Rough skin on face

[Gwenhwyfar]

My face feels so dry it's rough to the touch. Glycolic acid and moisturising helps a bit, but not that much. Paula's Choice exfoliator doesn't seem to help at all.

Can anyone suggest a product or treatment?

I find if I over exfoliate my skin actually feels rougher, so now I use a cleansing balm at night with a flannel, I double cleanse. The flannel is enough to gently exfoliate my skin, I then apply an oil lightly. Caroline Hirons and Nadine Baggot are good to watch on Instagram for good skin tips.

Have you tried cerave facewash for rough skin? So good...

I don't overexfoliate though.

Not sure I've even seen. I will look, thanks.

I like using the Body Shop gentle peels. They aren't harsh but just remove the dirt and read cell and leave my skin soft.

The Body Shop has completely closed down in my country I think. Maybe I need a professional peel?

Sorry @Gwenhwyfar when you mentioned glycolic acid and the Paulas Coice exfoliator, I thought you had maybe used them together.
The Cerave stuff mentioned upthread is excellent, comes in a pump dispenser, so great for in the shower, I use it if my skin gets rough too, but if I stick to a double cleanse with balm and a flannel, the roughness is kept at bay.

It's max once or twice a week for each of them and not the same night.

I would stop exfoliating for a bit and see what happens, use a good thick moisturiser too. It could be that your skin doesn't like the exfoliators you're using and they're actually contributing to the problem. I've had that happen before with glycolic type products.

Well I went all tiktok and tried tallow.
my skin hasn’t looked so good in years. Yes that’s lard, beef ! No fancy products I just bought a jar of organic tallow.

What sort did you buy? Sounds good.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor from Amazon I think it’s called hunter gather

Thank you,I will order some. My grandmother was in service from 12 and she told me all the maids used to use left over butter and lard on their skin,she had the most beautiful skin ever so I'm willing to give it a go!

My skin could be a but like this but it's not a quick fix necessarily.

I exfoliate in the shower once or twice a week. If I feel I'm getting a but of a build up I use an acid exfoliate over my t zone before a shower.

I have been cleansing with a balm amd warm fa's cloth for years - I feel that is very helpful. Good moisteriser and for my skin which is very dry, a serum too at night. I have been using a very low grade retinol for about 7 months noe and that's helped too.

In the morning a vitamin c serum often also has a slight exfoliating effect which i think helps too. I also.quite like the Ordinary one in silicon as it seems to sort of smooth my skin, but it's very high dose.

People are misunderstanding. I exfoliate 1-2 times a week or even less. It can't be that the problem is caused by exfoliating. I got the glycolic acid and the Paula's Choice in reaction to having the rough skin.

Thanks. I use a serum and a moisturiser. The night one has some retinol. They don't seem to do much.
I cleanse with a balm, but it's not actually good enough and I'm too lazy to double cleanse.
I used to use a vitamin C serum, but I stopped as it wasn't moisturising. I also gave up on the hyaluronic acid serum.

Could it be Keratosis Pilaris? Ameliorate might be worth a look.

www.ameliorate.com/

I'm in my 70s and skin quite good though it doesn't renew as often as it used to. When I feel bumpy/dead bits, I use REN Ready Steady Glow daily tonic ( no more than twice a week) and then a vit c serum followed by Glysolid in a red tin - recommended on here and bought off Amazon. It's amazing and I'm a total convert.

I'm going to recommend the SA cereve wash as well. It's a little harsh at first but it's excellent for texture

Wow yes I’ve heard similar stories.
I use it at night after my usual glycolic facial wash. What I notice is my skin stays soft and supple all day, blemishes heal really quickly , and my make up stays smoother without becoming dry. But I don’t notice any residual greasiness at all, it absorbs beautifully. Younger looking, fresher skin.

I love Cerave but this really burned my skin , so be careful if you're a sensitive soul.

What makes you so sure it can't be the exfoliating? That's the first thing I'd stop and see if it helps. Once or twice a week is way too frequently for my skin, mine would be bumpy. I'd ditch that and find time to double cleanse properly.

Because I started exfoliating when I got rough skin.

Can I just ask @Cherryicesonice does the tallow smell?

@Rina66 yes honestly it has a faint burger aroma. It’s minimal but I won’t lie, it’s there!