Skincare help needed 😔

[skincareAdvice]

I’ve recently had a breakdown so think stress may be playing a big part but I’ve also been physically unwell with severe anaemia so that isn’t helping

I have an awful combination of an acne outbreak AND eczema at the same time so what works for one thing makes the other worse

I have v v sensitive skin anyway that can’t tolerate much. I’ve used Avene for years no issues but can only cleanse and moisturise once a day as twice causes v irritated red skin even with avene but now it’s that bad anyway

It’s so so sore red itchy and spotty and I don’t know what to do

It’s so sore I’m tempted to just not do anything for a few days but that’ll make the spots worse ?

Where is this eczema/acne presenting on your face? Could it be perioral dermatitis- that’s a sort of mix of acne/eczema xx

I find that lush products have helped my skin a lot.

I use the tea tree toner water morning and night and then either the herbalism or mask of magnamality face mask.

Acne on cheeks and chin and a bit under eyes eczema under eyes and on eyelids and a small amount on chin

My skin feels very dry too

I’ve been v stressed not sleeping well and drinking too much coffee
I also have been doing too much and have probably got run down
Is there anything gentler than avene or shall I just leave it alone for 24/48 hours ?

Mm- I would advise a trip to the gp. After years of trying every product known to man, it took a dose of long term antibiotics to get mine under control. Honestly, you’ll end up spending a fortune on things that may potentially just irritate it. In the meantime, sudocrem might help to calm down a bit. You have my sympathies- when my skin is bad it really knocks my self esteem and affects my mood. It’s awful xxx

Start washing your skin with Cetraben. Cleanse twice in an evening, once in a morning. Use it as a moisturiser on your dry patches, especially at night. Look at The Ordinary and get yourself some Amino Acid and B5 to begin to level out your moisture of your skin and help to repair it. Your stress levels will have really affected your skin but it's ok you can pull it back. Do the above for a few weeks. You might need a mild hydrocortisone for your dry patches. Once it's under control then you can consider future management of your skin.

Wash your face with your hands only. Splash your face with water to remove Cetraben and pat your face dry very carefully. Do not rub it with anything!

The cetrabwn cream ? I have some of that my son uses it for eczema so I just use it like a cleanser and a moisturiser ?

*cetraben

I can’t think wha this is other than stress as my diet is good and my skincare is v gentle but it’s flared up so horrendously in line with my stress levels which is probably to be expected how ill I’ve beem

Gp. Possibly a reaction to medication if you're taking any?

I've recently had contact ezcema which flared up on my chin, jaw line, eyebrows and eyelids (along with my usual minor acne). This is what helped me:

Big tip which you probably already know is DO NOT pick at the skin. At all. Because even if you think it's old skin flaking off it can actually be attached to new skin and therefore you're picking that off too and not allowing it to heal.

Take hayfever tables to help avoid itching. I found a sterilized cold wipe resting on the affected areas very soothing as well and added I a little lavender too which was nice.

As for cream I used a standard emollient cream from Boots called Epaderm cream. I applied it several times throughout the day and extra at night. Very light and absorbs quickly.

I find niaminicide (not sure if spelt right) from The Ordinary very good for my acne so perhaps purchase something like that and only use it on your cheeks whilst the ezcema patches heal.

I recently bought La Roche Posay Cicaplast B5 Anti-Bacterial Wash which has been great for me because my ezcema blistered in places and I wanted a gentle but effective face wash. This fits the bill.

Mine took 3 weeks to clear up but only because the first week I didn't realise what it was and the second week I kept picking at the scabs!!!

Yes! It's a very basic, gentle, ointment that can replace soap and be used as a good moisturiser. It emulsifies in water. Cover your face in it a bit and give it a good, but gentle rub in, wet your hands with warm water and rub on your face. The oil will begin to go white, splash your face with clean water until removed, repeat in the evening and pat your face dry. My dermatologist introduced me to this after decades of ezcema, spots and problem skin. It's been revolutionary!

Eperderm does the same thing but personally I prefer Cetraben as it's not as thick

If you can tolerate a cream, put a layer on your face, wet a cleansing muslin and drape it over your face and leave it for 10 mins. It should help with the dryness, a bit like you might use wet-wrapping for other eczema areas. I sympathise OP, I recently had a horrible allergic reaction which left my face red, dry itchy and swollen, immediately followed by an outbreak of rosacea and couldn't put anything on it for a couple of weeks.