Red and sensitive skin - any tips please?

[Pombearsandnaiceham]

Hi everyone.

My skin is prone to redness and sensitivity, which also runs in the family. My Dad has very sensitive skin, and my aunt (on my Mum's side) also has sensitive skin.

At the moment, I have a skincare routine which I've extended to doing twice a day.

I really try to use products formulated for sensitive skin, but still have very red skin on occasion.

I use Ren cleansing milk for cleansing, Body Shop hydrating toner (and Pixi Glow Tonic as an avid toner a few times a week) and Body Shop night and day creams for moisturising.

When I use face masks, I either use a ginseng face mask from the Body Shop, Charlotte Tilbury multi-miracle glow or Body Shop aloe vera overnight rescue mask.

I also have a facial every 4-6 weeks, and am trying to drink more water (2 litres a day) and cut out caffeine (having it a few times a week or less, rather than every day).

Any ideas about where I'm going wrong please?

If I drink alcohol, it'll be once to twice a week.

The La Roche Posay Toleriane range is really really excellent for sensitive skin. It sounds like you are throwing a lot of products at your face so maybe you need to strip it back a bit. Stick to fragrance free and gentle ones. Avene is great too but are fragranced so can be irritating.

Ooh thanks Cakes about the La Roche Posay recommendation :) For now, would you suggest perhaps just using cleanser and maybe moisturiser so I don't put too many products on my face?

Could be candida. I had awful itchy dry flaking skin on my face until I realised it was this. Probiotics cleared it thankfully.

My thought is that you should reexamine your diet. Everything you eat shows itself on the outside in one way or another, whether it be positive or negative. Many food allergies result in skin problems.

I would ask your GP to refer you to a dermatologist, as you may have mild rosacea. Have you been stressed recently? That can be a trigger.

They can prescribe an antibiotic like Tetracyline or an ointment like Rozex.

I went through that but gave it up. I found this Guardian article on Rosacea helpful.

I can recommend the Ole Henriksen Nurture Me moisturiser but it's pricey at around £40 a jar. Now that my skin's less dry, I use Superdrug's dry skin cream which is around £1.60.

I also wash my face in E45 moisturising wash.

I wouldn't have too many facials, unless they are mild and use products for sensitive skin or skin prone to redness.

I also found hard water an irritant (I live in London) so used to wash my face (sparingly!) with mineral water with low mineral content, like Tesco's own brand mineral water, which only has around 9mg calcium and magnesium. Evian has around 21mg so that was a no-no (thank God). But I don't need to do that anymore as skin has settled down now, though some redness remains.

My skin is a bit different in that eczema and allergies are my problem but I find when it's really flaring up it's best to use a gentle cleanser then the Toleriane Riche moisturiser. Sometimes a serum if needing extra moisture. I use a warm flannel to remove my cleanser which offers enough exfoliation until it settles. I find any acid exfoliation just really aggravates my skin - tried Clarins, Pixi, Nip and Fab etc. When my skin is settled I can use Dermalogica daily Microfoliant which is pretty gentle.

Are you wearing sunscreen everyday? Rosacea is often triggered or made worse by sun exposure. You should be wearing a high factor sun screen every day (even when it is not that sunny) and generally try and stay out of the sun, wear a hat etc.

La Roche Posay anthelios sunscreen is good and there is a non perfumed variety.

Also I would second going to see a dermatologist. I wish I had gone to see one earlier about my rosacea. Some low strength antibiotics (which have an anti inflammatory effect rather than infection curing) and a prescription cream called soolantra made a big difference.

Cetaphil and Cerave are brands often recommended by dermatologist for sensitive skin. Or the La Roche Posay toleraine range.

Watching with interest as I also have quite red skin. I used to use Liz Earle cleanser and moisture cream but now only use water and Bio oil. Has been some improvement but it does flare up relatively frequently. I've also used La Roche Posay cicaplast range to help

I got really red cheeks - it was getting progressively worse and really sensitive. I went to my GP and he said it was mild rosacea and I got a gel prescribed which has made a massive difference. He said it's good to try to catch it early on. I had to move away from any kind of cleanser/toner/scrub apart from a very plain cream cleanser.

I have sensitive skin prone to reddening- I found using rose water as a toner was far better than any other - I had some cheap stuff from Bulgaria (where a lot of rose oil comes from) that was amazing. Now it's run out I use lush's Rose water but there might be an alternative that's purer. Face wash wise I use Nude face oil and sometimes in the morning I use eve loms morning cleanser but only if I feel sluggish and in need of a wake up help!! I limit face masks to once a month ish and I use Body Shops Rose oil one followed by eve lom's rescue mask. I rarely exfoliate with a product, I use a flannel and like you I use body shop day and night creams. This routine seems to keep my fave hydrated and relatively red free! Drinking lots of water helps too.
Hope this helps??? I share your frustrations!