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Skin care

Gender transition often has an effect on someone’s skin. Trans people may experience changes in skin oiliness and thickness, pigment change, acne, unwanted hair, hair loss, and changes in fat distribution.

For medical issues related to skin, please see my section on dermatology for transgender people.

Daily skin care for trans women

If the canvas is bad, the paint doesn’t matter

Best things you can do for your beauty:

What works for me

Here’s my twice a day routine.

  1. Wash face. I use Clean & Clear Sensitive Skin Foaming Facial Cleanser. Use tepid to warm water. Never ever hot (it can bring up broken capillaries). Never cold (closes pores when they need to be open). Rinse well. If I’ve been wearing makeup, I make sure it’s all off around the eyes. While it’s best to remove it all with soap and water, sometimes mascara can be a bit stubborn, so I run a little eye makeup remover under my eye. Then I rinse that remover off.
  2. Blot lightly with a towel- never scrub or wipe. Leave skin damp.
  3. Use a toner. I use Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner on a cotton square, which I brush on in upward strokes per instructions. Feels nice. You always want to clean by working in the opposite direction wrinkles form (usually upwards).
  4. Inspect. Look for ingrown hairs and try to help them out gently. Same with blackheads or blemishes.
  5. Put minoxidil on hairline.
  6. Moisturize. I use a moisturizer with SPF 15 in the morning, and a moisturizer with AHA in the evening.

Your skin and hair removal

Transgender facial hair removal can damage skin and collagen. Get it completed as soon as possible in your transition. The sooner you do not have to shave, the easier skin care and makeup becomes.

Alpha-hydroxy acids

OK, let’s talk about Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA’s). It comes in five “flavors”: glycolic, lactic, malic, citric, and tartaric, with the first two being most common. They essentially dissolve the bonds that hold the top layer of skin cells in place. These cells are what cause clogged pores, as well as dry skin, inhibiting moisturizer absorption etc.

By the way, AHA should not be confused with that 80’s one-hit wonder band, a-ha. AHA is much more useful and versatile.

Beta-Hydroxy Acids (BHA) is almost always salicylic acid and unlike AHA, keeps on exfoliating even after it would be good for it to stop. Therefore you should avoid it and stick with AHAs.

Some people can’t use AHAs for long periods, and most skin care people would probably suggest using one for half a year to a year, then using it half as often.

How to use them:

  1. Read the instructions carefully.
  2. Don’t use them on your eyelids.
  3. Clean up.
  4. Wait 15 minutes. Why? Soaps tend to be alkaline which neutralizes acids. By waiting for your face’s acid balance to return to normal, your AHA will work better.
  5. Put on your AHA.
  6. Let it work 15 minutes.
  7. Apply your foundation, sunscreen, moisturizers, etc.

Don’t use other scrubs or washcloths in conjunction with AHAs

Concentrations: AHA’s have to be dissolved in water to make a cream, so Lots of AHA products are listed as percentage of a 70% solution. The rest is water and stuff used for dissolving the AHAs. So an 8% concentration is probably closer to 5.6% of the total.

Higher levels are used for skin peels you see offered at spas and salons (sometimes called “lunch peels”). These are done at concentrations higher than you can buy at the store, but be sure to find someone you trust to put one of these on your face. This is very different from a face peel you get from a dermatologist or plastic surgeon, which uses phenol acid or a laser and is a major procedure that leaves you scabbed over for quite a while.

Recommendations

Facial cleanser

Scrub

Alpha-hydroxy acid

Decent prices:

More expensive, but worth a look:

You gotta be kidding prices:

Body Moisturizer

Toner

Sunscreen

Fade Cream

From readers

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