Reddit.comis not beautiful.The website is to Web design what McDonald’s is to the culinary arts. Its
beauty lies in its content, organized by thousands of “subreddits,” threads
devoted to what seems like every single topic imaginable (from learning Japa-
nese to pictures of “sexy” toasters).
The site has long played host to a variety of beauty topics, but those pockets
were relatively quiet until early 2018. By April, the site was averaging 20,000
posts a month about skin care alone, an 81 percent increase from the previous
year. The boost was likely a result of the explosive sales growth of skin care, the
patron saint of the self-care movement. Suddenly, there were more subreddits
for skin care (22 at time of publication) than there were for dog breeds. And how
appropriate, as the skin-care boards also boast veritable toy groups (fun with
subscription boxes!), herding groups (threads that round up tips from beauty
vloggers), and working groups (identifying products that do what they say they
do). One of the most trafficked subreddits of all is r/SkincareAddiction (ScA),
home to nearly a million skin-care fans—fervent, erudite, hyaluronic-thirsty fans.
Most dermatologists will tell you to ignore skin-care advice on the Internet,
that it’s like Googling a stomachache. But SkincareAddiction (let’s say it: the
name is offensive to those battling real addictions) isn’t just a compendium of
consumer advice. It’s a community where acne selfies are met with praise, where
self-taught chemists with rare skin diseases mingle with people who just discov-
ered retinol. What can we learn from this corner of the Internet? You could spend
hours (days? months? years?) trying to answer that question. Or just read on.
CcClosed comedones. These blocked
pores appear raised due to plugs of
oil and dead skin cells trapped beneath
the surface. They can be open, too
(aka blackheads).SfSebaceous filaments. Pinch your nose
skin to see a few: Thin noodles of dead
skin that eject from your pores like eels
from undersea grottoes. Extraction
can lead to enlarged pores. Let them be.ShShelfies, or styled shots of a person’s
beauty-storage situation. Do a shot
every time you see an acrylic tray; finish
your drink whenever The Ordinary’s
Hyaluronic Acid 2% serum is pictured.MiMileage, as in “Your mileage may vary.”
Basically, a cheeky way of warning that
not every product works for everyone,
and those that do work might take more
or less time to get the job done.BaAs in B&A, before and after. If you
want to experience a sudden burst
of serotonin, search “B&A Differin,”
and be prepared to weep secondhand
tears of joy.ThePeriodic Tableof ScATo some Redditors, skin care is
the adult version of a play
chemistry set. But before you mix,
study up on the board’s shorthand.