Question From A Guy With Acne Spots?

Shop deals on ebay
Current body
Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Makeuptalk.com forums

Help Support Makeuptalk.com forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I

IM66

Joined
Feb 5, 2015
Messages
2
Reaction score
1
So I'm a 20 year old guy who has had to deal with acne most of my teenage years. Recently I've gotten rid of it (I'm thankful everyday for that! haha) but what remains are spotty pink, purple and red discoloration spots and blotches around my chin, lips, and cheeks from acne. I've tried a lot of things to minimize it but my dermatologist, he basically just told me that if I'm very self conscious about it that I could try finding some sort of non-comedogenic foundation or something to cover it up until the spots fade away naturally.

Now, I'm not too excited to even think of the subject of makeup as a guy, but I also don't want to feel bad about the way I look because of my skin's discoloration. I just don't know where to begin about foundation and stuff like that...

So I guess I'm asking the following questions:

  • Is foundation what I should be going for just to cover up the spots and is that it, or are there other things I need to put on top of it to make it look right?
  • My skin is mostly sensitive and dry, so should I go for a liquid or powder foundation/base/cover up (whatever you call it haha) and should it be light or full coverage?
  • I've tried liquid foundation before and it seems to crust up immediately after I rub it in. It looks alright from 3 feet away, but up close it looks as though I've got paint chipping off my face... Is that an issue with moisturizer or should I just avoid liquid and go for powder?
  • Does powder foundation look more natural than liquid, as if it looks like you're not wearing anything at all?
  • And does powder "cake up" on your face?

So with all that in mind, what would you suggest I do, keeping around the $25 range?

Thanks in advance for your help. It's a subject I'm a little embarrassed about and truly know nothing of, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I really just don't want to be caught by someone out in public saying I'm wearing it... 

 
Thanks for posting! 

Makeup for guys is still (IMHO) a long way from being universally accepted.  Thus, I can certainly understand your trepidation on using it to cover up your acne spots.  This is by no means inclusive, but here are a few of my thoughts.

First, they DO make tinted acne creme.  You say you no longer have acne, but bear in mind it is a legit product that you canalways say you're using instead of makeup.  I used it when I was younger, and so did a lot of guys I know.  I wouldn't recommend using it now as it will dry your already dry skin (based on your description).

I would stay away from powder foundations--even creme to powder.  Most times they aren't as translucent, and if you go with straight powder, any dry skin will show up quite a bit. 

I know you want to completely cover the discoloration, but if you wear foundation thick enough to completely cover it, it will likely be noticable close-up.  Same with concealer... it will likely cover the spots well, but unless blended well it will definitely show up.  Also keep in mind the various lighting you'll be in.  Sunlight, flourescent, LED, incandescent and so-on.  Unless you test your face every day in each lighting type you just won't know what shows and what doesn't.

I would definitely go with a sheer liquid foundation that is made for sensitive skin.  These are very gentle, typically very thin/sheer, and disappear magically when applied correctly.  Most also don't have too strong of a "make-uppy" smell.  You can find many inexpensive brands at your local Walmart, and for $25 you can buy a couple of bottles you feel are close to your skin's color.  Lots of people swear by testing the foundation on your hand, wrist and whatever, but the only true way to find how it blends with your face is, well, on your face.  Your face is exposed to more sunlight than hands and/or wrist, and the skin moisture content, absorption rate, etc., can be very different.  Grab a couple of bottles, try them out on small portions of your face, and see which seems to disappear/blend in very bright light. 

Since you have dry skin, I would also recommend a facial cleanser made for dry skin for washing your face (never general body soap), as well as a fragrance-free lotion/moisturizer to uise as needed.  Very important...!

Lastly, as a last option (but doesn't sound very budget-friendly based on your post) are chemical peels.  I had a friend with severe acne scars, and he had a carbolic acid peel (very deep peel done by a plastic surgeon).  The peel is relatively expensive and takes months for full recovery, but when it was healed you never would have known he had acne.  Ever.  It sounds like your case is much milder, and there are medium peels (also requires a plastic surgeon), that heal much quicker and are less expensive. I'm just throwing that out there to let you know that there is a definite fix, and it's usually a pretty quick one.  But--if you can do it naturally--I'd shoot for that.

Hope this helps, and good luck!!!

 
You also want to make sure you have a good skin care routine (facial wash, toner and moisturizer). Toner isn't an absolute must but using a moisturizer would help. My son uses Clinique line for Men and it's great. Moisturizing before foundation is the key so that the foundation goes more evenly and doesn't get blotchy as easily. You could also try tinted moisturizers, bb creams (lighter than foundation but heavier than tinted moisturizer or cc (color correcting) creams to even out the skin if you don't want to use a foundation. These are usually easy to blend and don't give you a "makeup" look. Exfoliating face scrubs might also help with the skin tone. Sephora has a great selection of different face scrubs with different price ranges. You can also find these type of products (tinted moisturizer, BB and CC creams and exfoliatiors) at Target or Walmart. Microdermabrasion products are great for helping with skin tone. Neutrogena has a great microdermabrasion system and you can get those at target. It comes with a little hand held devise that you put these little pads on and use it on your face. It helps to smooth the face and help with cell turn over. I've used the Neutrogena system and like it. It's works great for the price. You want to make sure you use a moisturizer after though so your skin doesn't dry out more.

 
AmberCDinNC said:
Thanks for posting! 

Makeup for guys is still (IMHO) a long way from being universally accepted.  Thus, I can certainly understand your trepidation on using it to cover up your acne spots.  This is by no means inclusive, but here are a few of my thoughts.

First, they DO make tinted acne creme.  You say you no longer have acne, but bear in mind it is a legit product that you canalways say you're using instead of makeup.  I used it when I was younger, and so did a lot of guys I know.  I wouldn't recommend using it now as it will dry your already dry skin (based on your description).

I would stay away from powder foundations--even creme to powder.  Most times they aren't as translucent, and if you go with straight powder, any dry skin will show up quite a bit. 

I know you want to completely cover the discoloration, but if you wear foundation thick enough to completely cover it, it will likely be noticable close-up.  Same with concealer... it will likely cover the spots well, but unless blended well it will definitely show up.  Also keep in mind the various lighting you'll be in.  Sunlight, flourescent, LED, incandescent and so-on.  Unless you test your face every day in each lighting type you just won't know what shows and what doesn't.

I would definitely go with a sheer liquid foundation that is made for sensitive skin.  These are very gentle, typically very thin/sheer, and disappear magically when applied correctly.  Most also don't have too strong of a "make-uppy" smell.  You can find many inexpensive brands at your local Walmart, and for $25 you can buy a couple of bottles you feel are close to your skin's color.  Lots of people swear by testing the foundation on your hand, wrist and whatever, but the only true way to find how it blends with your face is, well, on your face.  Your face is exposed to more sunlight than hands and/or wrist, and the skin moisture content, absorption rate, etc., can be very different.  Grab a couple of bottles, try them out on small portions of your face, and see which seems to disappear/blend in very bright light. 

Since you have dry skin, I would also recommend a facial cleanser made for dry skin for washing your face (never general body soap), as well as a fragrance-free lotion/moisturizer to uise as needed.  Very important...!

Lastly, as a last option (but doesn't sound very budget-friendly based on your post) are chemical peels.  I had a friend with severe acne scars, and he had a carbolic acid peel (very deep peel done by a plastic surgeon).  The peel is relatively expensive and takes months for full recovery, but when it was healed you never would have known he had acne.  Ever.  It sounds like your case is much milder, and there are medium peels (also requires a plastic surgeon), that heal much quicker and are less expensive. I'm just throwing that out there to let you know that there is a definite fix, and it's usually a pretty quick one.  But--if you can do it naturally--I'd shoot for that.

Hope this helps, and good luck!!!
Click to expand...
Thank you both for your responses!

Amber,

I really am hesitant to use any product that aids with acne or moisture (other than non-comedogenic) that I'm not already using because it's taken me a very long time and about 25 different facial washes and moisturizers to get my sensitive, dry skin under control without irritation or flareups. So I think I may just skip right to the liquid foundations you suggested next because I really don't want to mess with it again haha.

You mentioned liquid foundation would look better than powder on dry, sensitive skin. And you also mentioned something light or sheer to wear, as opposed to a full/complete cover so it would blend better. 

Would you suggest buying a color that is something like a shade darker than my skin color to try to blend the darker discoloration with my lighter skin tone, to try to even it out since it would be a lighter coverage product?

A few weeks ago I did try one of my mother's "anti-aging" liquid foundations (which was not my skin tone color) just to see how it would go on. I'm fairly certain it was something heavier than a light foundation because it felt thicker and completely changed the color of my skin, covering every mark. The only thing is, I did tis at the end of the day before a shower and my skin was pretty dry with light amounts of oil on T-zone. It looked terrible. It was perfect from 3 feet away, but up close it looked as though there were clumps of hardened tanned cream in different places on my face. It just looked clumpy and showed the pores pretty clearly on my dry skin. 

Do you think that's a problem with the liquid foundation I used or the fact that I didn't have properly moisturized skin, or a combination of both or something else entirely? 

 
Hi there! 

I think a lot of people sympathise with you! I think the key to getting rid of Acne or any sort of spots is to not to use too many products (although I have never suffered from Acne myself - but I am 20 years old and I suffer from the occasional breakout.) What I mean by not using too many products is just to make a routine and stick to it. I wont go into a lot of detail on here as I recently posted a post on my blog about two products I use for my skincare to keep my spots under control. Please check out my post on my blog - (removed by admin)

As for the make up - I honestly would recommend you stay away from foundation as it will just clog your pores and irritate your acne. You want to keep your skin clean and fresh whilst it is healing 'let your skin breathe'. If you really are desperate to cover your spots - say you have a special occasion or you really feel the acne is too much to go out in public I would recommend MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. It is the only concealer I will use on my skin, the stuff is amazing and really provides a full coverage! If you go in store they will colour match you. It is not cakey if applied correctly. It is buildable so apply carefully and slowly build as it is quite a thick concealer. It is great and I love it. But definately read my blog post, I hope it will help you!

Best Wishes, Sophie x

 
Last edited by a moderator:

Latest posts

Back
Top