Flaking skin on DDs face - teen - help please!

[Mykittensmittens]

Prom in a couple of weeks and she’s not happy. She is autistic which also means the prospect of taking her to someone to do make-up (or for a facial etc) is an absolute no.

she currently has blotchy red acne, diagnosed, and is using prescription gel. It’s been almost a year and it’s not only effective periodically and right now she’s having another bad patch.

she wears no makeup at home, uses the gel and a light moisturizer, but insists on covering her whole face with concealer for school (an ELF one, with a wand). Within 2-3 hours it’s flaking - badly - but she will not go to school without it on. She says she is using a primer under the concealer and exfoliating regularly.

she’s getting more and more self conscious and with prom looming I don’t know what to suggest. Without the concealer all over her skin doesn’t look flaky at all. Is the concealer causing it? Or the primer? I don’t know much about makeup at all but it’s really getting her down if anyone has any ideas?

If it's red and angry with a mix of spots/dryness, I suspect she's been using products with too harsh ingredients and has damaged her skin barrier.

It's definitely fixable though! Agree switching from micellar water to a cleansing balm (followed by a second cleanse - suggest she can continue with the Simple face wash) will help. Is it possible to add a hydrating toner before her moisturiser?

Once her skin has calmed down a bit, i find Paula's Choice BHA lotion great at clearing up congestion and it's not too harsh (only apply where needed and keep moisturising!).

Blending sponge definitely needs to be damp before using. Also make sure she is washing it regularly.

Try a 1% hydrocortisone cream on the flaky areas of skin. My dd is currently using benzo peroxide on her face and uses some steroid cream on dry areas.

I get flaky skin from tretinoin if I use it too often and at a high strength. I think it speeds up the skin turnover at quite a deep level. My 15 year old son also has flaky skin and acne and it's definitely the prescription stuff he uses that causes the flakiness. In both cases I sort of think it's a finite process...there's a limit to how much skin can flake off! So I tend not to pick it or exfoliate too much and instead use thick basic unscented French pharmacy moisturiser at night (or any one from Boots) and have got my son to do the same. The flaking clears up in our cases pretty quickly. The acne is improving but it's a very slow process it seems!!

Steroid cream or hydrocortisone is a big no no on your face I understand. Initial improvement and then it comes back worse. My brother years ago was a prime example of this disaster.

Benzo peroxide is fine though.

I struggled with really flaky skin to the point where I couldn’t wear make up at all. I started using the brand The Ordinary from boots, I got the cleanser, the moisturiser and the hyaluronic acid and my face now stays hydrated all day long. Make up blends perfectly now as well.

Totally get it. My autistic daughter has very cystic acne. She tried the pill from age 11 but put on loads of weight with it so stopped it last year. She refuses to use anything prescribed on her face. She uses the tree face wash and moisturiser etc from body shop but seems to have constant cystic patches. Not helped by picking and squeezing. She also has prom soon. She never usually even wears make up but is allowing her sister to help with it for prom as she has zero idea how to wear it. Her pre teen sister is just the opposite and wears all the products you can think of.

I suspect the gel is drying her skin out. The medicated stuff does that. It’s the same gel we tried pre pill. The skin on the nose is thinner so possibly reacting more than the cheeks. It’s hard then to moisturise oily skin - I’ve had oily skin and still get acne at 48. I use a very light moisturiser.

How often does she exfoliate? That can aggravate skin! Chemical exfoliants are best, and maybe only use them once a week.

Can the GP prescribe antibiotics?

I apply my makeup with a foundation brush then lightly smooth it with my fingers. I find it looks a lot more even and flakes less. I also put the makeup on the brush to apply it. I like the way the brush feels and find it far less aggressive on my skin than male up sponges. (I have Sensory Processing Disorder).

I had acne as a teen, and any topical treatment the Doctor gave me irritated my skin. Sounds like your daughter has sensitive skin like me too. The only treatment that worked for me was being prescribed the contraceptive pill Dianette, used primarily for acne, which I have checked is still available. It cleared my skin up completely.

I’d get rid of the skincare get her to try dr sams

im autistic and have dry spotty skin I changed my face wash and it got spottier hence why I’ve gone back to dr Sam’s. I use coats water based moisturiser which is great for my sensory issues as you feel you aren’t wearing anything

foundation I use Estée Lauder doublewear

It could be the acne treatment causing it

if you have TikTok look up Natalie O’Neil

Allergic reaction? Parfum reaction? The only way to heal it quickly would be over the counter hydrocortisone

It’s not prescribed that often now as it’s an old school pill. I had this one too. My DD was given Regivedon (not sure on spelling) for acne more recently. Even my own pill has been changed recently to a new brand of the same ingredients.

I’m wondering if she might actually have acne rosacea? I spent years believing it was just acne - I switched to acne rosacea treatments after having an episode of rosacea in my eyes which was the give away - the difference was night and day.

Don’t use a steroid cream 😳 sounds like she has a damaged skin barrier and a dermatology appointment if possible (and affordable ) sounds like the best idea .
in the meantime Avene does do a barrier repair cream tolerance control soothing skin recovery cream it’s in a sterile tube

I missed all these helpful posts, sorry! And thank you!

Shes decided the flaking is way worse than her spots, so she’s going to stop the gel for a bit and I will get her a GP appt for next week. Her argument is she can hide the redness and spots well, but not the flaking. After prom she won’t be in school and won’t want to wear all that mask of makeup every day, so she can have some time ‘off’ and see how her skin is.

shes already on the pill (microgynon) due to heavy periods.

these have arrived today thanks to recommendations. I suggested getting a colour match for double wear as a treat for prom - again not keen on going to beauty counters etc but I’ll keep asking as she does sometimes change her mind with time to think.

I think the spots have flared up recently as she has been in all these exams leaning on her face, inadvertently picking, which she knows doesn’t help. Plus exam stress, plus other stuff (bullying, boys etc!). It definitely comes in flares - she can have weeks when her skin is brilliant, then at the moment really bad and getting her down.

rosacea is an interesting point - when she micellar waters then washes her face with a mild wash to get the makeup off, her cheeks are SO red afterwards - then within an hour it calms right down. Hopefully after today she won’t use that water any more. I am still pushing the dermatology appt with her too - I will do some research on local offerings today.

Dr sams face wash helped me I found Liz Earle to be good aswell but dr sams is the best if she’s pale then I’m 1N0 porcelain the other two lighter shades are for really pale skin. I’m a picker aswell you sound a really supportive mum also avoid anything with the ingredient MI/MCI it’s an known allergen for dermatitis I can’t use anything with it in

I go through flares too sometimes when I consume too much sugar I thought it was bull but I think it’s true

Yes could potentially be rosacea if she has redness and sensitivity as well as pimples .
Triggers ( but not causes ) are harsh skincare products, heat , sunshine ☀️ certain food and drinks , stress

My son was diagnosed with seborrhoeic dermatitis last year, which seems very similar to the issues your Dd has been experiencing. He also suffers from acne and has been on long-term antibiotics, which have helped to some extent.

We had tried numerous prescribed creams and lotions, but they made little difference. A few weeks ago, we switched to the CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser, and I also came across Capri Oil online, which had excellent reviews. We decided to give it a try, and within two days, his skin looked 50% better. After a week, his skin looked completely normal—no redness, flakiness, soreness, or itchiness as before.

He has now been using the oil for about six weeks, and the results have been nothing short of a miracle. His skin looks fantastic, and his confidence has improved enormously

Maybe speak to Dr about switching to Dianette contraceptive pill

It's the only thing that touched my acne (I didn't try Roaccutane)

Was gutted when I had to come off it!

Concealer can be very drying so a moisturizing foundation or bun cereal might work better. I have psoriasis as well and use https://www.delhiciousbody.com/collections/frontpage/products/migh-tea-moisture-multipurpose-balm-fragrance-free at night on just the dry area wich helps with make up during the day.

You’ve had really good ideas from pp’s, you may want to also consider perioral dermatitis. It can be exacerbated by certain products and those in particular which clog pores or quite harsh.
I had it recently and it takes time to get rid of, Rozex cream (not the gel) works wonders.