A woman from China has gone viral after revealing that her face became severely inflamed and disfigured — all because she hadn’t properly removed her makeup in 22 years.
The 37-year-old woman, known online as Niuyoumian and also identified in some reports as Ms. Gao, is from Jilin province in northeastern China. She shared her story in a video posted in early June, showing her swollen, bright red face covered in dense rashes. She described her skin as tight, itchy, and burning — saying it felt like “thousands of ants crawling” on her face.
She explained that her makeup journey started at the age of 15, when she secretly used her mother’s lipstick. Since then, she had worn makeup daily — but never took it off properly, simply rinsing her face with water at night. “Why bother removing it if I have to put it back on the next day?” she said in the clip.
Her early skin issues began around age 14, when she used an acne cream that caused allergic reactions. Due to financial struggles, she used cheap liquid foundations, and later trained in beauty and hairdressing, where she was exposed to various chemicals. Over time, the combination of makeup use, poor skincare, and cosmetic treatments led to her current condition — which she described as a case of “hormone face.”
Despite the worsening state of her skin, Gao didn’t consult a dermatologist. Instead, she turned to a medical aesthetics clinic for a “skin booster” injection. That only made things worse — causing her skin to harden, darken, and even take on a purple tone. She now suffers from rosacea and demodex mites, a type of skin parasite.
The woman shared her experience to warn others: “Don’t blindly try every beauty product just because someone else claims it works. If something provides instant results, it’s probably just suppressing the symptoms, not healing your skin.”
Her story triggered widespread discussion online. While some netizens mocked her with sarcastic comments like, “How many coats did she plaster on her face?” or “This isn’t makeup — it’s paint,” others pointed to deeper issues like social anxiety and the pressures of beauty standards.
Medical professionals have also weighed in, questioning whether makeup alone caused such extreme damage. Some suggested that steroid-laced skincare, cosmetic procedures, or even over-cleansing might have played a role.
Despite the online jokes and criticism, many saw her video as a cry for help and a warning to others about the dangers of long-term misuse of cosmetics and the pursuit of quick beauty fixes.
