What do you use Vaseline for?

noob@lemm.ee to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 179 points –

I have a tub of Vaseline and have hardly scratched the surface. I'm curious whether anyone uses it for anything other than their lips.

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I slather it on my face before bed as a mask. Works great to fight acne imo

This is surprising advice. I would have assumed it would make people break out.

Vaseline is a poor choice of moisturiser because it does not moisturise. It blocks air from entering your pores and I would have assumed this leads to clogged pores and hence acne.

It also forms a protective barrier for your skin, so nothing can contaminate it or grow on it and you don't lose moisture to evaporation.

Also, pores don't actually clog from stuff getting into them. That's a common misconception that mostly comes from advertisements. What actually happens is your skin becomes inflamed (due to contaminants or bacterial growth or diet or hormones) and squeezes the pores shut. Blackheads aren't dirt but are actually oxidized sebum, which is the oil your skin secretes.

EDIT Oh! Speaking of protective barriers, I also put it on my hands and forearms before work because I handle a lot of machine oil and that irritates my skin, causing rashes and itchiness.

Interesting. Maybe I don’t know as much as I thought. Let me do some more reading…

Once inflammation begins in the skin, it triggers a process called hyperkeratinization, which occurs when the skin produces too many skin cells (keratinocytes) and too much protein (keratin). This causes the pore to narrow and clog initially, forming the very first type of clogged pore in acne, called a microcomedone.5

When a pore is clogged, skin oil, called sebum, begins to build up inside of it. When there is a large enough buildup, it becomes visible to the naked eye. At this point, the acne lesion is called a comedone, more commonly known as a whitehead or blackhead.

A lot of this is stuff I picked up over a decade of dealing with chronic and painful acne, so I'd probably have to spend an evening finding different articles lol

But, yeah, acne comes from inside. It's a more like an allergic reaction, where a normally helpful part of the immune system freaks the f out and causes harm. The bacteria that sometimes causes acne also comes from the body and normally lives harmlessly in our skin oil. And it's not even always the cause! Sometimes bacteria doesn't grow inside the zit at all, though it usually does and when it does it usually makes it a lot worse.

Gosh there's just so much stuff. Scrubbing with a cloth or using overly hot water actually make acne worse because they cause irritation, which triggers a stress response. Overly drying soaps can cause acne by drying out the skin, which can trigger a stress response. Sunlight is necessary for human life, but lots of exposure causes inflammation and stress.

Acne.org has a lot of good info, highly recommend.

Ah man, this actually explains one of the reasons my body sucks at skin cycles and seems to produce too much skin. Thanks for the info, pity I can't get rid of the systemic inflammation completely.

Incidentally and a bit off topic, what's your take on salicylic acid, if you have one?

I react badly to it! I've only had luck with low% benzoyl peroxide cream, with retinol to help with hyperpigmentation.

I do have to try some retinol. And that makes sense on the peroxide, that was not so helpful to me but the doctor did bill it as being better for whiteheads and other infected types, which I'm guessing is what your Vaseline mask helps with most.

Thanks! It's nice to see someone not just buying into the expensive cosmetics but going for the actual chemistry.

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It is also great to take makeup off or products that build up (like sunscreen).

Oh yeah! I use it to touch up eyeliner - a teeny amount on a q-tip and I can pretend I don't keep over applying makeup lol

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