Crappy skin.......What can I use??

[Songbiirdheartsfootball]

I have really terrible skin on my face. It is quite dry yet really spotty yet terribly sensitive and now starting to age . I have to try and stick to natural products because I'm allergic or intolerant to quite a lot (yes even simple productes) but I just can't find anything that will clear up my spots and not bring me out in a rash.

It's actually really starting to get me down. In my teens I had really good skin without acne but now it's just horrible, and the skin around my eyes are beginning to really crease yet eye creams make my incredibly sensitive eyes water.

Does anybody have any kind of advice or recommendations? Didn't really know where to put this so I hope it's in the right place.

I know there are people who completely deny the link between what you eat and the condition of your skin. But when I went low carb, eating no sugar or wheat, no crap basically, and ate lots of good fats and protein, drank a shitload of water and cut out the caffine, my god my skin was like a babys. It's worth making the effort with your diet first and foremost. My mum has incredibly sensitive skin, the worst eczema I've ever seen, and uses Simple products with no problem at all, but if that's a problem then Body shop is worth a try. My youngest has terrible skin and Lush of all places has got some great products which have caused no adverse reaction at all.

your skin sounds exactly like my sisters, she really suffered until she started using Biotherm's super-sensitive range (forget what it's actually called) she raves about it. Think you get concessions in larger Boots and House Of Fraser. They should do you a couple of samples. Cutting out booze and drinking loads of water should help too (not that I'm suggesting you're some kind of boozehound )

Thanks, I don't think I do drink enough water tbh, I guess I really should start with that and maybe I'll try the biotherm. I've tried both bodyshop and lush and for other parts of my body they're fine but on my face they always bring me up in a rash. I even tried liz earle but her stuff's makes not difference.

Not sure how 'natural' bodyshop etc are but I've recently tried John Masters organic skin care range. It's not cheap but my skin has improved so much since using it and it really is totally natural.

My skin seemed to change a lot both during and after pregnancy.

Another brand I like is Melvita. You can buy both online.

I had skin like yours and after a course of Roaccutane I now use Clarins one step facial cleanser and toner here It is £17.50 in Boots but it last months and I only buy it when I can get promo points!

La Roche Posay is a great brand with ranges for lots of different skin types. My friend is a dermatologist and I rely on her for all my skincare advice and this is the brand she recommends to her patients. You can get it in larger Boots stores.

If you can make it to your nearest department store then ask for some samples to test out first. I did this after I explained to the women on the counter I would spend a fortune on a cleanser/toner that actually worked and didn't bring my face out in a rash but I really grudged spending £20 a time on stuff I was giving away after a week.

That's true wellmeant the amount of flippin cleansers and moisturisers I have that cost a small fortune just sitting in my bathroom cabinet it's a bloody shame. I wouldn't even mind if I was well off!

I can second what Hurley is saying - I know you dont see instant results but diet really does have an impact on my skin.

I've had similar problems and must have tried every product suitable for sensitive problem skin. Some products were kinder than others, but none really made a massive difference.

What worked for me though was N-light laser treatments, totally painless but rather expensive. I probably had 4-5 sessions altogether over 1.5 years - excellent results!

I also used Jan Marini products recommended in that skin clinic. I was rather sceptical about switching to another product line yet again, but they did not try to sell me the whole range but recommended three specific products (not the ones I would have chosen myself if I were just reading the catalogue), and I've become quite a fan. Don't use them exclusively (and don't really like the smell) but they are still a staple of my (rather promiscuous) cosmetics repertoire.

I really like Lush baby face and Ultrabland. Has done wonders for my skin.

I always had good skin then for some reason around 25 I started getting spots on my chin. Big red sore spots. I worked for a skincare company called Collin (pronounced Colan) so was able to get lot of free treatments and advice an now my skin is perfect again. The brand is not that well know because they arent available on high street only from salons. Champneys use them.
www.collin.ltd.uk/ I would definitely recomend them.Go to a salon and they will make sure you are treating your skin properly.

I also like Simple products too.

Alot of things happened around the time my skin went haywire so I put slot of it down to stress.

I get eczema and have very dry, sensitive skin. My mum read about Q10 supplements and brought me a 3 month supply to try. They really worked clearing up the bad patches I had. Asda sell Q10 now its about £2 a months supply and took a couple of months to have any effect.

I also second what people have said about water. Makes a big difference if I'm drinking plenty.

I recently did a proper experiment, subject to strict controls and independent scrutiny where I gave up bread of all types (ie wholemeal and white) and it cleared my spots up completely. I caved in and bought a sandwich after about a month cos I had such bad cravings and the spots all came back. But I am about to start the whole bread ban again, I was so impressed with the results.

Oh on the bread thing one of the TV chefs was talking about british breads all being made with fast acting yeasts and not traditional starters. He implied that in countries where more breads are made in traditional ways, like France, there are few bread related side effects. I did start experimenting with making sour dough but it was all a bit time consuming so I gave up after a couple of weeks. Not a scientific experiment at all.

I got adult acne OP. I have been seeing a dermatologist for the last 10 months. I take a drug called spironolactone which is effective for hormonal acne - it took about 3-4 months for my skin to clear up but now I almost never get a spot. I use a range called
Avene (they have a selection called 'cleanance' for spot-prone skin) on the dermatologist's recommendation and I am happy with it.

But - taking strong meds is obviously quite drastic, so trying the diet thing first seems like a good idea. I would give it at least 2 months before judging whether or not it's having an effect.

Good luck! Bad skin is depressing, and spots plus wrinkles is the pits!

I have dry sensitive skin,and use Origins products,find them great.My childminder has terribly sensitive skin,she couldn't use any make up,and very few products.She is using Bare Minerals now,and swears by it.I notice quite a few of the celebs are using it too,as it is so natural.

Wow loads of suggestions cheers ladies! I've just been looking into origins and think they might be a good bet, will have to pop into boots and speak to their sa. Have starting drinking double the amount of water so hoping that will help a bit too.

i used to be spotty, sensitive and dry skinned all at the same time....until i discovered liz earl products, its balanced my skin and now its neither dry or greasy and i rarely get spots. You can buy small trial sizes too.

Also use the bare minerals foundation which i think helps keep my skin clear and i use estee lauder double for when i know my photo will be taken, still have a few marks left from spots.