A Chinese woman became an unwilling internet star after revealing: “I just didn’t have the energy to remove my makeup at night.” Now she scratches her face until she cries and warns others not to repeat her mistake.
Meet Gao, 37, from Jilin Province in northeastern China, who recently earned the dubious title of “the face of a cosmetic tragedy.” The reason: For 22 years, she refused to properly remove her makeup. Yes, you heard that right. As a teenager, she says, she fell in love with her mother’s lipstick and started using makeup at 15. But she quickly adopted a new rule: “If I’m going to wear makeup again tomorrow, why remove it at all?” She would wash her face with just water—no soap or cleanser—and immediately apply a fresh layer of foundation.
Surprisingly, her skin held up fairly well for over twenty years. Only earlier this year, she says, did she suffer a severe allergic reaction: Her face became swollen, turned a purplish-red color, and the skin became hardened, wrinkled, and severely dehydrated.
“The itching is unbearable... I hide at home all day. I don’t dare go out, meet people, or socialize. My face is wrinkled and ugly. At its worst, it feels like thousands of tiny ants crawling all over my face,” she shared in a video that was widely circulated.
To treat the rash, Gao didn’t consult a dermatology specialist but instead went to a medical cosmetology clinic, where she received a “skin rejuvenation mesotherapy” injection that worsened her condition. She says she now suffers from “steroid face”—a term used to describe severe side effects from repeated use of cortisone-containing creams and injections.
Later in her video, she admitted: “Before age 25, I didn’t understand how badly sensitive skin can deteriorate. I thought that if it itched—I’d just apply another cream. But I never really committed to a healing process. I’d try every product for two days, and if I didn’t see results, I’d move on to another one. Today I realize that only made things worse.”
Chinese media reported that dermatologists expressed doubt that the damage was solely from not removing makeup. “22 years without cleansing is definitely bad, but what we’re seeing here is much more complex,” said one dermatologist. “It’s probably a combination of harsh products, excessive use of steroids, or repeated injections.”
Another doctor added: “This isn’t just laziness—it’s likely also cosmetic addiction mixed with an impatience for gradual processes.”
Gao, who is also known online as “Niuyoumian” (Tofu Face), said she began using acne treatment creams at the age of 14. She studied cosmetology and hair design and was exposed over the years to many chemical substances through her education and work.
Since 2011, she says, she’s undergone a series of injections and aesthetic treatments that gradually distorted her facial features. She also blames her former financial situation, which forced her to use cheap foundation that wasn’t dermatologically tested.
Her story sparked a massive wave of reactions on Weibo—China’s equivalent of X. Some expressed sympathy, while others accused her of seeking attention or showing fundamental irresponsibility. “If you call her lazy—remember she gets up every morning to apply makeup. If you call her diligent—remember she didn’t remove it for 22 years,” wrote one user. Others questioned how no one stopped her over the years: “Where was her family? How did no one guide her?”
At the end of the video, Gao appears distraught but ends with a message to viewers: “Don’t try every product just because someone said it worked for them. What gives immediate results is probably only suppressing symptoms—not truly healing. Let your body recover. Even if it’s hard.”