self care. I don't drink, I don't go out much - if I choose to buy a £30 face oil that I adore and brings me pleasure, why am I a fool? This will last me two months of daily use. Cost per application is very low.

A £10 bottle of wine will be gone for many people in an evening.

Yes, this! It’s so irritating.

Also smug people who say things like, ‘well all I’ve ever used is Pears soap morning and evening and I’ve never had a single spot, my skin is perfect. Skincare is a con.’

As if it’s that easy for everyone. I spent over a decade with severe acne, so bad that I couldn’t even lie on a pillow without being in pain. There was more spot than skin to my face. I had every idea under the sun suggested to me (despite never asking anyone’s advice), as if it were somehow my fault for having a horrible skin disease, that if only I just did/didn’t do x y z or cut out gluten and dairy I could have perfect skin just like them.

Acne, eczema et al are diseases of the skin. It took two rounds of isotretinoin over 2.5 years to sort out mine and I still get spots. I have to use topical tretinoin several times a week to keep it at bay. This dries my skin, so I use hyalauronic acid (as directed by the NHS consultant dermatologist) and aveeno face cream on top.

Some people don’t have the luxury of just being able to use a bar of soap and be done with it. But if you can, and you have good skin, well done you, you are very clever to have the genes you do and that you have no control over.

[thecatsthecats]

One of my friends had great skin, and gave all the credit to her Clinique moisturiser.

Then she had to stop her birth control - boom, spotty again.

I use the endless moisturisers one gets on my hands or feet if they dry out. My face gets nothing but suncream, and looks fine. Well, I got hit on by a sixteen year old yesterday who was very surprised that I was 33 anyway!

(I don't, obviously, think I look sixteen. It was dark!)

[PlaitBilledDuckyPuss]

I think much of how your skin ages is down to genes. Very expensive skincare is probably a rip off - ultimately products can either cleanse or moisturise. If there were a product that drastically stopped ageing, no one would be shelling out for botox or surgery.

[BlueWalnut]

On the whole people are saying that fancy skincare products are not necessary. For a lot of us, it is a chore and an unnecessary expense that’s good to free of. £60 per month over a lifetime is equal to a substantial house deposit. But if it is a ritual that gives you pleasure then do it.

[Simonjt]

It depends on your skin, I have very dry skin, if left my cheeks crack in winter and my forehead flakes.

[MeropeRiddle]

Ehhh, no. I don't agree with the 'bar of soap' logic. I’ve used a lot of skin care brands; Clarins, Simple, Cerava, Elemis, Dermalogica to name a few. I finally settled on The Ordinary's range and have never looked back. I documented my skin journey and can see the reduction in dark circles, acne, uneven skin tone, but most of all I definitely FEEL a difference when I don't do my skin care routine.

I do also believe in you pay for what you get. In terms of makeup, a £1 pound bottle of foundation isn't going to compare to a £30 bottle of Two Faced. I do believe the same when it comes to skin care. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Josette77]

@NameIsBryceQuinlan

I don't understand the superiority implication on these threads.... That if you just use a bar of soap and look 20 years younger than you are that this makes you superior.

I have a highly stressful life with a disabled child and I love the ritual of cleansing my face in the evening, applying serum and giving myself a massage. It's such a lovely part of my day. Many cultures have rituals around washing and self care. I don't drink, I don't go out much - if I choose to buy a £30 face oil that I adore and brings me pleasure, why am I a fool? This will last me two months of daily use. Cost per application is very low.

A £10 bottle of wine will be gone for many people in an evening.

YES!! It's so true. Also a special needs. This is my favourite part of my day. I light a candle and do my routine. It is my zen.❤️ I use a facemask a few times a week. It makes me happy.

I also wear makeup. I love it.

[ScreamingMeMe]

@PAFMO

Say what?
Is it you in the video?
If so, you haven't just invented the wheel. If not, then your offence on his behalf is weird.
He says we need clean skin, hydrated skin, protected skin and (if we want, a vit C and a vit A)
Which most people who AGREE WITH HIM AND THE OP (including me) already know.

Because you were really rude. And you still are being. There really is no need for it. You could have just ignored and scrolled on past, but nooooo it's all the rage on AIBU to be as nasty as possible over the tiniest thing.

[Choconut]

The hard water we have and cheap soaps are both very drying, I almost never use water on my face. I don't use loads of products though, I use a Green people cleanser - lasts ages - and one of their moisturisers, I only buy them about once every 6 months. I don't wear make up.

[KimberleyClark]

I have dry skin and soap - even unscented soap, and even Dove - dries the hell out of it and leaves it feeling tight and uncomfortable. There is no one size fits all when it comes to skin care.

[Elphame]

I agree with you.

I only wash my face with soap and water and don't use a moisturiser. My skin is not dry.

My skin is fine - I really don't look my age unless in harsh light.

I think genetics plays a much larger role in how you age than "products".

[Bluebellbike]

When I was 13 my Mum bought me Delph lemon cleanser, toner and moisturiser which I used every day until I was 17 when I started staying with my aunt a lot. I noticed that she looked very young for her 40 years and her skincare routine was using Simple Soap and water to wash her face morning and evening, and Nivea Lotion to moisturise. (the one in the 250ml blue bottle with white lid). I started doing the same. I am now 62 and people are surprised about that if I mention my age. I believe the condition of my skin is part of that. I still use the same routine now; except that I changed from Simple Soap to the Dove Bar for washing my face around 25 years ago. Istill use the same Nivea lotion to moisturise.
I feel much fresher after washing my face rather than using cleansers on it as well.
I use suncream when needed in summer only but stay out of thesun at the hottest part of the day.

This is my facial skin.

[BarbedButterfly]

Obviously it depends on why you are using it. My skin flakes if I don't moisturise and I have found some products that really help my rosecea. However I think a lot of ageing is genetics. I don't drink or smoke or sit in the sun but the reason I look ten years younger is genes. My mother doesn't look anywhere near her age and she did smoke and drink and my grandmother looked much younger too.

[bakewellbride]

Yes it's a rip off. I use soap and water or sometimes a simple cleanser, then:
-a.m m mix a bit of sun cream in with my make up (just regular cheap stuff designed for all over)

• Evening E45

That's it! Sometimes I do a face mask but that's literally it.

[BlueWalnut]

Yes expensive skincare is bullshit OP. Imagine if you invested that £60 per month on self development or a pension.

I tried when I was young but was unable to use any of these expensive products as I have super reactive skin. I settled on olive oil cleansing in the evening, and a hot washcloth plus simple SPF moisturizer in the morning. I am now in my 50s and get compliments on my skin. Part of it may be genetic, and part that I do a lot of exercise that can make the complexion glow, but my cheapo regimen hasn’t been detrimental if you are considering simplifying.

[NameIsBryceQuinlan]

I don't understand the superiority implication on these threads.... That if you just use a bar of soap and look 20 years younger than you are that this makes you superior.

I have a highly stressful life with a disabled child and I love the ritual of cleansing my face in the evening, applying serum and giving myself a massage. It's such a lovely part of my day. Many cultures have rituals around washing and self care. I don't drink, I don't go out much - if I choose to buy a £30 face oil that I adore and brings me pleasure, why am I a fool? This will last me two months of daily use. Cost per application is very low.

A £10 bottle of wine will be gone for many people in an evening.

[TabithaTittlemouse]

Genetics are against me, both of my parents have awful skin. I do use lotions and potions but try not to over complicate it.

[ZenNudist]

@BiologicalKitty

Early 40s.

I don't wear makeup - zilch apart from lip balm.

I wash my face in the shower with face soap.

Use moisturiser as and when it feels necessary, which is not often.

I look and feel fine.

This is pretty much me too. I remove make up from a night out with a simple face wash which lasts forever as I barely use it. I shower at night and wash with shower gel but splash my face with cold water in the morning. I use moisturiser after i have washed my face. I'm not fussy about what. People are surprised I'm in my 40s.