Mens Facial Thread...

[DrSheldonCooper]

Hi guys. Any way to get rid of "holes" in my face from acne in my younger days? Now like older liao, acne also a lot less. But these scars still here.

Is laser the only way? Recently bought one retinol cream also. Wonder if it'll help.

 

[MrSinkie95]

Just went for my second session at Gangnam Laser Clinic and I have to say I'm impressed by them. Possibly psychological effect coupled with my intense desire for this to really work, but I'm seeing a very very mild reduction in my red acne spots. The doctors there also tend to throw in freebies (like free 1x fractional laser session, etc.) depending on your condition. They're receptive to your requests as well, so I didn't feel like it was a doctor-patient relationship, but more like a partner relationship with the sole intent of improving my skin.

Plopped down $500 for a package of 6 sessions. Their package of 12 sessions is only $20 cheaper than getting 2x six sessions, so I didn't see the point of locking myself down so early.



Good that you wanna do something about it but make sure to always keep in mind that any product may cause your acne to get worse. 3 years of stubborn moisturization and I finally figured a few months back all my cystic acne was from moisturising. Like what they always say on /r/SkincareAddiction, YMMV.

Anyway, what's your current routine? Where are you getting your pimples?

currently i only wash my face twice everyday. morning and night.. pimples popping out on my cheeks and forehead.

 

[Hydroderm]

i am currently doing the minimal facial care, washing 2x per day with cleanser, exfoliate once a week, follow by squeezing out the black and white heads.

is it beneficial for me to get a facial every now and then to help remove black and white heads?

appreciate any advise as i am unsure if i should invest in facial treatment. if it is worth the investment, any recommendation please?

thanks in advance

 

[zeejayUU]

i am currently doing the minimal facial care, washing 2x per day with cleanser, exfoliate once a week, follow by squeezing out the black and white heads.

is it beneficial for me to get a facial every now and then to help remove black and white heads?

appreciate any advise as i am unsure if i should invest in facial treatment. if it is worth the investment, any recommendation please?

thanks in advance

Personally I wouldn't recommend squeezing out black heads white heads etc. It just makes everything worse and damages the skin. If you need to control the oiliness, you can consider carbon laser. Gangnam Laser does a pretty good job with this. Plus they are willing to combine lasers, IPL and concentrate on problem areas so it's quite tailored.

I've been using this product from them called control mask and it does an awesome job of exfoliating and controlling the oily skin. My wife had acne skin for a long time and it would not go away easily but when she started with this mask, and used it daily for about 1 month I could see a big improvement so I started to use it too.

With acne or oily skin, lasers will help but you should also use in conjunction with good products

 

[triface]

currently i only wash my face twice everyday. morning and night.. pimples popping out on my cheeks and forehead.

What facewash are you using? How long have you been using it?

Any changes in your lifestyle recently?

I think we're lucky because our hormones tend to be stabler in the short-term compared to ladies' (periods, etc.), so it could be environmental factors if you're suddenly facing this.

i am currently doing the minimal facial care, washing 2x per day with cleanser, exfoliate once a week, follow by squeezing out the black and white heads.

is it beneficial for me to get a facial every now and then to help remove black and white heads?

appreciate any advise as i am unsure if i should invest in facial treatment. if it is worth the investment, any recommendation please?

thanks in advance

Facial treatments are more for maintenance than for fixing problems IMO. Maybe once a month, or once a few months kind of thing? Using them to sustain a healthy-looking skin is very expensive in the long run.

Instead, I think you'd benefit from changing up your skincare routine a little. Try checking out https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/faq. Again, remember YMMV. What may work for 90% of the population may not work for you, but it's always better to know more about what you're putting on your face.

Blackheads on your face could mean your cleanser is not doing a good enough job (Too gentle? Simply ineffective?), you're cleansing too much (and causing overproduction of oil) and/or you need more exfoliation.

Blackheads on your nose aren't actually blackheads, but are sebaceous filaments and are normal. Exfoliation can minimize their appearance though.

Whiteheads sound like you're breaking out, whether it's from oil or from your products. I have found too much moisturization can also cause whiteheads.

If you need to control the oiliness, you can consider carbon laser. Gangnam Laser does a pretty good job with this. Plus they are willing to combine lasers, IPL and concentrate on problem areas so it's quite tailored.

Wasn't told by Gangnam the carbon laser is for oiliness, just more for fighting acne. It really works though. I had a pimple that I could feel coming up on my chin, and after the session I can't even feel it anymore. I have an angry pimple on my forehead that has gotten flatter (but it's still recovering and I have a feeling it'll relapse lol).

Can also confirm they're willing to combine lasers. I did carbon laser and IPL at two wavelengths for acne and red marks. I like that a lot because it doesn't lock you into one treatment per session. More cost effective IMO.

The fact that there's no pain (not much anyway) is a big bonus. I went for extractions about 4-5 times and damn was that **** painful.

 

[MrSinkie95]

Garnier men face wash. Normal routine lor maybe need apply moisturizer after washing face?

 

[zeejayUU]

Garnier men face wash. Normal routine lor maybe need apply moisturizer after washing face?

Maybe your products not suitable for you...If you say you got pimples popping up even after doing all of this then gotta try figure out what causes it.

Going back to basics...
1) Everyone has sebum which is produced my sebaceous gland in your skin. But some people have more and it leads to oily skin.
2)Pimple is caused by blocked pores. The oily sebum get stuck and cannot come out so it ends up as pimple and the severity depends on how much oil you are producing.
3)Acne is caused by the bacteria and is the reason why it gets pus, which is very tempting to squeeze out but don't do that.
4)If you get acne, it gets inflamed and red and this is PIH (post inflammation hyper pigmentation)
5) If really serious then there is also acne scarring which is another problem to treat. Once you reach this stage, it takes a long time to treat

So in order to treat, you need to break the cycle and this can take a long time because mostly we don't know what is the underlying problem that causes the oiliness in the first place.

Quite often the homecare products are to complement the other treatment such as laser. It is not just one thing on its own that works. While you may be using a face wash followed by a moisturiser, have you considered whether either of these is suitable for your skin type? It might not be.

There are so many types of products all for different skin type. Some is for normal skin, some for oily, some for dry skin. Moisturiser also has different type. Use something too rich and it will actually clog your pore and make your problem worse. I ever used SK2 moisturiser that cost me a lot and gave me acne

You might need an oil free cleanser, and a very light hydrator. Also if you use too much of face wash it might actually stimulate the production of sebum which is what you want to avoid..

Is not easy to get it right which is why sometimes you might need a doctor to help.

Hope the above make sense for anyone suffering from similar problem.

 

[super365]

any physical shop selling this?

Guardian, cold storage got sell.

 

[triface]

Maybe your products not suitable for you...If you say you got pimples popping up even after doing all of this then gotta try figure out what causes it.

Going back to basics...
1) Everyone has sebum which is produced my sebaceous gland in your skin. But some people have more and it leads to oily skin.
2)Pimple is caused by blocked pores. The oily sebum get stuck and cannot come out so it ends up as pimple and the severity depends on how much oil you are producing.
3)Acne is caused by the bacteria and is the reason why it gets pus, which is very tempting to squeeze out but don't do that.
4)If you get acne, it gets inflamed and red and this is PIH (post inflammation hyper pigmentation)
5) If really serious then there is also acne scarring which is another problem to treat. Once you reach this stage, it takes a long time to treat

So in order to treat, you need to break the cycle and this can take a long time because mostly we don't know what is the underlying problem that causes the oiliness in the first place.

Quite often the homecare products are to complement the other treatment such as laser. It is not just one thing on its own that works. While you may be using a face wash followed by a moisturiser, have you considered whether either of these is suitable for your skin type? It might not be.

There are so many types of products all for different skin type. Some is for normal skin, some for oily, some for dry skin. Moisturiser also has different type. Use something too rich and it will actually clog your pore and make your problem worse. I ever used SK2 moisturiser that cost me a lot and gave me acne

You might need an oil free cleanser, and a very light hydrator. Also if you use too much of face wash it might actually stimulate the production of sebum which is what you want to avoid..

Is not easy to get it right which is why sometimes you might need a doctor to help.

Hope the above make sense for anyone suffering from similar problem.

If we sum it all up, basically it means that your face could respond differently to any number of products in a number of different ways.

Which is why the skincare industry is such a huge industry.

However, what you can do to make it more than just trial-and-error is to research and read up on /r/SkincareAddiction. There's a lot of science on there, like the different layers of skin, what actually causes acne, what can prevent acne, etc. There's a beginner routine to adopt and then tweak to liking.

 

[triface]

Just wanna report back on my results with Gangnam. I went for my 3rd session at Gangnam yesterday.

I've been going to the same doctor because I think he'll be able to better track my skin as compared to multiple doctors. At this point we were already comfortable enough to start chatting.

3 sessions in, I can already see my marks getting duller. What used to be sharp red marks has now become brown (with a little red in there).

The laser isn't miracle (like what I was hoping ), but being able to see visible results is really reassuring. I'll definitely be getting a 2nd package if the marks are still there after 3 more sessions (when my package finishes). 2 packages will come up to about $1k. In the long run for self-confidence, I think worth it la.

(Very irrelevant, but Gangnam hires quite a few Korean aestheticians. Don't want to sound like a country bumpkin, but it's quite cool to hear them giving instructions to each other in Korean. lol)

 

[solaryzed]

Hello everyone! New here, hopefully someone can help me out. Didnt really read the previous posts, but i've been to Skincare Addiction reddit, and decide to take care of my skin a little more seriously now.

I have a combination skin type, and persistent blackheads on my nose. My face is also on the reddish side. Im not sure if i should classify it under PIH or i just get red easily. I am currently using an IDM cleanser i got from my GP (Dr. Chan @ Kovan, if you guys know).. Washing twice daily. I've tried to get rid of my blackheads with Murad's blackhead remover (used once weekly) i got from Sephora previously but it doesnt seem to be working.

After seeing ScA, im thinking of changing my routine to cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize. However i am lost with the wide variety of products, though i narrowed to a few im interested in. Or are there any products available locally which i can buy at stores to substitute the ones i chose?

Products shortlisted (from ScA recommendations)
Cleanser: Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser
Exfoliate: Stridex Single Step Acne Control Maximum
Moisturizer: Cerave AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion

Pls give me your advices, TIA!!

 

[triface]

Hello everyone! New here, hopefully someone can help me out. Didnt really read the previous posts, but i've been to Skincare Addiction reddit, and decide to take care of my skin a little more seriously now.

I have a combination skin type, and persistent blackheads on my nose. My face is also on the reddish side. Im not sure if i should classify it under PIH or i just get red easily. I am currently using an IDM cleanser i got from my GP (Dr. Chan @ Kovan, if you guys know).. Washing twice daily. I've tried to get rid of my blackheads with Murad's blackhead remover (used once weekly) i got from Sephora previously but it doesnt seem to be working.

After seeing ScA, im thinking of changing my routine to cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize. However i am lost with the wide variety of products, though i narrowed to a few im interested in. Or are there any products available locally which i can buy at stores to substitute the ones i chose?

Products shortlisted (from ScA recommendations)
Cleanser: Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser
Exfoliate: Stridex Single Step Acne Control Maximum
Moisturizer: Cerave AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion

Pls give me your advices, TIA!!

PIH refers to the brown marks that linger after a pimple subsides. I don't think that's the redness you're referring to.

Something to note is that washing twice daily is not something that works for everyone. Some may find it too drying. The products themselves are a part of the equation. How you use the products (amount, how you apply, order you apply them in, etc.) also make a difference.

Blackheads on nose are what SCA calls sebaceous filaments, which aren't actually blackheads (but are obviously still unsightly). Routine exfoliation can help to minimize, or even eliminate their appearance.

Stridex (I believe the one you listed is the one in the red box, which is the one usually recommended on SCA) seems to be hit or miss. Some people see fast results, some people see no results at all. It's not that expensive, so you can consider using that on your nose (unless you feel you need it on the rest of your face as well). If it doesn't work out, you may consider purchasing the 2% BHA from Paula's Choice. It's a little pricey and not available everywhere, but I think it works pretty well.

It looks like your main concerns are that you have reddish skin and blackheads on your nose. I'd recommend against changing up your entire routine based on recommendations from SCA for the following reasons:

• It could create more problems (mine is a great example; changed cleanser for 3 years and ended up with cystic acne and a lot of marks)
• Effects brought about by a change in routine are usually only seen after 1 to 2 weeks
• If you're unhappy with the effects of the new routine, you won't know for sure which is causing it
• your mileage may vary

 

[solaryzed]

So should i just get the exfoliate and moisturizer, while retaining my current cleanser?

PIH refers to the brown marks that linger after a pimple subsides. I don't think that's the redness you're referring to.

Something to note is that washing twice daily is not something that works for everyone. Some may find it too drying. The products themselves are a part of the equation. How you use the products (amount, how you apply, order you apply them in, etc.) also make a difference.

Blackheads on nose are what SCA calls sebaceous filaments, which aren't actually blackheads (but are obviously still unsightly). Routine exfoliation can help to minimize, or even eliminate their appearance.

Stridex (I believe the one you listed is the one in the red box, which is the one usually recommended on SCA) seems to be hit or miss. Some people see fast results, some people see no results at all. It's not that expensive, so you can consider using that on your nose (unless you feel you need it on the rest of your face as well). If it doesn't work out, you may consider purchasing the 2% BHA from Paula's Choice. It's a little pricey and not available everywhere, but I think it works pretty well.

It looks like your main concerns are that you have reddish skin and blackheads on your nose. I'd recommend against changing up your entire routine based on recommendations from SCA for the following reasons:

• It could create more problems (mine is a great example; changed cleanser for 3 years and ended up with cystic acne and a lot of marks)
• Effects brought about by a change in routine are usually only seen after 1 to 2 weeks
• If you're unhappy with the effects of the new routine, you won't know for sure which is causing it
• your mileage may vary

 

[triface]

So should i just get the exfoliate and moisturizer, while retaining my current cleanser?

You can try using just the BHA on your nose and see if it helps. Again, if you think you need the exfoliation on your skin, you can try. Many do recommend wearing a sunscreen if you're using BHA or AHA (especially AHA) though. There are some conflicting reports on whether BHA increases sensitivity to sun (which causes marks to deepen and cause you to be more susceptible to rays that cause skin cancer), so if you wanna play it safe, consider wearing sunscreen. The bummer is that you need to introduce another product in your routine to remove the sunscreen, which sucks, which is why I suggest nose-only if the blackheads are your only concern. Having said that though, if you're not acne-prone, you should be fine with more products in your routine. I didn't want to add so many products when I was having acne issues because I didn't know what was causing it.

BHA without moisturiser is theoretically ok, but if your skin gets a little dry from that, then feel free to toss in a moisturiser.

Just curious, you are recommended your current routine by your doctor? I also go without a moisturiser because I suspect it is the cause of my cystic acne, but I don't see many doctors who recommend that.

 

[solaryzed]

Nope, my doctor only provided me with the cleanser. I visited him when I had acne problems, and that was when he recommended me to just use a cleanser. However, that was years ago. Haven't been back to see him, but just buy his cleanser over the counter at his clinic. Problem now is the blackheads on my nose and the redness of my face that i just can't seem to get rid of..

You can try using just the BHA on your nose and see if it helps. Again, if you think you need the exfoliation on your skin, you can try. Many do recommend wearing a sunscreen if you're using BHA or AHA (especially AHA) though. There are some conflicting reports on whether BHA increases sensitivity to sun (which causes marks to deepen and cause you to be more susceptible to rays that cause skin cancer), so if you wanna play it safe, consider wearing sunscreen. The bummer is that you need to introduce another product in your routine to remove the sunscreen, which sucks, which is why I suggest nose-only if the blackheads are your only concern. Having said that though, if you're not acne-prone, you should be fine with more products in your routine. I didn't want to add so many products when I was having acne issues because I didn't know what was causing it.

BHA without moisturiser is theoretically ok, but if your skin gets a little dry from that, then feel free to toss in a moisturiser.

Just curious, you are recommended your current routine by your doctor? I also go without a moisturiser because I suspect it is the cause of my cystic acne, but I don't see many doctors who recommend that.

 

[triface]

Nope, my doctor only provided me with the cleanser. I visited him when I had acne problems, and that was when he recommended me to just use a cleanser. However, that was years ago. Haven't been back to see him, but just buy his cleanser over the counter at his clinic. Problem now is the blackheads on my nose and the redness of my face that i just can't seem to get rid of..

Did your acne stop after using his cleanser?

Did the redness start after that?

What were you using before his cleanser?

 

[Horiv3]

Does anyone here uses BB cream or CC cream?
Am thinking of trying out but not sure what's the ideal BB/CC cream for men on the market right now.

 

[solaryzed]

The acne problem is in fact gone. Its been like 2 years since i used the cleanser. Redness is from before. Was using some garnier facial wash before that.

I also need to point out that my pores look quite large.. How do i solve this issue?

Did your acne stop after using his cleanser?

Did the redness start after that?

What were you using before his cleanser?

 

[keithchan]

Hello everyone, would like to seek some advice from the experts here.

I've had a deep hole on my forehead since a few years back. It's about the size of a regular small pimple.

Initially I thought it was just a black head cause it's literally dark in color however after close inspection I realised it's actually a "hole".
No matter how strong I try to "squeeze" there's nothing expelled. Didn't give too much care previously.

Now aldy in my mid 30s I would like to rid this unsightly hole or hopefully be able to fill the hole.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks all

 

[ahwei91]

激素脸

Hormone face, medically known as hormone dependent dermatitis, hormone dermatitis, hormone acne. Hormone face is a skin lesion caused by the misuse of glucocorticoids.

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