Cerave

[ÚlldemoShúl]

After years of just using whatever was to hand, I’ve decided it’s time to look after my skin. I’m 50, menopausal but on HRT and have both melasma (at my hairline above ears on both sides) and rosacea (in the middle). Not a pretty picture. I don’t have many wrinkles, mainly just some fine lines around my eye area. I’ve been using La Roche Posay toleraine gentle cleanser and moisturiser morning and night.

After watching some videos and reading up online, I tried to introduce a double cleanse for night time using miscellar water (garnier) and a face wash (cerave). For now I’m following this up with a simple Tesco skin saints eye cream and moisturiser. The Tesco stuff is fine but I think the cerave is making my sensitive skin react. Does that sound right? Is it something that will fade with time? Or should I try something different? I don’t want to spend gazillions unless I’m fairly sure something is going to work and my sensitive skin is definitely not ready for retinol/ tret etc yet.

I used Benzac 5% cream on my rosacea nose and it cleared up after a week, never to return. Worth a try…
Personally I consider CeraVe as more of a teen range, but the moisturizer in the blue tub is very soothing.

Thanks @Sgtmajormummy definitely worth a try.

There are several different cleansers in the CeraVe range, which one are you trying? The La Roche Posay cleanser would be fine as part of a double cleanse, all that really means is using a makeup remover (eg micellar water or cleansing balm) before washing off with a water based cleanser. If LRP agrees with your skin, use that! No need to switch away from something that’s working.

Face washes tend to break me out. I use a balm hot cloth cleanser from Aldi. It's a dupe of the more expensive Liz Earle one and I love it.
If you think your skin is reacting, stop, leave it a few days then cleanse only with the thing you think is causing the reaction and see what the result is. That should confirm either way then you can make a decision.

@MotherWol i am trying the normal to dry one. It has hylauranic acid in it which I don’t think I’ve used before so I was wondering if that’s the problem. Anyway if I can use my toleraine for the second bit then that sorts everything out! Thanks.

I know it's a minefield but my skin doesn't like a double cleanse. I only use an oil/balm Cleanser and then wipe very gently with cotton pads. Granted I don't wear heavy makeup so perhaps it's easier but I find my skin is aggregating by multiple cleansers. A really mild and cheap one is the Oat Milk Cleanser from Inky List.

Thanks* *@bryceQ I’ll give that a go

I have sensitive combination skin with rosacea and my advice is to only ever try one new product at a time so you know what has caused any reaction.

Cerave and La Roche Posay Toleraine are basically the only moisturisers that don’t upset my skin, I had no idea anyone thought Cerave was for teenagers as it’s quite popular with people with sensitive skin.

I cleanse with Lush Ultrabland - it’s so soothing and there’s nothing else like it.

I have rosacea and find a 'less is more' approach is best; I use a gentle hot cloth cleanser (Boots sensitive skin or the Aldi Liz Earle dupe) with warm water and soft flannel, and just the one cleanse, unless I'm wearing unusually heavy make up. Cerave moisturisers are good and don't break me out, but I'm never sure whether they're cruelty free or not, so blow a bit hot and cold.

Both Ds1 and I (50) use Cerave hydrating facial cleanser, (green neck on bottle) I have incredibly sensitive skin and react to anything and everything. I also use Garnier Miscellar Water for make up removal.

If Ds and I used Cerave foaming facial cleanser (more bluey neck on bottle) we both react to it so we went back to the hydrating cleanser. We also both use Demalogica daily microfoliant but I have to be careful not to over scrub my face with it and I don't use it daily, maybe twice a week.

Cerave is a well regarded cleanser and not a teen product at all.

Thanks @Vnector - the hydrating one is the one I’ve been using. It may just be an initial reaction that may settle. I’ll give it until the end of the week and see how I am then I think. If it hasn’t settled I’ll follow one of the recommendations from above.

Thanks @FlyHalf I am considering going back to one cleanse- I wonder would splitting them work- removing make up when I come home then doing the second before bed.

You seem a bit hung up on the idea of a double cleanse - out of interest why?

As mentioned I use Ultrabland which removes make up and cleanses. I don’t wear foundation, though.

I use tretinoin and am a member of a tret skincare group online and strangely enough Cerave is the one product that people complain makes their skin sensitive. The moisturiser literally stings even an hour or so after using tret.

A double cleanse is usually an oil or balm cleanse followed by a foam wash but you could use the Toleraine as one of those, I'd probably use it first. Toleraine cleanser is regarded as one of the best on the market so no need to move away from this, especially as it suited your skin.

Micellar water is not very good for your skin as it generally is not the right PH, unless you are using Bioderma Micellar water. I generally only use it for a quick swipe to take any overnight oil off before I start my morning routine.

It was the one common factor I found across every dermatologist/ beauty person online so I thought it was the essential. I do wear foundation as between melasma and rosacea I need something to even my skin tone.

This dermatologist recommends single cleanse actually. I find she gives excellent advice

www.instagram.com/drnataliaspierings?igsh=cjAwMmVlc2s1amtm

Thanks!

Are you taking/doing anything for the rosacea? It might be worth clearing that up first, so you're not aggravating the sensitivity with heavy foundation, and then double cleansing to remove it all. I get Soolantra on prescription which helps a lot with sporadic flare-ups (in the form of pustules, rather than general redness). Since I started using it about five years ago, my rosacea has really calmed down dramatically, and I find I don't need much coverage.

If I step out of my usual simple regime - cleanser/flanner, then No7 serum, SPF40 moisturiser, or a very gentle retinol cream at night - the rosacea erupts. It's taken nearly a fortnight to get over a random Aldi sun screen!

Get Soolantra for the rosacea (you can get it on private prescription from an online pharmacy for about £40). It works.

Thanks @FlyHalf and @MayaPinion you’re right, I should deal with the rosacea first- I’ve used the difficulty of GPs appointments as an excuse but now I see you can sort online, I should just get on with it!

I have been using cerave and even though it makes my skin sensitive, it works perfectly for my skin. So here is my routine that I follow:
Morning:
Using micellar water to clean my face,
Sebamed clear face gel,
Amber Solaire Uktra spf
Evening:
Cerave moisturizer with ceramides,
Tretinoin (0.1) from skinorac
Sebamed clear facial gel