Boyfriend seriously considers breaking up with long-term girlfriend over her skincare habits when she refuses to kiss or touch him, she insists what she's doing is normal: 'I miss who you used to be'

Author image for Briana Viser
Briana Viser • Writer and Editor
Sep 23, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Skincare, selfcare, and health care are more popular than anything right now. With the influence of social media, a person's wellness has become a huge priority. There are pros and cons to this. Of course, wanting to take care of yourself is important, but there's a balance. It's also important to let loose and have some fun; not everything needs to be so rigid. In the story here, the girlfriend takes things too far. She's been with her boyfriend for 3 years, and they've been living together for 2. Everything was fine, and her boyfriend was even planning on proposing to her. But recently, she has become so engrossed with skincare that it's affecting every part of their relationship. 

She is on a skin routine that makes her skin flake off and dry out, which makes her try and combat the dryness by putting an immense amount of Vaseline, causing him to be rather grossed out by her. Read the full story below. 

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  • 01

    AITAH for wanting to break up with my girlfriend over her skincare/anti aging obsession?

    Woman doing skincare
    via Lina Vanessa Merchán Jimenez from corelens / Canva

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    My girlfriend and I have been together for about 3 years and have been living together since the past 2. We are both in our early 30's
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    She's gotten deep into skincare which did not start out this way. I liked it and was happy about her finding something she cares
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
  • 04
    about and makes her feel good. I am not exaggerating but this has absolutely affected our relationship and intimacy.
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
  • 05
    For example she wears sunscreen every single day even when she's indoors. She works from home and so do I so it's almost
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    impossible to kiss her or touch her face with all this skincare and sunscreen on but even if I get over that she gets mad at me if I
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    do it not to carefully. She's also on this prescription strength cream known for anti aging since the past 8 months which I feel is
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    completely unnecessary given she looks great and doesn't have any major acne problems and it has absolutely ruined things for us ever since she started. I tried to
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
  • 09
    educate myself on it apparently it's called tretinoin and it makes you shed skin. Which looked. gross on her and her skin would be so sensitive like all the time
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    she would develop a rash all over her mouth when I kissed her or we had s and my stub grazed against her face in any way. Since
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    experiencing this a couple of times she's told me that we are only limited to soft kisses and no passion. At night she would wear
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    thick creams and even Vaseline which would make it really hard not to feel grossed out when any time we made physical contact.
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
  • 13
    This isn't just about intimacy. She's like pathologically scared of the sun. Usually I would draw out blinds and it would be nice and
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    Skin care
    via Natallia Photo from Pexels / Canva

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 15
    sunny outside but she makes a beeline to rush it close. We don't even go to the beach together although any indoor place she's
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    ok with but honestly I just miss LIVING without having her worry about her skin all the time.
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
  • 17
    At first this skincare passion sounded cute and I encouraged her too but now I'm just sick of it. I requested her to stop this
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    tretinoin cream as that's the only reason why her skin is so sensitive. I even educated myself on it and though I know it helps
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    with anti aging the topmost layer of the skin will always remain thin as long as a person is using it.
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
  • 20
    I've talked to her so many times about this. I've told her I miss who she used to be before skincare took over her life. She
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
  • 21
    stubbornly insists that what she is doing is "normal" in skincare. communities. Nothing I say is working. Our lease is up coming
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
  • 22
    November and I'm honestly tempted to not renew it and plan my exit. I don't honestly want to spend the rest of my life like this. I
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    was planning on proposing to her 6 months ago and we had talks about it and now she's been
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
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    Serum for skincare
    via JM Studio from JM Studio / Canva

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 25
    hinting more frequently and I'm honestly reconsidering asking her to be my wife
    via u/Throwra-gfskinaddix
  • 26
    SimaContenti... • 5h ago I'm a dermatologist, you shouldn't have a rash on tretinoin (it means you're
    via u/SimaContention
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    using it too aggresively, or you have a contact allergy). Her skin has to get used to it, either work up slowly, mix
    via u/SimaContention
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    it with a moisturizer, or use the microsphere formulation. On top of that, you only use it at night.
    via u/SimaContention
  • 29
    because it makes you photosensitive. She should see a dermatologist about this.
    via u/SimaContention
  • 30
    That's only like 10% of what's going on here, though, most of this sounds psychological. I'm not going to give you the reddit advice
    via u/SimaContention
  • 31
    of leaving her, though - if you really were close enough to her to consider marriage, try counseling and sticking it out. There's something else underneath all this.
    via u/SimaContention

Tags

boyfriend drama skin relationships skin care girlfriend lol couples love breakup reddit thread red flag Reddit funny dating
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