please share extreme dry skin problems/reactions
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free skin care · Sun Feb 11, 2007 6:13 am

Hello All,

I know all you ladies with very oily skin have a tricky time figuring out how to treat your skin and prevent breakouts. There are many threads devoted to the treatment of oily skin.

Us normal-to-dry skinned gals have less of a problem, generally speaking, so there is less talk about the problems we might encounter if our skin is already dry and then becomes traumatized. Having lived with electric heating and hard water for the first time in my life this winter in a foreign country, my skin reacted very badly, and in retrospect, I realize that it became extremely dry and rebellious. My skin gained an "orange peel" appearance, and then broke out in thousands of tiny little itchy bumps all over my cheeks and chin. My skin literally felt like sandpaper, and no amount of emu oil or rosehip seed oil made the reaction go down. I finally drank tons of water for days and did a series of yogurt/aloe masks, used mineral water to wash my face,and then scrubbed all the dead skin off, gently over the space of a week. I am happy to say that now, my skin feels very hydrated and smooth as silk! Now I know that I can never let my skin get that dry again--the BF came to visit and I stopped drinking all my water for about three days, and voila! extreme dry skin reaction.

I wanted to start a thread where anyone with dry skin can relate their experiences with extreme dry skin reactions, so we can see if our stories have a common point of intersection. I have noticed on several threads that others have had similar experiences to mine, and it would be nice to see what works and what doesn't, so as to avoid or lessen the severity of future reactions.

Also, I think it would be nice to focus on dry skin care in general, since many people with normal-to-dry skin can just put any old cream on their skin twice a day and wash with a gentle cleanser--which is fine--but I would like to find an optimal regimen for my dry skin as I look forward to my 40s!

I currently use, and am very happy with:
am
osea cleansing milk, avene mist
3x per week: CE Ferulic
Epicuren's colostrum cream, mixed with emu oil and HA/alternate days with weleda rose capsules
osea eyes and lips to tone and protect eye area
Bioderma Photomax spf 50 fluide
dusting of translucent mineral powder (Julie Hewitt)

pm
osea cleansing milk, avene mist
4x per week: differin cream, osea advanced protection cream or weleda rose capsules 45 minutes afterward
1x per week: SC retinol .1%, osea advanced protection cream or weleda rose capsules 45 mins afterward.

I am trying to conserve me Osea Advanced cream until the spring/summer, where it will serve my skin better. Right now my skin drinks up all those rich oils in the Weleda rose capsules, so all is good!

--juice beauty green apple peel once per week

Even though I just experienced a horrid skin reaction a couple of weeks ago, now my skin has never looked better.

Drink lots of water and treat your skin well, dry skinned girls!

--avalange

free skin care · Sun Feb 11, 2007 7:21 am

I do have more combination skin in summer, but this winter it has been very dry and sensitive. My water isn't as bad as yours, but still much harder than what I'm used to. I hate mineral buildup on skin and hair! Mad

Now my skin is fairly ok, my routine is simple.

Babor 2-step cleansing oil, or Phytomer velvet cleansing cream.

Farfalla alo-shea serum 3-4 times a week. (it contains HA and other stuff, and I do prefer it to the PSF HA serum that did nothing for my skin)

Weleda wild rose oil capsules at night.

Weleda wild rose body oil during the day. It's a bit lighter than the capsules and can be used on face without problems.

Eucerin hydra-protec for sensitive skin on top of oil during the day. Gives a nice base for makeup.

And I forgot to mention that I try to avoid exfoliating unless "neccessary", maybe 1-2 a month. I use the daily microfoliant or skin prep scrub from Dermalogica if I feel the need. I have to say my skin imporved a lot since I stoped exfoliating/peeling my skin regulary. Very Happy

free skin care · Sun Feb 11, 2007 7:55 am

Hi there,my daughter had eczema as a child and as an adult has extremely dry skin.Her skin is like a sponge and soaks up anything she has used in the past leaving her skin feeling dry again..
She is using Decleor Aromessence Angelique Oil and Night balm and Nutri-Delice day cream at the moment. Seems to be working for her.

free skin care · Sun Feb 11, 2007 11:57 am

I must have been born with dry skin! In my 20s and 30s there were minimal problems. In my 40s I started experiencing drier skin and the search for skin products that would enhance my better skin qualities and minimize the negative ones. Now in my 50s the search for the HG is serious. Dry skin, but it doesn't take well to rich creams or silicones or too much exfoliation.

Recently, started the Dr. Hauschka line and while it appears to be dealing with the dryness, at times my skin is as dry as ever. Just don't understand how skin can be dry when using oils! So, the word on Dr. H is still tentative for me. Wonder how much money I will have to spend before I find the products that my skin LOVES... I've added DMAE, Vitamin C serum and O2 Serum to my routine and so far its all good.

So, the hunt for products that are moisturizing, but not too much; anti aging but not using products that I hae skin reactions to, and basically trying to keep the skin procedures balanced and enhancing. It can be so exhausting sometimes!

PS. Because of the recent realization of my sensitivity to silicones, I am trying to minimize my existing cosmetics as they are partly the culprits! So, also on the hunt for a silicone free tinted moisturizer - anyone know of any?

free skin care · Sun Feb 11, 2007 3:10 pm

Hi avalange - Your regimen looks pretty good to me as far as preventing dryness to the extent that you CAN (since you're using retinoids), with only one exception. While Differin is the only Rx retinoid I could tolerate (it did cause peeling eventually though), I found SC Retinol to be extremely drying, and about as irritating for my skin as any Rx retinoid I'd ever tried. Though you're only using it once a week, do you think you really need it? I know you've wondered what all the fuss is over Avene retinaldehyde products, but they're great for those of us who just get too dry from other retinoids. I wonder if you substituted an Avene product for the SC Retinol if you'd still experience such dryness? And maybe there's a second exception to your regimen -- using the Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel once a week. If you're still dry, why not try using it every 10-15 days instead?

Also ladies, when I DO occasionally get dry (I consider my skin type to be normal but I get dry in winter) I reach for Caudalie Radiance Serum at bedtime. If squalane doesn't cause you any breakouts like it has for a few forum members, I recommend it. I'm like Smoky1 -- even if I'm dry my skin doesn't respond well to heavy creams or oils, and the Radiance Serum is milky and lighter but nevertheless does the trick for me. And I agree with Schnee that reducing exfoliation helps if skin's too dry. It's tempting to treat dryness with exfoliation but I think it causes a vicious cycle when overdone. I never steam my face either -- it's ultimately drying and can cause broken caps too.

Vit.C products can cause dryness too. For instance, I tried SkinCeuticals AOX Serum 20% last summer. I get a bit oily in warm weather and since I insist on high PPD SS (I use Bioderma too), I have even more oil to contend with. But the lack of E in the AOX formula plus the higher % of C than my beloved CE+Ferulic caused dryness even in summer! This year I'm going to try the AOX Serum 15% instead. I think 20% is just too much for my skin.

I also think diet can make a difference and aside from drinking more fluids, perhaps some fish oil capsules may help if there isn't sufficient oil/fat intake.

And finally, alcoholic beverages really make my skin look bad! I love a nice glass of wine but I look a lot better when I don't drink too much. It's said that for every alcoholic beverage consumed, a glass of water should accompany it (helps to offset hangover too).

free skin care · Sun Feb 11, 2007 3:51 pm

thanks for all of your responses so far, especially your concerned ones, m. april!

I assure you I am eating enough fat; I made a double helping of chicken parmesan for myself tonight with steamed broccoli, and had a broccoli goat cheese quiche for lunch, and that was two meals out of four! I didn't even realize until now that I ate a lot of broccoli today! Well, it is my favorite vegetable.

I use SC's CE Ferulic, and it never seemed to be drying, in fact quite the opposite effect. I am going to switch serums (I'm trying GOW and Candessence), and we will see if I experience further dryness.

re: Sc retinol, I've used the .05 strength in the past and was happy with the results, so I upped the strength, but it might just be too much for me. I used it twice per week to start, and my skin peeled weekly, albeit very finely. I did some light manual exfoliation just to get the peeling skin off... I think I did in fact leave my skin vulnerable to a dry skin reaction as a result of over exfoliation, and that is why, with the hard water and the cold dry weather and my electric heater, my skin just rebelled all of a sudden. I will try to lay off of it and see what happens. i only have the concentrated eluage, so perhaps i can try layering the two products--i just don't like all of that other stuff on my face, but i suppose the same ingredients are in the differin too. What I like about SC is that it really is primarily retinol.

re: exfoliating the dry skin off your face--I had a positive experience doing this (I literally scrubbed with a washcloth once--this is what made the most difference, but I normally do not do that), but I will reconsider next time this happens. I also think mineral buildup on my skin was a factor--I wonder how to get rid of this without scrubbing off a layer of skin? ACV?

re: JB peel, I actually find it nourishing, but perhaps it is because I ALWAYS follow up clarifying/acid treatments with a nourishing mask treatment as well. I never use a peel alone!

and lastly, I've never even had a drink or a puff of a cigarette in my life! But I am not a prudish, antisocial individual--I can dance all night like nobody's business and prefer to go to parties alone so I can make friends. It has just become a part of who I am, I don't need it, and as I get older, I feel somewhat vindicated as a result of my choice--why start now? Razz

French people really do not get me AT ALL Rolling Eyes

.

I absolutely love osea's advanced protection cream, but I cannot rightly justify slathering a double layer on my skin every night (it is $$$), but I am very happy with Weleda Rose caps at the moment for my intense treatment. I will definitely keep the caudalie rec in mind, since it is readily available to me at the local supermarket!

thanks again, and I'd like to hear of other exps too!

--avalange

free skin care · Sun Feb 11, 2007 4:54 pm

When I was a kid, my hands constantly got so extremely dry in the winter that :
-first, they became unbelieveably scaly & flaky (not to mention itchy). They looked like they were buried in ash!
-then they would become irritated so badly it looked like I had gotten poison oak --complete with the oozing (apparently this was oil from my body trying to overcompensate for the dryness)

It was such a nightmare! I remember that the last time it happened, my dermatologist prescribed a cream called Lac-Hydrin (active ingredient is Lactic Acid) and and recommended regular body lotion (like Eucerin or Aveeno) in addition to that. Also, I washed using Cetaphil soap (fragrance-free). I think I recovered in a few weeks... and the other kids were no longer afraid to hold hands with me Razz

free skin care · Sun Feb 11, 2007 5:44 pm

I have dry and very reactive, dermatitis prone skin. This all started after I hit 30 and experimented with various products Sad

I remembered when I had one of my bad contact dermatitis, it was so painful just to open my mouth to brush my teeth. I had tears rolling down my face while I was brushing my teeth. DH thought I was crazy.

Various organic/natural products (Dr H, zenbiotics) gave me dermatitis. Different brands of vit c serums gave me dermatitis. Emu oil, rosehip oil, camellia oil just sat on my face and I would still wake up with flaky skin. HA and squalane didn't agree with my face as well. Anything with SLS or SLES (cetaphil, aquanil) or castille soap based means dermatitis.

I finally found a routine that work for me. No flakiness in the month of January Very Happy

AM:
wipe face with wet baby washcloth
LRP toleriane cream
(if extra dry then a thin layer of aquaphor)
eyecream
vichy sunscreen

PM:
cerave cleanser
wipe face with wet baby washcloth
rx retinoid every other night
LRP toleriane cream
(aquaphor if needed)
eyecream

Very boring and no frills. Need to control myself from trying new products Angel

free skin care · Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:37 am

With regard to facial skin, my extremely dry skin became so much better, clearer, flake-free and with hardly any blemishes when I started using the following combo:

Either St Ives Radiant Cleanser for Dry/Sensitive Skin or A'kin Rose & Geranimum Cleanser & Toner in One
Pure rosewater as toner
Remergent DNA Repair
Neal's Yard Remedies Frankincense Cream

- along with regular use of Epidermx I or II

I also added the following actives:
Vitamin C Serum
Candessence DMAE Serum

Above all, I really think the Epidermx and Remergent DNA Repair are my main skin saviours. Plus a really good, rich moisturiser, like the Neal's Yard Remedies one helps greatly.

For my body, I try not to use any bodywashing stuff that contains nasties like sodium laureth sulphate. The purer, the better, it seems. Having said that, I also love Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion, which probably contains all kinds of not-so-good ingredients, but works well at moisturising my skin. Mind you, another favourite is Candessence Body Butter, which is much purer. A twice weekly going over with my Dermalogica Ultimate Buffing Cloth helps keep any dry, flakiness at bay.

I do also very much like Penzim Lotion for soothing problem areas when my ezcema surfaces.

Winter usually means seriously bad news for my skin, but my current regime has kept everything under control for the first time in years.

free skin care · Mon Feb 12, 2007 11:25 am

Hello again avalange - I remember when I first visited Paris, I was struck by the number of stores that sold skincare. It seemed that everyone, even unlikely vendors, had something to offer. But at least at that time if not now, French women purchased skincare at higher rates per capita than anyone else -- maybe it's because of that awful water you've told us about! However, the Japanese seem to be giving them a run for their money and are right up there in rank as far as skincare consumption goes. So I'm not surprised you're finding brands that here in the States would be more elusive. While our groceries often carry mass market brands by Procter & Gamble and L'Oreal, it would be unusual to see "salon" brands in a supermarket here. Not so in Paris! Skincare must be considered as much of a staple as bread and milk!

free skin care · Mon Feb 12, 2007 4:07 pm

Hi again!

After reading some of the other experiences on this forum, I have a new theory that I want to share with all of you. It was initially precipitated by Schnee's comment:

Quote:

And I forgot to mention that I try to avoid exfoliating unless "neccessary", maybe 1-2 a month. I use the daily microfoliant or skin prep scrub from Dermalogica if I feel the need. I have to say my skin imporved a lot since I stoped exfoliating/peeling my skin regulary. Very Happy

Whereas I exfoliated like crazy after my reaction ceased to be, well, reactive and itchy with excellent results, I was also systematically peeling my face with Sc retinol for the four-five weeks preceding the reaction, which I THINK left my skin vulnerable to the effects of a drying, hostile skin environment that I really couldn't control. What I think eventually happened is that the bumps and orange peel texture on my skin was really a defensive reaction, against the dryness, much like oil production can be a reaction against over-drying the skin with harsh surfectants. I presume my skin was trying its hardest to get its natural barrier of dead skin cells back, which would protect against the environmental ravages I was subjecting it to. So it compensated by building up a scaley armor!

What do you all think of my theory, and has anyone else experienced anything similar? If so, we need to know that protection, protection, protection (from the inside and out) is the mot du jour for us dry/sensitive ladies. I can just imagine now, how my skin recoils in horror after being freshly "peeled" at anything--the sun, the water, the air. Makes you bristle at the thoughts of chemical sunscreens degrading on our skin!

--avalange

free skin care · Mon Feb 12, 2007 4:11 pm

and m.april:

yes, they sell caudalie, avene, lrp, phyto, klorane, and nuxe at the local supermarket, and all those plus darphin at the local pharmacy, where I bought my gauze and tape and antispectic today for my shingles! At the same time these luxurious products are so readily available, french ladies seem SOOOOOO much more relaxed about their skincare approach.

They also smoke buckets of cigarettes and drink tons of wine and look quite haggard, most of them. They do not seem to care, and older women are so much more appreciated here. It is so nice to feel like a young girl again, after spending a summer in LA and feeling WAAAAY over the hill. All of the gals I grew up with have already had tons of botox and other procedures already--before the age of 30!

--avalange

free skin care · Mon Feb 12, 2007 4:24 pm

Avalange - my 2 cents. I think your theory may be correct. I have to be very cautious about exfoliating too frequently. I personally CANNOT use Retin A at all. I also don't use glycolic acid peels anyone, they just make things worse. First day I'm fine and then I spend 10 days looking awful.

I have found that MaMa Lotion once or twice a week works very well for me. I only leave it on for an hour and rinse it off. I'm using a DIY blend of jojoba oil, rose hip seed oil, emu oil, SKB, ha and matrixyl. I like this blend because I can adjust it up or down according to the lovely Texas weather. I use Cetaphil gentle cleanser. This is the first winter I have used this program and it's the first winter my face hasn't been just awful by this time.

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