Help! My skin!!

[CardyMow]

I've always had 'normal' skin, a wash with plain water has done me, only ever got one spot (when it was that time of the month). This week, however, I am mid-cycle, and my skin has gone....odd! I am covered in spots on my forehead, sides of my face and my chin, but my cheeks are soooo dry it's unbelievable. I've tried to use some moisturiser, the only one I've got is some palmers cocoa butter lotion, but it hasn't made a difference to my cheeks, and I've tried both clearasil sensitive cleanser and that neutrogena wave thingy on the spotty bits. The clearasil hasn't helped, and I only used the neutrogena thingy 3 times as the perfume in it is really cloying and makes me feel sick. Has anyone got any advice for me? (I didn't even suffer from spots as a teenager, and I'm 28 now!!)

I would say do as little as possible to your skin. Experience has taught me that the more you mess around with lotions and potions the worse it gets.

Sorry I'm not much help.

As Cobblers suggests, do very little to your skin for a while, and see whether this is just a one off and it gets better.

If it does not get better, do not waste your time and money on lots of different creams, etc. Go and see your GP.

What would the GP be able to do? I thought all they could offer was a contraceptive, which is not much use as DP & I are ttc. And I'm allergic to antibiotics. I've been like this for 2 weeks altogether, left skin well alone for the first week, then have tried the 2 things mentioned due to major embarrasment of pizza face/flaky cheek combo....

Dermalogica products are fantastic - if you have a salon locally that retails them they usually do something called 'face mapping' they look really closely at your skin and give you loads of advice and a product 'prescription'. where i live the face mapping is free and there is no obligation to buy products. Although they do sell a kind of kit with trial sizes of everything they recommend. you may find they have some insight into your problems. i went nearly three years ago and have been a convert to dermalogica products ever since. they are quite expensive to buy but last for ages and i feel are really worth it? my skin used to be really up and down and I haven't had any problems with it since - even through pregnancy/sleepless nights etc

I'm allergic to almost all ab's though. That's why I was thinking about something topical to put ON my skin IYSWIM. It's a complete PITA the ab thing, but the ONLY one me & GP have found safe for me is cefalexin, and tbh, thinking about it, the skin flare up started during my last course of them, for an ear infection I had...And I'm desperate, so how would I find out about dermalogica and if there's a salon near me?

Have you done a pregnancy test recently?? - skin changes and feeling sick - just a thought!!

Maybe you're pg?!

If you've developed acne you can't really do much if you're ttc or bfing. I'd use some really plain, non-allergic, non-lathering cleanser like cetaphil, and a similar moisturiser and try not to do anything to irritate your skin. It could be an allergic reaction maybe, in which case it should pass.

If it carries on, you could try using benzoyl peroxide gel night and morning under your moisturiser. It's quite effective and OK if ttc.

Dermalogica sounds a lot nicer though!

I was about to say - take a pregnancy test! It is the most likely thing.

Other than that, use some olive oil to cleanse your skin - it will clear up the spots and moisturise the dry bits.

Your skin does change as you get older and you will probably find that you need to start using some products.

yes, olive oil. warm up in your palms, massage lightly and rinse with lukewarm water. Pat dry.
Honey is also very good to heal inflamed skin.. Mix with a little olive oil, apply as a mask and rinse with lukewarm water.
Drink/eat probiotic yogurt for an inside out cleanse following ab course.

I doubt I can be pg, we've had a bad month with illness in the DC's/my ear infection, and haven't DONE anything this month due to tiredness IYSWIM , and I did a test as last monthly was 2 days late, was negative. And I'd know if I was pg, have always had terrible HG (hyperemesis gravidarium)each time from before a pg test would show positive until birth.

Wow poor you with the HG. Hope it's better next time.

How's your diet been? My skin seems really sensitive to what I eat. I went through a week or two of having no choc or crap after Xmas, and my skin was fine. The minute I started eating all that again and fatty food and alcohol, then the zits started appearing. Problem is, I love all the bad stuff, can't give it up for the sake of better skin!

If you are not pregnant maybe it is ovulation - have you only recently come off a pill or something?

I vote for leaving your skin to settle for a bit then perhaps going to see your GP before going to a salon for a bit of skin mapping.

I have really sensitive skin and get eczema on my face when stressed or if I've eaten too much dairy. The other week, it flared up and I had no cream for it so used some aqueous cream I found in the cupboard. BIG mistake. I looked like my face had been set on fire. I was really scary looking.

Anyway, while the steroid cream the GP gave me seemed to help the thing that really sorted the horrible problem was a dermalogica moisturiser. It was like magic. I had a sample from when I had a facial and just tried it on a bit of my sore skin. It was better by the next morning. Miracle. So, I went out and bought a proper tube .

Hope it gets sorted soon

Problem is, everyone is different. Aqueous cream is fine for me, but have tried various Dermalogica stuff and it all has the same effect - fine for a few days then awful - tight, red, itchy, peeling. Must be sensitiv to something in it.

E45 works well too, I used to use Clarins but now always use E45 instead.

And it's so much cheaper

I also highly rate dermalogica for my very unpredictable skin.

Their special cleansing gel is very gentle and certainly wont do the same kind of damage / irritation that something like clearasil would.

Moisturiser wise I would keep it very simple, nothing that's going to clog (like cocoa butter)

Have you tried the very basic and cheap Nivea oil free moisturising lotion?

I think your skin would have to be dodgy for a while before the doc would consider prescribing something?

I had something similar recently and went to the docs to find that I had an outbreak of ecsema. It was a sort of wet ecsema rather than dry and looked like acne. Went away with hydrocotrisone, but I am struggling now cos it keeps on coming back. Have had to really up the moisturising cream and am currently using Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream which I usually reserve for extra dry hands. So far so good.