Nightmare skin problem - Advice?
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Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:42 am

Ok here's the deal...

I used the BP gel fromwww.ACNE.org on my face forgetting that you need to start slowly...but it was fine, then after it dried I applied a 'Nivea - Oil free moisturising fluid'...

I went out to meet up with friends and by the end of the night I had a strange rash that was irritating and red on parts of my face. I went home and washed my face and my skin got incredibly dry, I thought the problem was the moisturiser because I had an odd reaction to a different one before, so anyway I just put a little BP Gel (Yes now I know, big mistake) on my face and continued with teh regimen...

Then 5 minutes later my face flared up again red, itchy and dry...OK I FOUND THE CULPRIT! So I wash my face...My skin is now totally red raw and itching like hell...

it gets worse...

Later, before bed I just had to put some more moisturiser on to sooth my skin a bit...then I made another BIG BIG mistake...because my eyes were really dry I put a bit of moisturiser on my eyelids and underneath the eye...and went to sleep...

Next morning I woke up, ARGH! My eyes were totally swollen up, it was SO uncomfortable and they were stinging! I quickly washed my face and eyes and just waited for the swelling to go down...Now it's gone down but my skin is still recovering...my face is dry but not too bad...

But my question (at last, I hear you sigh)...

My eyes have big bags under them, lots of lines and creases (on the eyelids 2) from their ordeal...and are as dry as the desert...

So please I need your advice on how to remedy my skin on my face and especially my eyes! Will the skin go back to how it was naturally (tighten the creases and saggyness)?

Thanks for reading!

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2006 8:22 am

I'm sorry to hear about your problem and unfortunately I have little advice except to please let your skin rest before you start using products again and to start gradually with gentle products. But your poll was very funny! hehe

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2006 9:53 am

Hi Moon-Man,

Sorry about your skin problems. My first "pearl of wisdom" is this ... Give your skin some time to heal.

In other words, discontinue anything that isn't absolutely gentle. That may or may not include your commercial moisturizers.

That said ... you need to nourish your skin ... and rehydrate it, particularly under your eyes.

I have found [and I'm old ... so I have lots and lots of experience (for "experience" please read "I've made huge mistakes in the past")] and I've found that simple is much much better. I can't use commercial moisturizers because I seem to react to some of the other things that are in them ... like emulsifiers and preservatives etc.

So ... bearing in mind that the idea of "moisturizing" is to hold moisture IN the skin, I would first spritz the area with a gentle hydrosol [rose water or lavender] and then gently pat on some sort of vegetable oil.

I know what you're going to say ... you're thinking that your skin is already oily ... that's why you were using the BP in the first place ... but just hear me out.

There are some oils that are light as well as nourishing and providing protection from moisture loss. If all you've got in your house is good old Crisco Oil ... that's soy oil ... and it's both nourishing and protective.

My favourite is coconut oil ... which "melts" at about 20 degrees below body heat, so it instantly dissolves on your skin.

You don't need a lot ... you just need a very thin layer to cover and protect the skin just below the eye.

If you're using vegetable oil like Crisco, you just need a drop ... which will be more than enough to cover both under eye areas. If you use coconut oil, take a tweensy bit and let it melt on your finger [ring finger is suggested as it will give the lightest touch to that very delicate skin].

With both types, you simply pat it very lightly onto the area.

The coconut oil is particularly good at providing a "barrier" between the moisture in your skin and the outside elements.

[I actually have/had oily skin and I use oil on my face every morning and evening ... it helps to "equalize" my skin type ... so that it's closer to "normal" ... which also translates into very few breakouts ... and even when I do, I only get a spot or two that are quickly gone. But that's another thread ... see OCM.]

Now, the spritzing [by the way, I always add about 1/2 tsp of vegetable glycerin to my hydrosols to help with moisture retention] followed by a very light patting of oil should be done at night ... and I would do this for several nights until things are "restored".

In the morning, I would still use oil on the undereye area ... but I'd use it alone. It will help retain whatever moisture the skin has in it ... and will protect from further moisture loss.

I generally spritz my whole face in the AM, but I sometimes use a cotton pad to pat away the moisture from the undereye area ... and then use a drop or two of oil for my whole face, including the under eye area.

The key is to do "less of" what you did at night in the morning. That's what works for me.

If the under eye oil, after 20 to 30 minutes still looks "shiny" you can use a cotton pad to blot gently.

The rest of the healing will take time.

Just my two cents ... hope it helps

Mary

Fri Jan 27, 2006 10:01 am

Thanks alot Mary, that seems like really good advice. But one thing, I have looked around previously for things like JoJoba oil, grapeseed etc with no luck...

What kind of shops sell ingredients like this and the ones you mentioned?

Are there any online shops that aren't too expensive that I can order from?

Thanks again!

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2006 10:06 am

Mary's advice is spot on.

You can find Grapeseed oil in the supermaket, go to where the olive oil is kept and it should be in the same section.

Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:02 am

Sure thanks, but what about all the others, where can I find...

- gentle hydrosol [rose water or lavender]

- coconut oil

- vegetable glycerin

I'm kinda new to all this so any help is greatly appreciated.

Thankyou!

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:28 am

Coconut oil and Glycerin can be found in a health food store. If you don't find hydrosol there I would suggest doing a search on google.

Fri Jan 27, 2006 1:25 pm

Great thanks well I'll take a look around and see if I can find a health food store near me...

Thanks for all the help!

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2006 1:50 pm

emu oil is excellent to heal the skin... i use it as my moisturizer at night especially now in the winter and have noticed that my skin really seems to like it.

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:01 pm

love the poll!!!

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:13 pm

I highly recommend Aloe vera gel (not the grass-green banana boat type, but the clear gel that's extracted from the aloe pulp.) Last summer, I spent 2 weeks on the beaches of Thailand (lovely lovely place) I got so burnt after the trip that my skin hurts everytime i touch it. So i got some aloe that i bought from health food store and slapped it onto my burnt skin (aloe was all i used during that healing week) and within a week the redness of my skin faded and my skin was healed. Aloe is also GREAT for dehydrated skin... I always switch back to Aloe when my skin gets out of control... moon_man, im with you here, i have very troubled skin... Crying or Very sad

Fri Jan 27, 2006 3:12 pm

Thanks! I just needed to get something on my eyes so I used the only oil I could find, sunflower oil

It seemed to do the trick for now...I'm gonna go look for a health food store tommorow and I'm hoping that these things aren't too expensive!

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:35 pm

Moon_Man,

where are you located? do you have a Whole Foods close by? If so, that is where you should go for your oils like Jojoba and grapeseed oil.

Love, love, love both of those oils and I use everyday!

Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress!!

Shelley

Edited to add: No, those oils are not expensive at all!!

Sat Jan 28, 2006 5:34 am

Great! Well I'm about to go into town. I have looked up 5 different Health Food Stores in town which was a total surprise!

I'll post back with what I buy. What size do the oils come in and how long should a bottle last?

Sat Jan 28, 2006 10:18 am

Ok guys I went to look around the health food shops in town. The first store sold some of the oils and other stuff, but it was just too expensive for the money I had. It was £10 ($17) just for a small bottle of Jojoba oil.

Next I went to Holland & Barretts which looked promising from the outset. The store manager came and asked if I was OK. I had a tube of Aloe Vera Gel in my hand and he asked what it was for. I said it was for my face and he said that Aloe Vera Gel is the best stuff he could recommend (Even good for using on hair, alot of Philipino women use it every day).

He continued to tell me that all these ingredients for preperation weren't really that important, that clear healthy skin complexion came from the inside. That if you take care of the inside then the outside will take care of itself. He recommended Zinc tablets and Potassium Sulphate tablets.

He was quite old and seemed like a guru, and because I didn't have much money I took his word for it and bought the tablets and the aloe vera gel.

What do you all think ? (My acne is only very mild and my skin is fairly balanced in terms of oil when I'm not using products, it's just that my complexion is rough and I have some black heads on my nose, and get spots here and there. He said that the aloe vera acts as a cleaners and helps retain moisture, also promotes healthy complexion.)

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