Skin is too sensitve/too complicated

[aprilpgb22]

Hey ladies

I have the most sensitive skin it gets on my dam.. nerves sometimes. I have tried almost every product on the market. I have found myself allergic to benzoyl peroxide. I was using neutrogena 2%salycic acid and my skin got use to it and here the pimples come again. I have even changed my diet. My problem is that the pimples leave dark spots and those fade creams break me out I don't know what to yuse to get rid of them. I need help. I get oily in the summer and dry in the winter. My skin must have mood swings (lol). I feel like moisturizer breaks me out so i stopped using that so that can't be it. I think now maybe it is the make up i rarely wear it but when i do the next day i have a couple pimples. I use loreal h.i.p liquid foundation. I need some help on a good skin care regime and make up product for african american skin to match my complexion although i am not dark skinned I am a lighter brown. i don't have insurance on my job yet so seeing a derm is out of the ? for the next month or so.

 

[MacForMe]

Zoinks! Sounds like your skin is mad at you! I found out when I leave my skin alone the breakouts stopped.. Literally.. Overwashing, overscrubbing and over medicating will make your skin so over-stimulated, that it breaks out worse then before. Overscrubbing results in more oil production too! Try to use a basic cleanser (MAC's Green Gel is awesome) and NO scrubby sponge, like a BuffPuff, those things are MURDER on your skin, they literally scratch the daylights out of it, which results in more breakouts! YUCK! Stay off the "scrubs" too, the Apricot ones have seeds with sharp edges, again, ripping up your skin.. If you can't get MAC's green gel cleanser, then try Cetophil or PhisoDerm.. My friend works for a Derm, thats how I know all this..

Moisturizer is always a plus. Don't overwash and dont SCRUB!!! oh and easy on the hot water!!

My skin gets wicked oily in the summer.. I use a mattifying Gel. MAC makes one.. yes, I'm a MAC Whore.. sorry!! But my skin has NEVER been better!

 

[han]

i agree with macforme.. try to not over do it with your face sometimes less is more and since your skin is so sensitive maybe try to invest in a good foundation px and clinique might work.. my skin use to be really sensitive and those foundations didnt break me out or irritate me..

 

[sheil2009]

Those dark marks do fade, don't worry /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I have dark skin too and several sensitive reactions to wax and cremes left me with a rash that turned scabby which turned into dark scar spots. You have to give them time (six months to a year) to fade completely though...

I suggest that you lay off the salacylic aid because AHAs can lead to increased sensitivity. Check all your other products to make sure they don't contain AHA or BHAs (this article names most of them: http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/art.asp?ID=159) b/c they are too harsh for your sensitive skin. As for macforme said, scrubs are a no no-much to harsh for you. Here are a list of irritating things you may commonly do:

Overly abrasive scrubs (such as those that contain aluminum oxide crystals, walnut shells, or pumice)

Astringents and Toners containing irritating ingredients (alcohol and menthol being the worst ingredients)

Scrub mitts

Cold or hot water

Steaming or icing the skin

Facial masks containing irritating ingredients (watch out for fragrant essential oils and polyvinyl alcohol)

Loofahs

Bar soaps and bar cleansers

(Source: International Journal of Dermatology, August 2002, pages 494-9; Skin Research and Technology, May 2001, pages 98-104; and Dermatology, March 1997, pages 258–262)

And a list of ingrediant offenders:

Alcohol or SD alcohol followed by a number (Exceptions: Ingredients like cetyl alcohol or stearyl alcohol are waxlike cosmetic thickening agents and are completely nonirritating and safe to use

Ammonia

Arnica

Balm mint

Balsam

Bentonite

Benzalkonium chloride (if it is one of the main ingredients)

Benzyl Alcohol (if it is one of the main ingredients)

Bergamot

Camphor

Cinnamon

Citrus juices and oils

Clove

Clover blossom

Coriander

Cornstarch

Essential Oils

Eucalyptus

Eugenol

Fennel

Fennel oil

Fir needle

Fragrance (may be listed as “Parfumâ€)

Geranium

Grapefruit

Horsetail

Lavender

Lemon

Lemongrass

Lime

Linalool

Marjoram

Melissa (lemon balm)

Menthol, Menthyl Acetate, and Menthyl PCA

Mint

Oak bark

Orange

Papaya

Peppermint

Phenol

Sandalwood oil

Sodium C14-16 olefin sulfate

Sodium lauryl sulfate

TEA-lauryl sulfate

Thyme

Wintergreen

Witch hazel

Ylang-ylang

I used Aveda's all sensitive moisturiser and it was great! It was gentle and left my skin looking radiant. Highly recommended! Cleanser? IThe Body Shop's Soyy and Calendula Cleanser is now discontinued, but you can get some on Ebay. Best cleanser ever! It is super gentle (like water!) and gets all the makeup off, plus it tones the skin very nicely.

Hope I helped!

 

[SimplyElegant]

I have really sensitive skin and I use Olay's two in one cleanser and toner and garnier pure cleanser. I use an oil free noncomedogenic moisturizer and none of those things irritate my skin. I use differin as a spot treatment maybe once a week when I notice a zit and it's gone by the next day and also doesn't irritate my skin. Cream cleansers are usually gentler too.

 

[aprilpgb22]

You guys are awesome. I haven't tried any of these. How do i get differin gel?

 

[Becka]

I completely agree ! I have sensitive skin too, and am allergic to a lot of ingred. in products. My skin looks best when left alone ... when you find what works for you maybe try to keep overall amount of skin care products you use to a minimum.

not sure if your foundation may be clogging your pores, maybe try another one? have you tried mac foundation? as sensitive as my skin is i've never had any problems with reactions or pore clogging w/ mac

 

[SimplyElegant]

You have to get it from a doctor. You don't need to see a dermatologist though. It's $40 Canadian without insurance so it's not too bad and it's lasted me for over a year. Oh and I forgot to mention if you take pure vitamin E the scars will be gone months sooner than just leaving them alone.

 

[aprilpgb22]

when you guys say left alone what do you mean? Do you mean just wash with warm water? What about when i do wear makeup i should use something then to get the makeup off. I definetely thought that the salycic acid was to harsh on the skin and one of the reasons why i kept getting dark spots. What do you think about aveeno, i bought there cleansing soap bar on Friday and I know it takes time to tell if it works.

 

[Amandine]

I started a thread about this book called Skin Type Solution by Dr. Leslie Baumann. We have the same skin type and she has a chapter that goes over how to take care of our very very difficult skin.

As everyone has said, less is more with this skin type. When you use too many products you risk bumping into one that will irritate your skin. ALSO, some products will chemically react to others. potentially creating a byproduct that will irritate your skin.

Harsh scrubs are bad. They can cause irritation on sensitive skin. And irritation can lead to breakouts and/or scarring.

To fade the dark spots, try a holistic lightener that does not contain hydroquinone. You have to read the box though, Lots of lighteners contain glycolic (AHA) or salicylic acid (BHA) for chemical exfoliation. The logic is that the acids will help shed the skin cells in order to fade the spots. But with sensitive skin, it can cause new spots.

Moisturizer is a must for sensitive skin because it creates a barrier level that can keep out potential irritants. I use Olay Complete with SPF 15. There is a formula that is oil and fragrance free. If you need a higher level of SPF, DDF Photo Matte SPF 30 is also quite wonderful.

 

[aprilpgb22]

Girl you are the best, well what type of face wash do you use what is your routine? Do you have some type of lightener by product name that you can reccommend? I just switched to that olay moisturizer on Friday.

 

[sheil2009]

1) just b/c something is oil free doesn't mean it is non-irritating

2) From Differin site:

"During the first few weeks of treatment, itching, dryness, redness, burning or peeling may occur"

translate:not good for extremely sensitive skin.

Everyone has sensitive skin to some degree, but most people believe their skin to be more sensitive than it is due to their reactions to certain products. Differin may be fine for you, but for those who seem to be allergic to just about everything (myself included), especially powerful AHAs and BHAs, its a bad bad idea.

 

[aprilpgb22]

I am allergic to just about everything i need to get the right face wash for my skin.

 

[sheil2009]

Usually a good cream cleanser will do the trick. Unfortunately, it won't adress any other problems (acne, pigmentation, etc.) but it won't hurt! I have heard many on this board rave about Cetaphil, and though i have not tried it, it sounds like it would be great for your skin type. They have reviews on the main makeuptalk page

 

[Amandine]

I had a hard time with face washes because they were too drying or had additional ingredients that irritated my skin. In the end, I switched to Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil. Its perfect for my skin because it cuts oil without striping the skin of moisture.

I use DDF Holistic lighter. So far I've had good results. I wish it would work faster, but at least its not trigger breakouts so I can't complain too much.

 

[SimplyElegant]

Well it does say that it doesn't have irritants in it.

Anyway, I know everyone is different, but she won't know for sure until she tries new things? "May occur" is different from "will occur".

 

[sheil2009]

Ooh, my roomie uses that! it is such good stuff, and great for dry and oily skin. I basically share it with her now, lol.

And SimplyElegant, I am just saying she wants to try gently stuff that will work for her skin, and she shouldn't begin with something that already warns about redness, peeling, and dryness. Maybe after she has picked up a skincare routine that is non irritating, then she should move on to try and find more problem-specific treatments

 

[MacForMe]

I dunno if I'd go that route, its super drying..

 

[speedy]

I too recommend getting the Skin Type Solution book. Since I've been following the products that were recommended for me, my skin has been the best it's ever been.

 

[Becka]

sounds like I need that book too !

April, I forgot to mention earlier, i don't think its a good idea to change your whole routine all at once, just try out one new product at a time. Too many products all at once really has wreaked havoc on my skin in the past, seems like they all react with each other. If you get a breakout too, or even if your skin totally improves, you'll be able to tell what one product is or isn't working out for you.

i feel for ya, i swear we have the most expensive skin type to deal with ... with most products bound not to work out, ugh