A striking and unsettling story from China has ignited a firestorm of discussion across social media platforms, centering on a 37-year-old woman from Jilin Province whose lifelong obsession with cosmetics has transformed into a harrowing cautionary tale. Gao, whose experience has flooded Weibo—China’s leading microblogging site—with debates, recently opened up about her extreme beauty routine: for 22 years, she applied makeup daily without ever properly washing her face. The consequences? Severe skin damage marked by painful rashes, swelling, and discoloration, leaving netizens both shocked and reflective.
Her journey into this destructive habit began in her teens, sparked by a fascination with her mother’s lipstick. “Why remove makeup if you’ll just put it back on tomorrow?” Gao reportedly rationalized. Starting at age 15, she religiously applied cosmetics each morning, often skipping even a basic cleanser the night before. Instead, a quick splash of water sufficed before layering fresh makeup the following day.
But earlier this year, her neglect caught up with her in the most brutal fashion. Gao developed a severe allergic reaction that left her face disfigured—so much so that she could barely recognize herself. “The itching is unbearable, like thousands of ants crawling on my skin,” she shared in a widely shared video. “My face has grown wrinkled and ugly. I don’t dare to go out, meet people, or make friends anymore.”
Footage of Gao shows her face red, swollen, and covered in what she describes as a “hormone-induced rash.” The condition worsened when she sought unproven treatments; instead of consulting a dermatologist, she turned to a local aesthetic clinic for “skin booster” injections, which only exacerbated the damage, hardening and even purpling her skin.
Hailing from a humble background, Gao admitted to relying on inexpensive liquid foundations for years—a choice she now believes compounded her skin’s decline. “Lack of patience made things worse,” she cautioned in her viral post. “Don’t blindly chase every new beauty product. If something promises instant results, it’s probably just masking the problem, not fixing it.”
While her story has sparked widespread sympathy online, it has also divided netizens and medical professionals. Some argue her suffering is genuine; others accuse her of seeking online attention.
Dermatologists, however, are urging nuance. “Going 22 years without proper face-washing isn’t advisable, but there could be multiple factors at play—harsh products, steroid overuse, or frequent injections,” one expert noted. Others suggest her condition might stem from rosacea, contact dermatitis, or long-term use of steroid-containing creams.
As the debate rages on, Gao’s ordeal serves as a stark reminder of the risks of extreme beauty practices and the importance of prioritizing skin health over fleeting trends.
