suncream, zits and wrinkles: rolling skincare thread?

Salicylic acid is a chemical exfoliant. I got on the SA wagon after reading an Ask Me Anything Reddit thread by a skin care chemist who just wouldn't shut up about it. She recommended Selsun Blue Naturals as face wash b/c it contains SA.

I bought 30% SA from Amazon and did some home chemical skin peels but I didn't follow through for very long b/c the peeling is kind of a pain in the ass. And for me there was about a day of hyperpigmentation before I peeled and it made me feel like hiding from society.

Testing products for breakouts is the biggest pain. I change a product, and then sometime later I get a breakout. Is it a) because of the product, b) because I'm premenstrual that week anyway, c) because I accidentally got hairspray on my skin while styling, c) because I need to change my pillowcase or sheets, d) because I wore a bike bag with a strap across my sternum and got it sweaty and now my neck is a Robin Cook novel. Seriously how am I ever supposed to know if it was the product?!??

I did try chemical exfoliants for a while but the bumps and spots are not limited to pms times anymore, they're just there ALL THE TIME. I feel like I'm being a little vain about this but then I see people without bumps and feel like I deserve to not have bumps too.

idk, psychological peace of mind is not the same thing as vanity. sometimes skin stuff, especially on yr face, can just kind a make you feel a bit paranoid and/or set apart. seeking answers is fine!

c) because I need to change my pillowcase or sheets

Frequently changing pillowcases is one of the most surprisingly valuable skin-care tips ever and I learned it from one of your posts.

I mean, it makes sense - Your head is oily and you don't want to lay your face on an oily, grimy surface for hours and hours at a time, but it never occurred to me.

It's true! I don't know how it first occurred to me, maybe I just over time noticed that my skin clearing up coincided w changing my sheets. The top flat sheet that I fold under my chin can be a problem too--I know when I start getting bumps under my jaw and on my upper neck that it's dirty. This doesn't necessarily coincide with the amt of time it's been on.

hahaha, ENBB, you sound like me on this thread! Glad you are (finally) sticking with the retin-a!

Frequently changing pillowcases is one of the most surprisingly valuable skin-care tips ever and I learned it from one of your posts.

― potatoes-in-law (Je55e), Thursday, August 8, 2013 9:54 PM (58 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

As someone who has been hassling you about changing your sheets more often for years, I feel like I should get some credit for at least laying the groundwork here.

I had my neck and chest dermapenned last week and then had straight retin-a applied immediately afterwards. Peeled like a motherfuckers all weekend but now I'm verrrry smoooooth.

idk, psychological peace of mind is not the same thing as vanity. sometimes skin stuff, especially on yr face, can just kind a make you feel a bit paranoid and/or set apart. seeking answers is fine!

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, August 8, 2013 9:53 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Also this is super true.

Also! The salon where I have been getting my hair cut since 2005 declared me one of their "top clients" and sent me a card good for a free facial! This is very exciting. I have had two facials in my life (one free because my roommate worked at a salon and one gift), but they are definitely things that I see as complete indulgences that I am unwilling to purchase myself. For once my skin isn't giving me any grief, too, so I feel like I can just go in for the relaxation aspect as opposed to the problem solving aspect.

Several years ago I was able to afford a facial every two weeks. The spa used Pevonia products and my skin looked amazing after four sessions. I remember friends telling me it was like I had a film removed and strangers at grocery stores and out and about would come up and compliment me or ask me if I was French. I miss facials! They are totally worth it. Of course finding the right esthetician can be tricky and products that agree with you.

I've never had a facial. I always thought they were excessive but I guess I was wrong!

I mean that 100% sincerely lest I sound flip. I really never knew they actually did anything.

I have oily skin and maybe that's why it made a noticeable difference. My skin really looked clean and smooth and more balanced.

As someone who has been hassling you about changing your sheets more often for years, I feel like I should get some credit for at least laying the groundwork here.

― Lawyer... SUAVE... (carl agatha), Thursday, August 8, 2013 5:54 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Haha yes. It's just that I'd never realized that being less filthy could have tangible effects on my dermal wellness.

Re facials: what do they involve? Like LL, I'd always thought they were just about pampering and some snake oil (until recently I thought every hair and skin product beyond plain old soap, conditioner, and lotion was snake oil) and maybe some hardcore pore extraction.

Just googled Pevonia and the first product I looked at says

An unsurpassed formula with micronized actives: Caviar (repairing)

CAVIAR! o_0

The facials I've had have involved the application of steam and like, a whole bunch of skin care products - masks, scrubs, peels - plus hardcore pore extraction and some moisturizing and face/neck/shoulder massage. I don't think it's snake oil, but like I said, it's def a pampering thing for me. I've never had them regularly though so who knows how amazing my skin could be.

something i never knew: a regular t-shirt is like SPF 5

something else i never knew: either you are using SPF 50 or you are just fucking around

Women's mag wisdom, at least from the last time I read women's magazines, was that anything over SPF 30 was a waste. That's been awhile, though.

keep up, GRANDMA!

lol

and if you do, you'll be such a sexy grandma. mmmmm sexy wrinkle-free grandma.

I bought a Marie Claire in the airport the other day but I only read the first ten pages or so before I got annoyed and stopped. I will revisit to determine the most expedient way to become sexy and wrinkle-free.

this looked like a good airport read for the ladies on this thread (if you speak french):

http://f.cl.ly/items/3A3A0l17283i0m1Q0p1m/ClouDrop%209%20Aug%202013%2016%3A48%3A56.png

lol sorry, sorta confused this with the body positivity thread.

i.e. i have no idea if there are specific skin-care tips in there. though i wouldn't be surprised. there was a little fiction, some fashion stuff, some culture stuff.. like, basically a "woman's magazine" except not quite so in hock to the 5 conglomerates that own every product marketed to women.

Women's mag wisdom, at least from the last time I read women's magazines, was that anything over SPF 30 was a waste. That's been awhile, though.

Me too, but what I read was that anything over SPF 15 was a waste. Also quite awhile ago, so I guess I'm a grandma too.

I don't know that it's a "waste" but the protection increases only very incrementally above 30 or so--you only gain a few percentage points' more protection even when you make a big jump in SPF number. Considering that the UV blocking chemicals can irritate some skin etc etc, it just makes sense to find a balance somewhere in between and make sure to reapply.

Also considering that in our lifetimes, sun protection has gone from "none" to "absolutely crucial, don't ever go outside" levels of alarm, I think we tend to put a lot of faith in sunscreens, esp ones that seem extreme (do they still make Bullfrog?), to give a level of protection that they can't deliver. Like, a strong sunscreen is not a magic bullet.

I used to use Bullfrog on my face when I lifeguarded. But being a grandma, I have no idea whether it is still around.

I was going to say, I'm pretty sure it was marketed as the lifeguard's sunscreen! That's def how I thought of it, it had a certain cachet.

i'm getting this from my wife, who talks to doctors about this stuff for a living. who knows, in 20 years things could change (and the definition of SPF numbers could change...), but that's what they're saying now.

Bullfrog on the face, Banana Boat SPF 15 everywhere else (this was the 80s so SPF 15 was some cutting edge shit). I have a crazy strong olfactory memory of Banana Boat to this day. I can smell it whenever I listen to Led Zeppelin III, which was on heavy rotation at the time, and if I actually smell Banana Boat I can totally smell chlorine and hear pool sounds.

i see way more young people with umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun than i did even a few years ago. it's def a lot less greasy/comedogenic (do people still use this word?) than sunscreen.

I use that word.

I'd totally carry a parasol. But I never can find one!

Does anyone else have extreme fatigue after being in the sun? Even if I am out in direct sun (especially in summer) for like an hour, I feel like TOTAL SHIT the rest of the day. Like after a hangover.

I find a day in the sun tiring but also a day in the wind, or a day in the cold, or etc. Maybe it's just the extremes of stimulation as compared to being indoors in relatively static environments?

The sun DRAINS!!!

On facials: It depends on the products used and the combination and order they are used. I have had a Skinceuticals facial and it didn't do much for me but my friend had awesome results.

The last facials I had were in 2011. I had three done at Esty in Austin and it was all natural, organic products, various brands, and I didn't see a big difference. It has to be Pevonia for me. Geez the very last facial I had done at Esty, not with my usual girl, was a huge catastrophe! The woman (con-artist) kept telling me what she was doing and I was like okay, okay, cool...not asking, TELLING me what she was doing as she began to do it. The price was $300 when we were done! GRRRRRRRRRR! The place is really reasonable so to hike it to $300 was BS! A week later I looked better but nothing super great.

I feel after one session you should see a difference in three days that last two weeks. After the second session, even better....never stinging, broken capillaries, redness that lasts more than a day. Best to ask what products are used before you make an appointment and look into them if not familiar. I prefer esties that don't use tools for extractions but have a gentle touch, use fingers and steam. I love it if they have a machine that cleans your pores, like a fcae vacuum cleaner. I like a mild peel and someone who can tell me what's going on with my skin and how to be pro-active.

I took a trip to Vegas and returned with really wrecked skin, windburn, dry and super oily at the same time, zits...saw my girl and she fixed it right up and it was balanced and soothed within a few days.

Does anyone else have extreme fatigue after being in the sun? Even if I am out in direct sun (especially in summer) for like an hour, I feel like TOTAL SHIT the rest of the day. Like after a hangover.

― homosexual II, Friday, August 9, 2013 5:25 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's not as bad as a hangover, but being out in the sun definitely wears me out more than other outdoor activity.

Good tips, tera. And HomoII, I have the exact same experience with direct sun. I can manage better if I get to stay in the shade, but even with tons of sunscreen and no burning, I am shot with fatigue after hours in the sun.

I mean if ya think about it, you're receiving radiation! What is one of the most common side effects of radiation treatment for cancer? FATIGUE.

I bought a parasol online and it is LOVELY. The shade it provides is a little less than I expected, but I like it anyway.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/7816063142_927665bcba_n.jpg

I just realized that this reaction to sunlight is why I shy away from outdoor activities. Like, I could never go to the beach or the pool on an afternoon and do anything else besides nap afterward. And I will FEEL sunburnt. And my skin will even be pink, but then its fine the next day. I just want to be one of those people who likes to sit in the sun.

I find being in direct sunlight enervating, not sure if draining is the word so much as just extremely deeply irritating. I don't enjoy it.

I am with all you anti sun people

I despise ” laying out”

Homo I was just looking at parasols last night - I will post links when I am not on my ph

i get irritated and sweaty lying out in the sun. even reading in the sun eventually wears on me.

i fucking love lying out in the sun. it's kind of a rush, like how bad can i fuck myself up without fucking myself up too much. tmi?

Lying out is sort of an extreme, it's not even an activity, it's just exposing as much of yrself to the sun's rays as possible while doing nothing. Activities that happen to take place outside on a nice day are way better! Like swimming, which also has the benefit of keep the sweat and dustiness down.