Nightmare skin - Help please!

[RoxieP]

After having wonderful clear skin in my teens, I have suffered from adult acne since my early twenties - no known cause, PCOS was ruled out and everything.

Anyway my pregnancy hasn't helped, and now my skin also is getting really sensitive with dry flaky patches too as well as spots! I am no longer able to use the antibiotic lotion from the Drs as they have advised against it and anything too medicated may is too harsh with the flaky bits/sensitivity - but anything too rich makes me break out and my skin greasy!!!

So I am at a loss of what to use skin care wise. I am having a dermalogica prescription facial soon but I can't afford their products! Anyone have any secret weapons that don't cost too much?

Also, anyone changed their diet effectively to improve the skin?

So sorry to hear about this, What a pain for you :(

I had some really dry skin/rash on my face in the first trimester, I think partly exacerbated by a really chlorinated swimming pool - doctor prescribed hydrocortisone 1% but do check with this becasue it's usually not prescribed for face - it cleared dryness and rash up for me luckily though. As for acne, I'm not sure - I've always used oils on my skin - jojoba is very close to our natural skin oil consistency so maybe replacing a richer moisturiser with that might help? I also tried E45 which helped a bit...Just an idea, sorry not to be more help.

Hope you find something!

Maybe I'll try jojoba then. And yes I have used steroid cream in the past for eczema on my face, but still not sure how to cleanse even. I want to use something that will get my skin properly clean and remove excess oil so I dodn't get more spots, but won't be too harsh. There don't seem to be many products that can do both!

Sorry to hear that Roxie, I sympathise - I have also have a bumpy, spotty, red chin for years which I was worried was down to PCOS, but tests didn't indicate it. Last month a beautician said she thought it might be rosacea, and it certainly seems to fit from what I have researched, ie, made worse by stress, sunlight, etc. I don't know if you have redness too, but what you wrote struck a chord, especailly as I too have now been having eczema around my eyes and cheekbones for the last few weeks (am now 27wks).

It's so annoying isn't it, I thought that pregnancy would make me glow and give me better skin, it's rather disappointing it's not turned out that way!!

I read that harsh anti-spots washes which I used to try can make rosacea worse, and since then have been using Simple moisturing wash on my spotty chin only, and plain water on the rest of my face, followed by E45 round my eyes after.

Can your doctor recommend what to use?

Best of luck sorting it out, I know it can be demoralising!

can i suggest having a look at A'kin products they are honestly the nices skin product i have ever used. They are a bit pricy but last for ages. the cleaners i get does a very good clean and feels lovely i use morning and night and it last about 4 or 5 months. It's australian but i get it from www.mypure.co.uk
i don;t work for either company just a much better skin now!

I have been trying the Oil Cleansing Method after seeing it mentioned on a thread on here a couple of weeks ago. Run a MN search or google it. I'm about 2 weeks in and my skin (usually spotty but with dry patches) is massively improved (virtually clear), it's the best thing I've ever tried (and I've tried a lot of things), fine in pregnancy and very cheap too!

Hi. I suffered with bad skin for years and the only thing that ever helped was a special version of the pill. I had to eventually come of it as it's terrible for the liver. After much heartache, trying every lotion and potion - and I mean EVERYTHING - I have found that it really does come down to diet. More sugar, equals more insulin, which means more testosterone, which causes more sebum which leads to bad skin. I realise this sounds like mumbo jumbo shite but avoiding a spike in your blood sugar is the key I reckon. It really is hard work and it takes a lot of effort but the low gi diet has really made the difference for me. Hope it helps!

Thanks guys - suggestions noted! Last night I had a bit of a pamper and used a gentle scrub (asda's own) and one of those Montagne Jeunnesse sachets - a creamy, soothing type of mask. The mask made my skin tingle and was almost stinging so I washed it off quick - but I think it was on long enough to inject a bit of moisture. I think the scrub must have got rid of some of the dead skin that was causing the flakiness too. So it feels a lot better today, just smoother so my make up goes on better, but hasn't really go rid of any of the spots per se!

I do agree cupcake that diet is bound to play a part as it will influence your blood sugar/hormones etc, but the ironic thing is with me is when I was a teenager and ate rubbish I had great skin, but now I am in my late 20s and try to eat healthily it's terrible! Sometimes there just seems to be no rhyme or reason for it!

Are you supposed to do that oil method daily?And if not, what are you supposed to use on the days you don't?

Hiya, I had lovely skin throughout my teens and early twenties, came off the pill at 26 and ever since had acne. However, since about 20w my skin did settle down a bit and I found that using natural and organic products REALLY helped. I have combination skin and suprisingly the best thing for it seemed to be a night oil.

I tried Neil's Yard and their products have been so good - I know it's not cheap but it's cheaper than Dermalogica and it's on 3 for 2 at the moment in Boots.

Best of luck, it's horrible feeling crap about your skin when everyone is expecting you yto 'blossom'! x

I've never had great skin, but it flared up in my late 20s. I talked to my GP loads of times and was never taken that seriously, apart from being put on Dianette for 6 months before it was banned. That didn't help. Being on any type of birth control pill didn't help.

Fed up, I paid to see a private dermatologist who diagnosed me with low grade acne. (I've since found out that both my sisters have it too - I don't see them often as they're in another country.) I was put on Doxycyclin which worked brilliantly. Unfortunately it also gave me severe reflux, even when I took it as directed, so severe that I was off work for 5 days and lost a stone because I couldn't eat due to the pain. I was so scared of going through that again that I stopped taking it. My acne came back, albeit not in the same places as severely.

I was tested for PCOS - negative. I had an ovary scan while TTC and that also confirmed that my ovaries appeared normal.

I've given up milk and wheat and while this has helped me in other ways, it's zero effect on my skin.

I am now 7 wks PG for the first time and I'd hoped that things might change, but my skin is worse than ever - it's very frustrating. My friend, who has similar problems to me, told me that her skin started to ease up after 15 weeks though, so I'm just hoping that this might happen for me.

Gentle products without parabens etc do at least keep my skin calmer. Organic Botanics (a small company down south) have a great cleansing milk and moisturiser and they're not as expensive as some places. Neal's Yard is lovely, but can be very ££. The cleanser is about £11.95 for 200 ml and it's free UK postage. www.organicbotanics.com

Diprobase cream is a really good moisturiser - your GP can prescribe it or you can buy it in chemists - although sometimes they only have large tubs. It can be so hit and miss and therefore expensive to find what works for you. One of my children in her teens is having problems with acne and dry skin. The spots have largely shrunk and become less inflamed using Freederm gel on them but using L'occitane Shea butter cleanser to wash and Clinique custard colour moisturiser. Her friend is having great success with the same regime but using Simple face wash and light moisturiser which is much cheaper.

Good luck - I too have heard that skin does clear up towards the end of the pregnancy.

Unfortunately even brands like Simple, or expensive brands like Clinique are chock full of parabens and other chemicals which dry my skin out and make it angry and red. Even Dermalogica use quite a few. Of course everyone is different, but just wanted to point out that many products are marketed as "natural", "organic" or may be dermatologically tested, but they can still cause irritation if you have very sensitive skin and they contain those kinds of ingredients.

And if you have very sensitive skin, most drugstore acne treatments are full of alcohol which is very unkind to your poor skin!

I use the oil method every evening - I've skipped a couple of evenings when I've just been too tired (it takes about 10 minutes) and have just used a facecloth and hot water - that's all I use in the morning too. I think part of the point of it is not to use any chemical products. Try it, it has amazed me!

I am a big believer in milk cleansers - although they're not terribly fashionable these days. I use a clarins one, that is alcohol free. For many people, they feel it doesn't cleanse the face properly but if you finish off with a high quality toner, it really does help.

I totally understand your concern re the richness of the creams. Is it worth trying a natural oil based product of some sort for the moisterising part? Eg bio oil? It's easily absorbed and will moisterise but although it's an oil, shouldn't leave too much oily residue?

Montagne Jeuneusee products are great so maybe see what else they have on the more gentle/sensitive side as I do think they are good for short term fixes.

You should also keep using a light exfoliator two to three times a week. Nothing too harsh but as you've already experienced, I think you'll find it will help to smooth your skin out, which is also good for the moisterising product you then use afterwards.

Have you tried Liz Earle??? (you can buy on line) or at John Lewis. It's wonderful and very organic and no alcohol. Personally I think very good value for money. They use plant oils and not mineral oil, paraffin wax, petrolatum etc so super kind to 'ones' skin and face.

Try the hot cloth cleanser and skin tonic. In my view it does wonders..also the moisturizer is super yummy. I've found it's just lovely to put on and any redness goes very quickly.
You can buy a starter pack for about 20 quid, so if it's not for you then you haven't gone full hog and wasted lots of money.

uk.lizearle.com/cleanse-tone-moisturise.html

I hope this helps? [hsmile]

Forgot to say, try not to exfoliate too much as it strips the skin of natural oils. xx

For some reason loreal sublime false tan (the one that looks like a clear brown gel in a clear tube) used to also help calm things down when my skin was at its worst (perhaps its vit e content) as did sudocrem all over my face - although you do look like a ghost! Having bad skin is a total nightmare so can really sympathise.

I have been getting exactly the same with my skin. Dry flaky patches, but also spots. I find cetraben cream the best as a make up remover and moisturiser(quite cheap, ask for it at the pharmacy counter) and I also find that when I use my pH 5.5 sunblock it helps, so might look for a pH 5.5 moisturiser to use more regularly.

Actually, cupcakebakerer, my sebamed sunblock also has vitamin E in it, so maybe that is what is helping rather than the pH.

Just to offer my sympathies too, this is my 2nd pg and my skin is horrible, I look like a 13 year old boy!!! I had the same with my first pg and just spent 9 months wanting to stay in or put a paper bag over my head. As if you dont feel sensitive enough being pg!! Nothing really made a huge difference but Ive found not over cleansing helps as it seems to upset the skin even more, drinking lots of water and use an oil free moisturiser so as not to clog the pores. I use one by Peter Thomas Roth which you can buy online and isnt cheap but lasts for ages and has a high spf too.....hope yours settles down, sadly I'm resigned to it now until after baby born

Another one suggesting Liz Earle! I've found using their Hot Cloth cleanser, spritzing toner and moisturiser really helped with pregnancy skin niggles. I think they're as good as the really expensive brands, but at far more reasonable prices.

Yes I have tried the liz earle face scrub once and I thought it was amazing and left me skin feeling great but I haven't tried anything else. It is still fairly expensive though!

I think the reason the loreal sublime fake tan works is it has AHAs in it which for most skin types makes you skin feel great as I think they kind of slough of dead skin cells - thing is they sometimes irritate my skin if it's going through a sensitive phase!