Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with face

Hey, that looks like a face!

Kensational — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:30:41 -0800

Is there a word for the phenomenon of finding faces in abstract shapes or patterns? (more inside) I don't mean religious icons in doors or sandwiches specifically, I mean the phenomenon in general of tending to always notice faces in patterns such as marble floors, etc.

Did I have an orgasm-induced stroke?!

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:00:18 -0800

Why did my face go temporarily numb after an orgasm? NSFW. Last weekend my boyfriend performed oral sex on me for somewhere between 10-20 minutes. Shortly after I orgasmed, my chin, lower lip and left cheek got tingly and went numb for a few minutes. I was trying to smile but couldn't. It was weird.

Some background: I'm a 25-year-old female and completely healthy. I take birth control pills and 20mg of Citalopram daily. My boyfriend and I have been dating long-distance for three months, and our twice-a-month visits are generally 3-times-a-day sex romps (this particular incident was Friday morning, so it was the second or third time we had gone at it). For me, orgasms from oral sex are always the most intense, but this has never happened to me after any kind of orgasm. Prior to this incident I hadn't orgasmed from oral sex in a couple of years, and throughout the rest of the weekend there was nothing was out of the ordinary, sexually or otherwise.

No more facial soap bars, switching to liquid soap.

mtphoto — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:54:22 -0800

What kind of liquid facial soap do you recommend? I'd like to stop using facial soap bars to wash my face. I've used the Neutrogena "transparent facial bar" for several months, but I don't like how to bar melts away so quickly. What liquid facial soaps do you recommend?

I'm a guy, if that changes your suggestions at all.

Is there a software command center for social networking sites?

Me, The Snake — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:05:20 -0800

Hey all, Just a quick question, here. Currently I am trying to manage a number of blog-esque sites, i.e. MySpace, Face book, Word press, and of course Metafilter. I was wondering if anyone knew of programs to help maximize my productivity when updating these. For example, I often post new songs I have created. Is there any program that would allow me to post an update across all my pages from one central hub? How about managing my messages from these sites? Any way to manage those in my regular email, or is there a program that could unify these? Basically I'm wondering if there is some type of "command station" program to help manage multiple sites like this one. Thanks in advance for any help! Hope you all had a great weekend.

Help me accept aging.

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:10:58 -0800

"... and loved the sorrows of your changing face." Help me accept the fact that I'm aging. I don't think of myself as a vain person, but I did, throughout my twenties, occasionally, look in the mirror and think, "Damn, how *you* doin'?" Over the last year (I'm 32), I've noticed a significant (to me) change in the way I look-- when I smile, the skin around my eyes explodes into a network of lines and wrinkles, and the bags under my eyes look darker and more foreboding. It's embarrassing that I even notice, much less think, about this stuff, but it's started to wreak havoc on my self-image. Instead of checking the mirror and feeling confident before strutting out the door, I glance in the mirror and think, "Oh no!"

I know aging is natural, and normal, etc., etc., and I *never* thought I would be someone who cared about this. All those women who inject their faces and lift their brows seemed like alien space invaders to me. Now that my own changing appearance is smacking me in the face, it's a different story.

Some possibly relevant details:
*I'm female.
*I was most recently dating someone a few years younger who told me, after we'd broken up, that he'd initially "had some reservations" about dating someone older-- and that a certain face cream I'd been using made me "look younger."
*I just moved into a new apt. with extremely harsh, unflattering bathroom lighting.
*I am regularly asked out on dates. (Two next week!) This provides some counterbalance to my diminished self-concept.

How can I accept the fact that I look different, and older, than I did, and feel confident about this? How can I relax enough to enjoy my dates next week and not worry every time I laugh (which is often) that my face is a cobweb of lost elasticity?

Stupid Performance Face :\

divabat — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:16:03 -0800

Performers, presenters, actors, dancers, models, all related: How do you get over awkward facial expressions and not look stupid? I've been performing on and off but really only got into it this year. I've learnt a lot and have had many opportunities, but there's still something I need to work on: facial expressions.

I'm ok with being neutral, being defiant/angry, and with silly happy acting-type gestures; however, I'm doing a piece that starts off as being this cheesy Bettie Page "omg damsel in distress" thing and I can't seem to pull it off. I tend to focus more on my outfit/apparatus than on the audience, and my face just looks really really weird.

I've asked around and the main thing I hear is "practice" - is there anything in the specific I should practice on? I find it strange looking at my face in the mirror while performing. How else have you gotten over "urgh I look stupid"?

It felt great until the tingly.

The Biggest Dreamer — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:11:41 -0800

After ~20 minutes in a hot tub, I get an intensely uncomfortable tingling feeling in my arms and my face and feel very... woozy and unbalanced. What is going on, and is this normal? After I surfaced and enjoyed some cooler air for a bit I felt better. Strangely enough, I'd felt this exact same feeling in one other situation- while having sex with someone. I thought maybe I was just hyperventilating then? lol, young inexperienced people. I kind of felt like I was going to pass out, but I've never passed out before so I don't know if that's actually what was happening. I don't know what exactly my body is doing. And I'd really like to know.

Am a young female with normally lowish blood pressure but in good health.

A webcam as a means for recording changes in facial appearance over time?

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:05:47 -0800

Using a webcam (instead of a camera) for recording changes in facial appearance over time - good or bad idea? I'm thinking about experimenting with various topical cosmetic applications and keeping a photographic record to judge what works (as well as tracking the skin effects of various food allergies, etc). I don't have a webcam; I do have a 6 mp camera which I don't use much (not a camera person).

Anyway; I'm considering spending 50-70$ for a logitech webcam to take daily facial pics - because of the relative ease in creating a daily routine, because the lighting would be consistent (as would the angle), and so on. I've never had a webcam, and it's unlikely that I'd use it much, if at all, except for this function.

Is this a foolish idea and waste of money? Should I just use the camera and approximate? Would a webcam in this price range provide good enough still photos for this purpose (ie, focus on changes in skin texture, pores, wrinkles, etc).

(I know this is a pretty superficial question, but it's been bouncing around in my head for a while and thought I'd just finally ask and see if anyone had any thoughts)

What is the best way to identify a font?

samengland — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:06:59 -0800

What is the best way to identify a font? What is the best way to identify a font (from an image, or screenshot)

This is the font in question

I've just seen a face. I can't forget the time or place...

wsg — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:43:42 -0800

What if someone had a proven, uncanny ability to recognize people even if they're in disguise. Is there any way to make money with such a skill?

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt

spamguy — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:48:51 -0800

As a lifelong manual shaver, I'm giving electric shaving a try. What should I expect? When I shave, I am all about closeness. If I feel a hair on my face, there will be problems. I tend to switch back and forth between double-edged and safety razors, depending on my mood. Especially with the former, the aftershave hurts like a mofo, but I get the closeness I seek. I tend to tear up my lip.

My girlfriend insists on getting a respectable model of electric shaver as my anniversary present. She felt I was not being as kind to my face as I should be. I have a few reservations about making the switch. How does electric compare to manual? What can I do to maximise closeness? Screw safety. I mean, if it doesn't work out, it can be returned and replaced with a different model, but if electric cuts corners (heh) with shaving, no amount of trial and error will help.

Help me find websites that trade or sell gently used cosmetics.

scazza — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:06:08 -0800

Help me find websites that trade or sell gently used cosmetics. Found this thread from 2006; is there anything other than Makeup Alley? Ebay is not the best. I'm looking for a specific very expensive moisturizer. I saw that Makeup Alley has some bad reviews of this product and I wonder what those people did with what they had left. I'm not worried about sanitary issues, this has a very sanitary container.

Thank you!

I guess I look slightly worse than the Elephant Man....

Oriole Adams — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:03:54 -0800

My face is suddenly asymmetrical. Can the medically-inclined members of the Hive Mind give me ideas as to what may be the cause? A little less than a year ago, it occurred to me when looking in the mirror that the left side of my face seemed to be slightly swollen in one area. Even though I've always had a "chubby" face, the right side of my face has a slight indentation between the "apple" of the cheek and the ear. Not so the left side. Just a few millimeters above the left earlobe and forward toward the left cheek "apple" (closer to the ear than to the cheek, though) there is a very slight (but still perceptible) bulge.

I mentioned this to my rheumatologist (who is also my GP) during my most recent appointment last January. She studied my face from a distance and stated "It is asymmetrical." She pressed along the area that appears to be swollen and commented that she couldn't feel any sort of mass there. She then said if it hadn't gone away on its own by my next appointment (June), she'd order either an X-ray or CT scan (I can't remember which) to see if there was "anything in there."

I've had lifelong sinus problems, along with Sjogren's Syndrome (one of the manifestations of my Lupus). The side of my face that is slightly swollen doesn't hurt, per se, but I am *aware* of it, if that makes any sense. If I happen to sleep on my left side for a long period of time, I'll still feel it after several hours after I've awakened and been out of bed. My left ear also often has a "full" sensation, and makes little popping noises (like Rice Krispies). My rheumy has gazed inside that ear and not found anything significant (not even excess wax). The only other "symptom" I can describe is that, after laying for a long time on my left side, I get a subtle but weird taste in my mouth - the best way I can describe it is a sort of baby food fruity taste, if that makes any sense.

Obviously, I'll most likely be undergoing further testing in a few months, but I wonder if anyone has any thoughts as to what this might be. When I press on the swollen area, I don't feel any pain. But, again, I do often feel a sensation of "fullness" on that side of my face. Any chance this could be some sort of sinus-y thing? But then again, what could make the face swell enough to be visibly obvious and yet the doctor can't feel anything when palpating it?

Fantastic face mask, but too brief a treat!

amicamentis — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:49:46 -0800

Are there any comparable alternatives to the Proactiv refining mask? I was reminded by this question how much I like the little tube of Proactiv refining mask. It's stinky but works like a charm.

Its active ingredient is 6% sulfur, but I have not seen any other products (in the drug store or elsewhere) like it. Has anyone here tried another brand and been satisfied with the results?

Also, the tube is rather small (1oz) and somewhat expensive, so any kind of generic product recommendation would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Overnight, topical pimple preventing product?

patientpatient — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:03:38 -0800

I've been getting breakouts recently on my forehead (from newly acquired bangs) and on my chin (from sleeping on my stomach, hence resting half of my face on a pillow). Can anyone suggest something topical I could use before I go to sleep at night that might prevent the blemishes from forming?

Taxonomy of Faces

McBearclaw — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:17:10 -0800

Is there a vocabulary for facial features? I've been riding the bus to work for about three months now, and I'm blown away by how similar some people look. I get the genetics of it all, but I'm curious: is there a relatively standard set of terms to describe faces and/or facial features? Is there a term for people-who-look-like-John-Francis-Daley (who I swear was riding my bus the other day)? And if so, what is a good reference for me to learn the lingo?

SkinCareFilter: Non-Toxic anti-aging skin care?

airguitar2 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:10:15 -0800

Help my skin glow while avoiding toxic chemicals! I'm 31, and I'm looking for skin care products that will give me gorgeous skin. (I currently battle dark under-eye circles and fine lines.) Problem is, a lot of chemicals in skin care products are linked to serious health consequences (neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, etc. etc.) .

So, my potentially quixotic quest: to find moisturizers with alpha hydroxy acid, cleansers, toners that are the least harmful and most effective.

Any MeFites have success with a similar quest? So far I've come up with Ole Henriksen as a potentially viable line or products-- success with this, or others? Thanks a mill.

Go To The Mirror Boy

Tube — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:54:32 -0800

Do you ever perceive another person's face as being the mirror image of what it "ought" to be? I'm assuming that the following is a common experience for virtually everyone; you stand before a mirror side-by-side with someone you know well. To you, you look "normal", but your partner's face looks slightly "wrong".

Obviously this is due to the subtle asymmetry of the human face, and the fact that we almost always see our own face in mirror image, while we see everyone else's face normally.

One gentleman whom I see on a more or less daily basis has initiated a novel perception in me, namely that his face would be more "normal" if it were the mirror image of what I see.

This gentleman is most normal in every way morphologically, and as far as I can tell, has no gross facial asymmetry, as we see with people like Shannon Doherty or Anthony Kiedis.

I wonder if this strange idea has simply fixed itself in my brain starting from a fanciful perception, and has become ingrained through repetition, or if other people besides myself have had this experience.

So the question is; have you ever had a perception about a particular person, or persons, such that their face would look more "normal" in mirror image?

Possibly the longest post on askmefi ever

saysthis — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:35:35 -0800

D...d...dowryfilter? Maybe? I'm getting married to a Chinese woman, very soon, and her rather wealthy parents are asking (hinting, in this face-sensitive culture, so I think that's what it is, but it could mean something else?) where my divorced, broke parents' contribution to the marriage is, or, in lieu of theirs, mine. They've tossed a $140,000 duplex our way, a prime rental property, and a ton of financial support for their daughter. I have about $400 in the bank and an okay freelance career. Barring 10 years to save up and match that...what, exactly, can I do to prevent this from getting really, really, really awkward? A long, rambling explanation follows. We've been together for a little under 1.5 years. Let me tell you what I like about us: we hang. Oh, sure, we have certain demands and little squabbles about where the dirty socks go (I often forget they don't belong on the coffee table), and I think her glittery high heels are ugly (and how many pairs of those do you need?). But aside from that, we're both freelance creative 20-somethings living and working from home, and we've spent the majority of the last 1.5 years snuggling on this here couch while we watch 3 movies a day and argue over whose choice of junk food is better. The short of it is that one of the reasons we work so well because our Slack (the SubGenius kind) is so strong.

Now, this is important because we've decided, partly because taxes and visas are just easier this way, partly because we've successfully worked our way through some pretty substantial Couple Milestones (injury? debt? support through starting a business? language learning? to name a few) and survived, and partly because we just wanna, to get hitched. We've been kicking around the idea for a few months, and we're both ready. And we decided that we're just gonna do it. We're not ceremonial people. Forget the ceremonies, forget the weird dopey dresses and rings and engagements, let's just get the damn paper and get on with our lives. We got places to do and things to go.

Even though she's pure Beijing and I'm all-American, family isn't too much of a problem. Hers isn't a problem because they are...well...not to stereotype, but, they're a close Asian family without the micromanagement or expectations. To hear the parents tell it, with a daughter like that you fear for your life if you try to tell her what's best for her (actual quote!). The parents live a mile up the road, like me, and say that for their incredibly independent daughter, an American husband is hardly the weirdest thing she's brought home. They cook me dinner and stop in to say hello. My family broke up early and we all realized early on that the only way we'd ever get along was getting out of each others' hair. We get along independently and help out where we can, but on a one-to-one basis. Plus, they're far away, right where they should be. Their attitude: "Any man, woman, or beast that can put up with you is welcome in the family." Somehow it works.

Great, right? Until you realize that she has never been "financially independent" and never will be. Their family is an interdependent unit that functions like a lot of Chinese families, wherein everyone is everyone else's social safety net and helps everybody else out when they can.

Here's how this works in practice: her parents have taken most of their money and put it into real estate. Four apartments scattered around Beijing, one of which she & I occupy, one of which they occupy, one of which is rented out, and another which was just finished and is to be our new home. They still have substantial savings and still make a hefty income every month, so they're not in need. They've never stopped taking care of their daughter, and as I've become part of the family, they've extended that to me.

But I am a rogue who don't need nobody's help. See? I proved that to my parents when I paid all my bills and moved out and never asked for help at all, and even helped them pay some bills from time to time, and when I helped my brother move to China and get himself set up with a job and an apartment. And I live within my means and don't have anything I don't need. My means are modest, and what I got I pay for, right? Free and clear, unlike my mom and dad, who are still struggling under massive divorce debt, and can barely afford healthcare, let alone to pay $15,000 for the interior decoration of a new, 170sqm. duplex.

I can't afford that either. I get by, but I don't have $15,000 laying around! But the new apartment that we're moving into...well...I'm the man of the house, it's purchased and the decorators are in there, and today, I heard that her parents hinted, ever so gently, that maybe my family should help with some of that, because that's what families do when their kids get married, and he is almost your husband and part of the family now...right? Right?

Well, in my family, you don't bring up the bills unless you want a fight. "Not happy? Get a job! Why don't you help out a little? Do you know the furnace broke again? Am I the Treasury? Can I print the money it'll cost to get that fixed? Huh? You know I fed you for 16 years? And why doesn't your mother/father help you?Have you seen gas prices lately? Is somebody gonna bail ME out?" And with my girlfriend, we've both maintained fairly independent finances throughout this relationship. Okay, we'll pool our cash for essentials, fine, but I'm not paying for your $100 moisturizer ("what? you look fine, just use the supermarket stuff!") and you're not paying for my RAM upgrades ("look honey, the shading in Oblivion just isn't what it could be, and no I'm not playing Morrowind again"). We like it that way.

And for the new place, we're buying a minimum of new furniture. Maybe $1000 worth. Just so we have chairs in some rooms. And we two are happy with this arrangement, the same way we're happy with adopting or not having kids, and not doing a wedding ceremony, and letting the parents have the Volvo because we're sick of paying for the gas. If we splurge, it's on the little stuff. And we value time much more highly than money. Maybe a little too much, as we...um...don't really have any savings. We did, but the injury cleaned us out.

This is all coming to the head that basically, down to now, we haven't really brooked the question of my financial solvency with her parents. They know what I make, I know what they make, and I've been scrupulous about not asking them for anything other than small favors, as they have been of me (biggest thing I asked them to do - keep my brother's furniture for the summer while he goes home to sort out visa stuff). But I'm about to join the family For Real, and though my abstention from the family economy up to now has been acceptable, I've been seeing more and more hints that that's about to change.

These are not crazy rich people. Her parents are minimalists far beyond what their daughter is. Dad's vice? He collects lighters. Mom's? She cuts out the joke pages from the newspaper and files them. They just don't skimp on the important stuff. Money goes to places where it will matter. Furniture and interior decorating are spartan, but quality. Hardwood, stuff lasts for years, y'know? I'd do the same if I was buying and decorating a new place.

I didn't know I was doing that until earlier today. In China, when two people get married, both families pitch in for the wedding and the spanking new apartment and furniture. We've gutted most of that, and made clear we're doing this our way to most parties involved, and her parents have been amenable to most of it. Money, both I and her parents have hesitated to talk about, they because they don't know what to expect of another culture and are afraid of offending me, and I because the only way I know how to handle money with friends and relatives is to stand on my own damn feet and not ask for financial help I don't need. With her parents, I thought the unspoken assumption was that they were doing this for their daughter anyway - I just happened to be the guy she was marrying. The house was purchased before I met her, and I have no idea what they're thinking. Was this apartment originally bought as marriage prep? Has it undergone a paradigm shift in their minds, from another real estate investment to The Wedding Gift? Am I overthinking this? Underthinking it? I need perspective!

There's more than enough love to go around, don't get me wrong there. We're all fond of each other, and I have the utmost respect for my in-laws-to-be. But with the day nearing and things getting real, I think they're just as nervous as we are. I'm really, really scared of this becoming an issue in our relationship with the parents later on.

The worst is, I don't know how to bring it up! Neither she, nor her parents, speak English. While she's comfortable around Westerners and actually does speak a lot more than she has the guts to use, her parents have ZERO exposure to US/Minnesotan ways other than yours truly. And in between my Minnesota nice, their face, my girlfriend's grating Beijing bluntness (her parents have it too, but they tread delicately with her; she does not with them), the differences in class background, the generational differences in regard for tradition, lifestyle differences, and the sheer dollar volume attached if we DO start counting, I think this is the perfect storm of awkwardness and misunderstanding about to break. She gets me, but...will they? And what do I say to MY parents?????

I guess my personal stance on all this is, sure, I'm happy to pay, I am living in this apartment, that's fine...I just don't know who to compromise with and how. The parents tell HER this stuff, not me, and in a very convoluted way. Direct conversations about her relationships are verboten, because she gets snarly when they intervene. Then she comes to me and asks what they really meant.

I would really, really appreciate any advice or anecdotes from people who've gone through something similar. 'Cause I'm wigging out here. What should I do??????

Where can I find this shirt?

fac21 — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:21:16 -0800

Where can I find the ski slope shirt that Anna Faris wore in the movie "Smiley Face"?

Im getting acne(?) on my arms, whats wrong!

freddymetz — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:36:56 -0800

Im getting acne(?) on my arms, whats wrong! Im 17 years old, and zits on the face aren't a big deal for me. But over the last year or so theyve started spreading out just under my neck, on my shoulders and upper arms (i included a pic to be helpful and more precise :p)

My main question is, what caused this? Im probably looking for a cause like wearing sweaty t shirts or the sort. Could something like that have caused it? Or not enough oxygen to the arms?
I THINK it gets worse in summer but im really not sure.

My love for you is like a red, red nose...

Phalene — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:41:40 -0800

Rosacea management: care and hiding of a sometimes red face? Several questions all on one topic inside. I have moderate rosacea that afflicts only my nose. The antibiotics removed the surface damage, curing the bumps so I'm merely pink instead of red, inflamed and spotty, but discovering that I have an incurable tendency to flush in a disfiguring fashion means that I want to know the best ways to manage my condition on the other hand I don't want to live my life trying to avoid everything that could cause a rush of blood to prevent a flare up. So:

1) My dermatologist gave me a huge long list of things to avoid based on 'typical' rosacea suffers. Most of these (hot baths/showers/exertion/sun) certainly turn my feet red, but seem to improve my facial redness by fading it. Cold, allergens and surface bacteria seem to be my triggers. How to cope? I’m Canadian, so avoiding the whole winter thing is a non-option.

2) As a contact lense wearer, I find that eye irritation causes me to flush a little bit. How can I minimize this until I can get laser eye surgery (in another 2 or 3 years)? I would swap back to glasses, but the difference in vision between contacts and glasses is for me, considerable. How can I keep my eyes less inflamed, and thus my nose healthy?

3) As a female I want to wear makeup. What lines and brands of foundation/concealer/powder/etc should I look for, that I can use to cover the pink, when I don’t want to look cute and windblown, which have a good track record for sensitive skin? It’s no use hiding the pink only to turn it red with a flare up.

4) The ‘if left untreated’ pictures are ghastly and some things I’ve read say that getting worse is normal. Do I have a future of looking like boil covered raw meat, or do people generally do okay and this is those extreme pictures you typically find in medical texts? Similarly some sources say going into remission is possible (ie Wikipedia). How complete is that remission?

5) On the internet, rosacea seems to be a topic prone to voodoo cures and conflicting information. While interesting reading, what are the best rosacea resources? Non-flakey (ie actually has studies for their ‘emu-oil’ cure ideas) are best.

6) Socially speaking, how do I deal with nice people asking about my skin affliction (ie ‘You have a cold?’) or idiots humming ‘Rudolph’ in what they think is taking the mickey out of me, but is making my self esteem wither? I mean asides from screeching ‘Christ, what an asshole?’

7) I'm 22, and it seems to have started at 20. What gives? I thought this was a middle aged lady disease? Is this something to follow up on? Or is is just genetic luck of the draw, given that my mother has a pink nose too?

8) Anything else I should know about rosacea?

Anybody know this face?

prior — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:25:39 -0800

Anybody know who this is? I'm wondering if this face rings any bells for anyone--is he a person of historical significance, etc. I recognize the personage but I can't think of where from.

ROACH ON MY FACE + wimp = oh no

prefpara — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:55:01 -0800

ROACH. Need near-term help. I woke up at 5.45 am because I felt a tickling sensation on my shoulder/neck and sat up. I thought it was likely my hair, but turned around anyway to see AN ENORMOUS (size of my hand) COCKROACH ON MY PILLOW.

So now I am in the living room. No one I know is awake. In the long and medium term, I'm going to talk to the building manager about getting an exterminator and I will likely crash with a friend tonight.

My issue is: what do I do RIGHT NOW? I have a pathological inability to deal with bugs larger than a mosquito. My glasses, clothes, and phone are in the bedroom. My boyfriend is out of town until Thursday.

So far I've poured some bleach down the drains and taken out all the trash that I can. But I have not succeeded in re-entering the bedroom.

Should I try to rig up a poor man's hazmat suit using ceran wrap and aluminum foil? Should I unwind a coat hanger and try to "fish" for my clothes and glasses? Can roaches fly? Is this a myth? Will it fly in my face, where it likes to party?

Can anyone think of a way to get me into the bedroom that does not involve willpower, which has failed?

I may not be thinking clearly. It was on my face.

Seborrhea management tips?

MrVisible — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:58:19 -0800

Have any tips on successfully managing seborrhea? I've been diagnosed by a doctor and a dermatologist, and it's one of those medical conditions where there's no cure, and everyone has to find their own routine using a wide variety of treatment options. I just don't think mine is working very well.

I'm at the stage where my face is really red across the nose and cheeks and partly on the forehead, and the skin tends to get somewhat flaky. I use a ketoconazole shampoo once or twice a week, and a coal-tar shampoo occasionally too, lathering up my hair and face and leaving it on for about five or ten minutes at a time. When things get particularly bad, I have a prescription for 2% hydrocortizone cream, which I use sparingly and not very often, as it can cause its own problems. I use various lotions and moisturizers often, but none seem to make any long-term difference, though they relieve the flaking for a while.

Has anyone gotten a routine down which has their seborrhea under better control? Has anyone gotten back to where they don't look like they're blushing madly all the time, or have just gotten off a three-week bender? Seriously, I think I'd be pretty handsome right now if my hue wasn't a few shades off; help me get to like my face again.

Thanks.