Help - skin has changed almost overnight!

[Backinthedress]

I'm in my early 40s, skin has been combination, relatively moist (ugh - horrid word) and a bit sensitive, now just literally this last week it feel rougher and very dry, I've had fine lines break out around my eyes much more than before, my usual facewash and eye makeup remover sting the skin around my eyes dreadfully and I'm at a loss. Nothing has changed.

Usual routine is take off eye makeup, use cream cleaner on damp skin (think it's Liz Earle currently) then wipe off with a damp muslin. Follow with a rich day cream with SPF in the daytime and a rich Nightcream at night (both from Aldi) which have been fine previously.

Any suggestions? The only thing I can think of is that I was travelling last week and used a bit of rather old nightcream that had been decanted into a travel pot. It was a much more expensive cream with active ingredients and I wonder if it had denatured and affected my skin badly? Is this likely? How can I fix this?

No suggestions but I've had just the same as you recently after I've been trying new 'posh' creams. I think I need to stick with my simple stuff as the skin around my eyes in particular have reacted to new, more expensive creams

Could be peri menopause related? My skin has become so dry following menopause and started changing in small ways years before I realised it was meno.

Sounds temporary,
Something has damaged it and it needs to recover, don’t do much to it for a couple of days ( aside from gentle cleansing and moisturising) and then in a couple of days when the skin beneath all the dry skin has healed from what ever affected it use a chemical exfoliant to remove top layer of dry skin ( you might have to do this a couple of nights) when all the dead dry skin has been exfoliated you should have your normal healed skin back

She said this was overnight, nothing small or over years.

OP definitely sounds like a reaction of some sort. If I use something my skin doesn't like I get really dry itchy skin but just on my eyelids weirdly enough.

Try something gentle but moisturising for a bit like old fashioned blue Nivea or maybe nothing at all? Hope it settles soon

Don’t panic, lines are much more visible when skin is dehydrated! I’d go back to the products that were working prior to the travel pot and give it a week or so before panicking. I love sheet masks for restoring moisture very quickly but if you don’t have any tried and tested compatible ones it’s a risk if you are reacting to an ingredient as you suspect. Be especially gentle with the muslin cloths as they are surprisingly abrasive once the cleanser is all gone. Hope it sorts itself out!

Thanks all. Might do some coconut oil on my face later. Always find that v soothing and not too greasy.
Do also have a horrid cold so that places a bit more strain on the whole system doesn't it?

It might still be perimenopause. I developed rosacea literally overnight. It's gone now but it came out of nowhere. I think sudden skin changes can be linked to hormones being all over the place.

Few nights of coconut oil at bedtime and no makeup/cleansing and it's almost back to normal. Think it was just having a bit of a reaction to that product and possibly cold weather.
Will not use expired creams again that's for sure!

Thanks everyone.

Similar age and skin and mine did exactly the same for the first time this last week! Think it was the cold winds and then having the heating blowing full pelt in the cat. Have been slapping on the nivea and drinking pints of water and it's helping.

In the car, not cat!