I am not The Weeknd, I can feel my face

[TeaHagTeaBag]

All. the. fucking. time. And I hate it. I've always had dehydrated skin despite drinking 2-3l a day. It gets sore when I don’t have enough sleep. I'm low maintenance skincare, wet face cloth in the morning, blob of Aveeno sensitive baby cream, same at night, for years and it worked pretty well. I've never found a sunscreen or make up that hasn't felt trowled on and had me scraping it off within a few hours (simple cleanser lotion and wet facecloth). I added The Inky List hyaluronic acid last year and the Aveeno specific night cream which seemed to be working well.

The last few months have been hectic and stressful and my sleep has suffered and my skin doesn't seem to be bouncing back. Even if it's not sore, my skin feels tight all the time and I'm weirdly aware of my face all the time. I've also found I seem to be allergic to things which has never been an issue before (i tried an oil of olay 7 signs one, 2x cerave, and a richer Aveeno), they are either making me itchy or giving me puffy eyes.

I don't want a massive routine that I won't stick to, but can any gurus suggest something to make it stop? Would a lack of progesterone be a factor? (I had a hysterectomy earlier in the year and while I'm on estrogen patches, the gynae didn't prescribe progesterone.) Any help gratefully received 🙏

I'm allergic to anything with perfumes in and have eczema/allergic dermatitis and generally itchy with lots of things. I know what you mean about feeling aware of it, mine is telling me now that it needs moisture 😂 I use Lavera organic all round cream, it's in a round tin like boot polish, sorry can't do links, it's about £10 and lasts for ages, main constituents i think are shea butter and almond oil and is very soothing.

Thank you, I'll have a look at that.

Lack of oestrogen makes you feel tight, dry and itchy.

Maybe you need to lock water in with the skin care- use the aveeno twice, once with a wet face so the wet aveeno sits on the skin, then again when your face has dried a bit.

Curel. Just buy the set it's all brilliant and great for sensitive skin. They do a trial set.

Try supplementing with a good omega 3 supplement and you will feel the difference. Flaxseed oil or fish oil etc.

plus a rich moisturiser

It could be hormonal but then you say you've always had dehydrated skin. Your skincare routine makes me feel dry just reading it. Try cleansing at night with a balm cleanser and follow it up with a rich night cream. I like the M&S Formula cream. You may need to exfoliate. Try adding an AHA chemical exfoliant (e.g. Pixi Glow) once or twice a week at night after cleansing but before moisturising.

Oils can be good too. I like to use Biossance Vit C Squalane Rose Oil followed by Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask in the morning when my skin is unusually dry (especially in the winter).

Also are you applying hyaluronic acid to damp skin?

Just ordered it . Will give it a go . Thank you .

Palmers cocoa butter on a night? I use it and it's great(but in the eveni g rather than just before bed so it has to.e to sink in)

Every once in a while I use Bio Oil on my face too.

I'm not massively into skin care as you can probably tell!

Thanks for all the advice. I'll remembered earlier that I have some weleda skin food that I'll try next. The curel sounds interesting. I have been using the hyaluronic acid on damp skin and even double dosing the aveeno on top isn't enough at the moment. I have flax seed in my breakfast most days and take evening primrose oil that also has vitamin e in it. Does Palmers still smell like coconut? It used to make me gag! I tried blue nivea years ago but it just kind of sat on my skin. I've also tried l'occitane ultra riche night cream but again it didn't seem to actually penetrant somehow. Same with a sweet almond oil I used for a bit.

Sorry, I know I seem to be dismissing suggestions, but I'll definitely look into the curel and upping my flax seeds and vit e. I didn't think of them. I have a vit c/spf/tinted moisturiser that I tried recently but didn't love it so maybe I need to persevere with that too?

@TeaHagTeaBag it does seem like you're dismissing suggestions, yes. If moisturising products are sitting on top of your skin and not absorbing it's even more of a reason to consider exfoliation.

I have similar sounding skin and mix and match from Aveeno, Cerave and Cetaphil.. Cetaphil night cream is amazing
I also use a smear of sudocrem under if skin is really sore or even a dab of Vaseline.
In my experience, less is more with skin.
I’m 60 and often told I look younger

I find hyaluronic acid too drying, as soon as I stopped using it my skin felt so much better!

I now only use Cerave ceramides lotion, the one with the pump. It lasts for ages. Some nights I apply it quite thick and let it slowly absorb in.

It was initially a temporary measure, I'd had a roseacea flair up and just needed a one-product cleanser and moisturiser to calm my skin.
I'd intended to research and buy other products once my skin calmed down, but to my amazement I don't actually need anything else.

I use soft warm damp face cloths to remove makeup and "wash" my face, but of micellar water on cotton pads for my eyes and then cerave ceramides.

I feel ridiculous replying to anything on s&b but you seem a lot like me, in that you don't have a long skincare routine and use five different products a day!
I wash my face with warm water and a flannel- this is basically cleansing isn't it! Sometimes use a cleansing wash from Aldi for this. Then I use rosehip oil. MUA told me this when she did my makeup (for an academic TV thing, I'm not the type to get MUAs often!) She said it's far and away the best thing for dry skin and that no-one needs all these serums and different creams for layering etc.

Oh and I forgot, if I have a few weeks days when I cba with the oil, and I feel really dry, I do an overnight layer of Vaseline. I think they call it slugging? It's very weird but works wonders for me.

I missed your suggestion earlier. I tried pixie glow twice a week for about a month and it left me feeling wind burned.

@Notknots how was hyaluronic acid drying? I understood it should lock in moisture?

@taswair ill look into rosehip oil, thanks.

Hyaluronic acid draws moisture from the environment so if your skin is dry to begin with, and you're not adding in moisture/water, it draws that moisture from within your skin.

And I think some people just find it irritating. It can be the hyaluronic acid itself, the amount of HA or an added ingredient in the serum.

Cerave ceramides lotion has added hyaluronic acid and I'm fine with that, I should have said my problem is with high levels of HA in serums.

If you've always suffered with this I imagine it's something on the inside that lathering product on isn't going to fix. A deficiency or hormonal issue

Anthea Turner Balm 6.

which is the cereve ceramides with the pump? A few have pumps and I’m a bit confused. Thank you!

I’d see your GP and asked for a referral to a Dermatologist.

I just looked at that cream because I also have fragrance allergies and contact dermatitis. It's loaded with fragrances! Are you sure this is the cream you use, or is there one with a similar name?

I use castor oil at night mixed with jojoba oil (50/50) and my skin has never looked better.

I'm similar OP and will say that hyaluronic acid simply doesn't work for me and regardless of following all the advice for proper usage just ends up making my skin feel tighter and dryer as the day progresses.

Cerave (and similar versions)I don't find hydrating enough or anything special.

Whats worked for me is an oil cleanser to cleanse in the evening with a flannel (currently a beauty of joseon one) followed by a cream cleanser as a second cleanse. Cream cleanser in the morning and moisturise immediately afterwards.

I use the Byoma hydrating serum morning and evening before moisturising on damp skin, then moisturise. Not overly glamorous but the only one I've found really works for dry skin without feeling heavy is the Eucerin 5% urea face cream.

When I'm wearing makeup I make sure it's hydrating (serum foundations or BB creams) and avoid powder based blushes and eyeshadows, opt for creams instead and then set it with powder only in small areas if necessary.

Omega 3 supplements and staying properly hydrated I think do also help. Laneige sleeping mask for the lips is also lovely as a general lip balm.