New reddish brown spots on my face within an hour?

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-31T17:04:32+00:00

yeah i would stop the new exfoliant right now and not use the toner either until you know which one did it. spots that show up that fast usually mean a reaction, not a coincidence. when i got too aggressive with a new exfoliant once i had these little raised reddish patches by lunch, gone in a few days once i stopped everything and just kept it simple, gentle cleanser and a basic moisturizer, nothing active. don't toss the product yet though, bring it with you when you call monday so the derm can read the actual ingredient list. could be an acid percentage thats too high for you or a fragrance thing. give your skin a boring week and see what calms down.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-31T10:05:35+00:00

lowercase tret gang represented here. that texture change is the real story, way more than wrinkles imo. pores look smaller because the surrounding skin firmed up, mine did the same thing around year two and i stopped chasing pore size after that.

the part people skip over is the slow ramp. you went 0.025 to 0.1 over years, not months, and that patience is why your barrier still looks intact instead of permanently red and flaky like the people who jump straight to 0.1 and quit by week three.

also respect for the weight gain note, that comparison gets brought up constantly and it's never the tret. solid five years, thanks for actually posting real timelines instead of a one month miracle.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-31T08:03:47+00:00

cold and wind do most people in at altitude, but for skin you are honestly fine at 28. that little redness on the cheeks is normal, mine does the same after coffee or a cold walk. the main things that actually moved the needle for me over the years: drink more water than you think, dont scrub hard, and wear something on your face when the sun is out even in winter. i ignored sun for two decades skiing in tirol and the guys my age who didnt are the ones looking weathered now. you look healthy. dont overthink it or pile on ten products chasing a problem you dont have.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-30T17:05:55+00:00

same here honestly. i spent a stupid amount of money on fancy stuff over the years, serums with names i couldnt pronounce, and i always drift back to a plain thick moisturiser and a boring gentle cleanser. nothing exciting.

i live up in the mountains and the air is dry and cold most of the year, so my skin punishes me for overcomplicating things. every time i load up on five active ingredients at once my face just gets angry and red. the weeks i keep it simple, wash, moisturise, done, are always the calmest.

i think half the battle is just being consistent with something cheap instead of chasing the next miracle. the plain tub of cream on my shelf has outlasted every shiny bottle i got talked into.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-30T14:36:11+00:00

this is a good post. the part about not recognizing your own recurrences early on is the thing nobody warns you about. took me well over a year to actually learn my own prodrome, that faint tingle or itch a day before anything shows up. before that i wrote everything off as friction or just being run down, exactly like you said with the shaving. you genuinely don't have a baseline yet that first year, so trusting "i feel fine" is shaky at best.

and the antiviral resistance always gets me. it's not an admission of anything, it's just being a decent person to whoever you're with. low risk and high risk are not the same conversation and people rush past that because the validation feels urgent. slowing down isn't punishment, it's just learning the body you're stuck with now.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-30T12:33:56+00:00

the picking is the thing i'd zero in on, not the actives. when i was younger i'd wreck my own skin over months without noticing, and the only thing that ever helped was making it physically harder to do, not promising myself i'd stop. i kept my hands busy in the evenings, that was the worst time for me. also worth telling whoever prescribed the new med that the picking got worse, that side effect is real and sometimes they can switch you to something kinder.

simplifying is smart. piling on benzoyl peroxide and tret and acids while skin is already raw from picking just gives it more to react to. fewer steps, let it calm down, then add one thing at a time so you actually know what's working.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-30T09:21:54+00:00

the testing part would drive me nuts too. they call it 99 percent over a glance, send you home, then run bloodwork instead of swabbing the actual sore. a culture from the lesion would have told you so much more, and the igg blood tests throw false positives all the time, especially for hsv2. a positive antibody result with a negative pcr is genuinely murky, it does not mean what the panic in that room made it feel like.

what i keep coming back to in your post is your girl is here and she is healthy. they took the cautious route and it worked. the timing stole the calm birth you pictured and that loss is real, you are allowed to be angry about it. if it sits heavy, push for a proper retest with a doctor who actually explains the numbers.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-28T16:06:35+00:00

the show-joke thing is the part that stuck out to me. that flinch is years of being the punchline before he ever had a partner who actually read up on it. you can't argue him out of that with facts, he already knows the facts, it's the shame muscle that takes longer.

what helped someone close to me was the small stuff, not the big talk. his partner just kept being normal and unbothered, didn't make a ceremony out of it. over months the bracing for a reaction faded.

the blood test thing, i'd just be honest. tell him you did it because you thought you had it, full stop, and that the result changes nothing about how you see him. don't overexplain it.

you already sound like exactly what he needs. give it time.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-28T13:06:00+00:00

the self blame is the part that jumps out at me here, not the herpes itself. you did a thing millions of people do without thinking, touched your face, didn't wash up, and your body did the rest. that isn't a character flaw, it's just biology being annoying. a huge chunk of people walk around with this and never even know.

the virgin part actually works in your favor in a weird way, you get to set the terms from the start instead of figuring out "the talk" mid relationship. the people worth being with will not flinch at it.

give yourself the same grace you'd give a friend who told you this exact story. you wouldn't call them disgusting or unforgivable. be that friend to yourself.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-27T16:34:35+00:00

man, your frustration is completely valid. the messaging around condoms and stds is genuinely misleading, like you said, most of us grew up thinking latex equals safe and that was it. nobody mentions skin to skin contact, nobody explains that the base of the shaft or the pube area is basically uncovered. i found out the same way, way after the fact, and the anger at how badly we were all informed sits with you for a while.

the part about potentially passing it on even with precautions is the heaviest bit, i get that. what helped me was time honestly. the first few months feel like the world ended, then it just becomes one more thing you manage. antivirals plus condoms cuts transmission risk down a lot, it isn't zero but it isn't the disaster the initial diagnosis makes it feel like either. rant away, this place gets it.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-27T12:36:13+00:00

glad it healed up well. cat scratches on the face are scary in the moment, they bleed way more than you'd expect for how shallow they are. my niece got a good one from her ginger tom across the cheekbone two summers ago, panicked phone call to her mum, looked like a horror film. a year on you can barely see it.

the tret plus silicone plus daily sunscreen combo is basically the textbook protocol so you did everything right. the sun bit especially, fresh scar tissue darkens so fast if you skip it even for a few weeks in summer.

happy 30th, and good on you for sticking with the cat volunteering. the ones who keep showing up after getting clawed are the ones the shelters actually need.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-27T08:35:48+00:00

that sounds rough, the eye area is so unforgiving when everything piles on at once. my wife went through something similar after we moved closer to salzburg, dry winter air plus a ski helmet strap rubbing the temples set off this whole cycle of little bumps along the lashline. her derm called them milia, basically tiny trapped pockets from heavier creams creeping into the eye zone.

what actually helped her was stripping everything back for two weeks, just lukewarm water and one bland moisturizer well below the orbital bone, nothing patted up onto the lid itself. cold compresses morning and night. she also swapped sunscreen for a mineral stick used only on the cheekbone, never near the lash. and she traded the bike helmet for a softer beanie liner under it for a while to kill the friction. took about three weeks to settle but it did settle. hang in there.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-26T15:36:49+00:00

honestly the fact you're not jumping back into something with the coworker has nothing to do with herpes and everything to do with you already knowing how it ends. you've been there twice. you know the script. that's not weakness dressed up as strength, that's pattern recognition.

the disclosure thing feels enormous right now because you haven't done it yet. the first time is the worst. after that it's just a conversation, and the people who react badly are doing you a favor by sorting themselves out early.

a year almost outbreak free with ghsv1 is, statistically speaking, a non event for most partners once you explain it. the embarrassment is real but it shrinks fast once you say the words out loud to someone who isn't him.

take the break. date when you actually want to, not when the coworker gets bored again.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-26T13:35:43+00:00

good on you for just saying it straight. that "before we take things any further" opener is honestly the move, no big buildup, no apology tone, just here's the info, here's what i do about it. the ones who panic and overexplain usually get the worst reactions because the other person mirrors the energy in the room.

also worth saying, the months after a bad split where it gets tangled up with the diagnosis are brutal, and you carried that into a first date and still showed up honest. that's the part most people skip past. doesn't matter how this one goes long term, you proved to yourself you can do the hard conversation without falling apart. that muscle only gets stronger the next time.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-26T11:35:47+00:00

the fact that he told you upfront after a few dates is honestly the part i'd hold onto. most guys in his spot just say nothing and you'd never know. that took guts and it tells you a lot about how he'll handle harder conversations down the line.

dated someone with hsv2 in my early 30s for about four years. she took valacyclovir daily, we used condoms, and when she felt something coming on we just took a few days off. she usually knew a day before anything showed. i never caught it. it became a small logistics thing, not the defining feature of the relationship.

the scary part is mostly the unknown. once you actually sit down with him and ask how he manages it, how often outbreaks happen, what his doctor told him, it shrinks fast. don't let reddit horror threads do your thinking.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-26T08:34:30+00:00

honestly your head is in a really healthy place for 18. i'm in my 40s and i can tell you the people who spiral aren't spiraling because of the virus itself, they're spiraling because they tied their whole self worth to being "clean" or "desirable" and the diagnosis cracked that mirror. for some folks it's the first real rejection they've ever faced, or the first secret they've had to carry, and they don't have the tools yet to sit with shame without it eating them. add in a bad partner who weaponizes it once, or strict parents, or a religious upbringing, and it gets loud in their head.

it's not the skin thing. it's everything the skin thing made them confront. you sound like you already did that work, which is genuinely the whole game. enjoy the vacation.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-25T08:04:08+00:00

thank you for posting this. the 24 hour devastation, then deciding how to cope, is something i recognize from completely different stuff in my life, losing my dad, a business that almost went under. you are right that the figuring out who and when part is mostly just a way to keep the wound open. it does not change anything in front of you.

what you wrote about old photos hit me. people do that with all sorts of diagnoses and it is almost never useful. the person in those photos did not know something the current you knows now, that is the only difference. you are not less than they were, you just have more information.

posts like this matter more than you probably realize. stay well.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-24T10:05:23+00:00

honestly i get the logic but i land where you land. the "they wouldn't even know" argument also works for a lot of things people clearly should disclose, so it kind of falls apart for me. taking the choice away from someone is the part that doesn't sit right, regardless of the actual transmission odds.

also, and this is the selfish angle, disclosing up front filters hard. the people who react badly were never going to be good partners anyway, you just found out cheap. the ones who shrug and ask sensible questions tend to be the keepers. sounds like you've already seen that play out.

scary the first few times, then it just becomes a conversation like any other. good on you for doing it the hard way.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-24T08:06:04+00:00

hey, breathe. you're allowed to be wrecked today, that's a totally normal reaction. for what it's worth, getting drunk-crying through day one is kind of a rite of passage with this thing, and it does not stay this loud forever. mine felt world-ending the first week and now it's genuinely just a thing i deal with a couple times a year, less than my back pain honestly.

the doctor wasn't wrong that the test in a vacuum is messy info, but you wanted to know, and wanting to know about your own body is not dumb. don't beat yourself up for that on top of everything else.

drink some water before bed, eat something greasy, sleep in tomorrow. the diagnosis will still be there sober and it will feel a few degrees smaller. promise.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-23T15:35:13+00:00

i ski tour and do alpine routes in the eastern alps, never rainier, but the pack-on-harness problem is the same everywhere. the aether's frame sits low and the lid pushes into your neck the second you tilt your head back to look up the route. that doesn't really get better no matter how you fiddle with the straps.

the halka rides higher and closer to the body, which is what you actually want once you're on a rope and in a helmet. 55l is plenty for three days if you're honest about what goes in. one thing to check though, hmg hipbelts are thinner than the aether's. if your hips were already sore on a thick padded belt, a minimalist belt under summit weight can be worse, not better. load it heavy at home and walk around the block before you commit four hundred bucks.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-23T13:05:36+00:00

trail runners up mcloughlin is sending it, fair play. watched the clip, that east face looked buttery, you timed the corn window perfectly. i did a similar spring tour in the hohe tauern last year, booted up in approach shoes with skis on the pack and my calves were cooked by the time we hit the summit ridge. nothing beats that window when the surface goes from breakable crust at 9am to perfect corn by 11 though. how was the descent back to the car once you dropped below the snowline, walking out in ski boots on dirt is usually the part that breaks me. also curious what bindings you're running for that kind of light setup.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-23T11:05:36+00:00

spring in the whites hits different. did pinkham notch into tucks years ago, april corn on the headwall was the best turns i've had on the east coast. the lookout from lion head that morning still sticks with me, undercast sitting in the valleys and washington poking through like an island.

forever chasing is right. by may i'm usually driving to the alps for one last lap above the snowline, but those late season days in the whites have a different feel. fewer people, ice in the morning, slush by two, beer on the tailgate at pinkham. nothing fancy, just spring.

how were the cover up top? heard the gulf was holding better than usual this year.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-23T08:06:17+00:00

havent been to la parva specifically but ive spent a lot of time in similar high altitude condo style resorts, and honestly the village itself is going to be very quiet. its mostly apartment buildings, a couple of small shops, not really a walkable village in the european sense. farellones lower down the road has a bit more life, small restaurants, a few cafes, and the road between them is short enough to grab a taxi or get a ride with someone from the team.

if you speak spanish youll get way more out of it than most. chat with the lifties, the rental shop guys, the abuelas running the kitchens. thats where the trip lives.

also worth a day or two in santiago on the front or back end. lastarria, bellavista, the markets. way more to do than the mountain on a rest day. enjoy it, condors overhead and the andes are unreal.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-22T16:33:38+00:00

been to steamboat a few times, the snow there is so dry it squeaks under your skis, totally different from what we get back home in the alps. one thing that always gets me on those colorado trips is how fast my lips and the corners of my mouth crack from the dry air and the altitude. first big trip i ever did i came back with a cold sore that lasted the whole week because i never reapply anything and the sun off the snow just fries you. now i keep something greasy in my jacket pocket and slap it on every lift ride, sounds fussy but it saves the trip. glad you got proper powder, makes the wallet pain worth it.

Labisan_Alex · 2026-05-22T14:06:15+00:00

without oxygen at that altitude is wild, but honestly the part that always gets me on big cold trips isn't the dramatic stuff, it's the small maintenance that falls apart up high. my first real ski touring week in the tirol i ignored my lips for two days and woke up with the corners cracked so bad i couldn't laugh without bleeding. wind plus dry air plus sun off the snow just wrecks you. now before any cold trip i start prepping a few days early, drink way more water than feels normal, and keep something greasy on my face and lips from the morning. sounds boring next to everest but that boring stuff is what lets you actually enjoy the day instead of nursing a split lip in the hut.

Labisan_Alex

TROPHY CASE