Why is my oily skin suddenly so dry?

[Iamthewalnut]

I've always had oily, spot-prone skin, yet over the past few months my skin has become so dry that I'd wake up every morning with flaky peeling patches on my forehead, cheeks and jawline. I put it down to the central heating drying it out (even though this has never happened in previous winters) however, my central heating's been off for over a month now and my skin is no better. It's so bad that I can't even wear foundation anymore because it just accentuates the dryness. It's now reached the point that my skin is really chapped and sore. I moisturise day and night and have used umpteen products but nothing is doing the trick. I'm 43 and I know that skin gets drier with age, but it's such a dramatic change and seems to have happened overnight. Can anyone else relate to this and did you manage to find a solution? Thanks.

Have you noticed any other changes in your body? I had this, and was then diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, but I had a variety of other symptoms too.

Otherwise I find I can get this as a reaction to things, even if they’ve been fine in the past. Eg exfoliation, cleansers with fragrance or essential oils. Also, it can happen when my hormones go a bit wild (like pregnancy and postpartum, sometimes around periods).

My solutions (beyond being medicated for my thyroid!) have been to avoid fragrance, essential oils, and drying alcohols in facial skincare products, and to change my diet and supplements to help balance my hormone swings (the latter involved seeing a nutritionist and was well worth it).

Peri-menopause. The changes can be quite sudden and dramatic.