9 replies to this topic

[YeahIt68]

hi all,

first of all im not a girl. I'm a man, 23 years old, and i have a lot of deep scars as well as light ones. I'm prone to acne and i still regularly grow acne. Last year I've been through dermaroller in the best hospital here in my city and to be honest I was quite satisfied with the result (80% fixed my face, although not all scars gone, but all the light ones seemed almost gone completely and the deep ones became light scars)

However, new acne keep coming in as always and now I'm as bad as compared to before I went through dermaroller process.

Im tired of getting heavy treatment like that.. I now regularly getting microdermabration once a month and I'm using creams from doctor, it helps tbh, but only helps a bit. When the scars fade only a little bit, new acnes keep coming in regularly (usually once every 1-2 weeks, but sometimes I get small acnes. They aren't big acnes that leave deep scars...as for the ones that leave deep scars, i get them once every 3-5 weeks)

So basically I'm tired of this situation and not sure what to do anymore. I was looking online for make up solution and I think concealer could be my best bet. Now im not a gay or a metrosexual or whatever negative phrase associated with a man who wear make up, i never wear make up even once....but Im willing to try just to cover all of my deep scars (i have about 6-7 as of now) as well as my current active acne (i have 1 atm, but as i said i keep getting them)

So basically i dont want to look flawless, i just want to wear something that would cover my acne scars and it must look natural (so people wont notice i wear make up hehe), but that's all, nothing else. even if the scars still visible for about 10%, i dont mind, as long as it really helps me covering them and as long as I would look as if i dont wear any make up..

I honestly dont know what to wear and how, online information is somewhat confusing as I dont know where to start...I read somewhere that I should wear foundation first, concealer, then powder, but do I really need powder? someone even mentioned concealer would be enough..

and talking about concealer what kind? I was thinking to buy MAC concealer studio finish SPF 35 since it's for acne prone skin, i guess?



if let's say this isnt for me, then what is? And what else to buy, like foundation and powder? And how to wear it? Also, as far as I know concealer should come with 24 colors palette or something right, but why not this one? How if my skin color is different from the concealer color? Help me please...

Edited by YeahIt68, 03 September 2011 - 09:52 AM.

[AlisonB]

Firstly I think it's great that you will at least try using make up!

As you say, you don't necessarily look flawless, just better without anyone knowing you've got makeup on. I'm sure someone will come along soon and recommend products, but the one product I would recommend is Benefit Porefessional which acts like a spackle (or polyfiller if you are in the UK!) for the face. You might be a perfect customer for mineral powder foundation which can be virtually undetectable.

My main advice though is about learning how to apply the products you decide to use because if you don't apply makeup correctly, you'll not be pleased with the results and maybe give up too soon.

For example, I can tell from reading lots of reviews about Benefit Porefessional that many people didn't read the instructions properly. It is not a primer for the whole face and it is not designed to control oil. It is designed to fill holes in your skin and should be patted on to the problem areas only. Anything that goes on top of it, should be applied carefully, so you don't rub it off. This gives GREAT results.

What I would recommend is that you spend some time on You Tube watching videos on how to apply make up over acne skin. This will also give you ideas for products. There are loads of videos on this subject and some are by men (some are really OTT!), so there is lots of guidance out there.

Try these -

Men's foundation routine - gives you some ideas, you don't need to do the whole routine.

Benefit Porefessional on a guy with bad acne scars - he's totally OTT, but knowledgeable.

Basic men's makeup tutorial: No makeup makeup

Just search for 'acne', 'makeup', 'foundation' 'male' and follow links to clips that look interesting.

Also if you are up for it, then think about booking a makeup lesson with a beauty therapist at a salon near you. Lots of guys go to salons on a regular basis these days, so you needn't be embarrassed and the therapist may recommend certain products for you too.

PS Sorry if I went on about Benefit Porefessional, but it is my HG (Holy Grail) makeup product for my skin!

[gemmyjunebug]

Have you ever thought of using a tinted moisturizer? Or even a sunless tanner? I'm not suggesting you go all oompah loompah...but on my days when makeup seems like a lot of work I use a tinted lotion/moisturizer.

[YeahIt68]

Hi thank you for the videos..

I have a question specifically to that Porefessional product..

It seems work by filling the big pores resulting from acne scar... but how about the reddish color? How can I cover that?

When I said i have about 6-7 deep scars, they aren't old scars but 3-5 months old scars...and they are very noticeable because they look reddish. For the older acne scars, they still have the reddish/black color but less visible. This is my main problem, my acne scars never revert to original skin color, they always have the reddish/black color. just over time it'd be less visible, but one day it would stop "healing" and stay (probably) permanently.

as previously mentioned in my first post, i was in a dermaroller treatment last year (october-december 2010) so the previous reddish acne scars have become way less visible. But for the acne scars from at least January this year, I still have the scars in red/black color. Seems like I can't post any link here as I'm still a newbie in this forum but you can check the pic of my acne scar on the attachment below...

Now I'm not really sure if that porefessional cream would help me to cover this. any recommendation or advise?

also, that guy seem to be applying the product first before the foundation, so i assume it should be the product first before foundation and that's it?

but why in the another video, the guy apply the foundation first before concealer? and do I need a powder and what kind of powder?

Attached Files

•  acne_scars.jpg   13.32K   13 downloads

Edited by YeahIt68, 03 September 2011 - 10:22 PM.

[YeahIt68]

actually looking after different videos on youtube make me confused even more.

Some people wear concealer only
some other wear concealer before foundation
some other wear foundation before concealer
some other wear foundation then concealer then loose powder
and some other wear product that I dont know if it's concealer

:S

[AlisonB]

You are right - people do different things with the same kinds of products and I find YT overwhelming sometimes too when I'm looking for advice or ideas.

The way products are applied is sometimes a personal thing and sometimes down to the problems they are trying to hide.

I think if someone can get away with using concealer only, then they are pretty lucky. Most people with problem skin need more than concealer.

I think the best place for you to start is by bearing in mind you don't want to look like you are wearing makeup, so a full coverage routine will not be for you. Also, as you are new to using makeup, so to start the simpler your routine is the better.

The Porefessional will cover some redness, but until you try it you won't know how much. If you need more coverage, what you could also try is something like Physicians Formula Concealer Twins, which has a green concealer at one end and a flesh coloured concealer at the other end.

You apply the green to red spots to neutralise the red colour and when it is dry, you cover it with the flesh coloured concealer and gently blend it in to your skin with your finger tip. One tip I learned about using a flesh coloured concealer to cover individual blemishes is to apply the cream to a slightly larger area than the blemish, so that it makes it easier to blend in well.

So that would mean you just use Porefessional with green and flesh coloured concealers.

It may be that after you have tried just concealing your problem areas, you'll be happy with the results and won't want to do anything else. If you want more coverage, then you are looking at using a tinted moisturiser as the next step up.

For a guy, I'd recommend one with a matte finish like Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint SPF 20 (you can get a sample size to try). Avoid anything that mentions 'illuminating' your skin. Another option would be using mineral powder foundation, but I have very dry skin and this kind of foundation doesn't suit me, so maybe someone else can advise on the best approach for you. Some people swear by mineral powder foundations, others find them too drying after using them for a while.

Hope this helps get you started.

[YeahIt68]

You are right - people do different things with the same kinds of products and I find YT overwhelming sometimes too when I'm looking for advice or ideas.

The way products are applied is sometimes a personal thing and sometimes down to the problems they are trying to hide.

I think if someone can get away with using concealer only, then they are pretty lucky. Most people with problem skin need more than concealer.

I think the best place for you to start is by bearing in mind you don't want to look like you are wearing makeup, so a full coverage routine will not be for you. Also, as you are new to using makeup, so to start the simpler your routine is the better.

The Porefessional will cover some redness, but until you try it you won't know how much. If you need more coverage, what you could also try is something like , which has a green concealer at one end and a flesh coloured concealer at the other end.

You apply the green to red spots to neutralise the red colour and when it is dry, you cover it with the flesh coloured concealer and gently blend it in to your skin with your finger tip. One tip I learned about using a flesh coloured concealer to cover individual blemishes is to apply the cream to a slightly larger area than the blemish, so that it makes it easier to blend in well.

So that would mean you just use Porefessional with green and flesh coloured concealers.

It may be that after you have tried just concealing your problem areas, you'll be happy with the results and won't want to do anything else. If you want more coverage, then you are looking at using a tinted moisturiser as the next step up.

For a guy, I'd recommend one with a matte finish like (you can get a sample size to try). Avoid anything that mentions 'illuminating' your skin. Another option would be using mineral powder foundation, but I have very dry skin and this kind of foundation doesn't suit me, so maybe someone else can advise on the best approach for you. Some people swear by mineral powder foundations, others find them too drying after using them for a while.

Hope this helps get you started.

ok but do I use the concealer to cover the problem areas only or to the whole face? And same question applies to the foundation..thanks before.

[AlisonB]

You only use any concealer on problem areas. Foundation can be used all over the face or just where you need it to give an even skin tone or a look you like.

I wouldn't buy foundation until you are sure you can't get a satisfactory level of improvement the appearance with concealers only or concealers plus a tinted moisturiser.

[YeahIt68]

ok thanks a lot.

[YeahIt68]

hi alisonB, i am just curious. Some concealer/foundation products claim they are waterproof, what does it mean? it means that if you go to beach etc. they won't fall off?

if that's the case, then how to clean the concealer if they are waterproof? :S