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Hello everyone, so I think i damaged my skin pretty bad by misusing salsylic acid srub and tretinoin cream. Since then my skin has been a mess, and intolerable to the 2 basic cleanser and moisterizers ive been using for the past 10 years. Ive decided to try the caveman method, no washing (not even with water) and no moisterizer. Im on day three and my skin actually looks like its improving, no new pimples and the existing ones are going down. However my skin feels pretty tight and dry, no flaking or anything, it just feel really tight. Is this normal? I would have thought there would be some oil buildup after no washing for 3 days, but theres really not. My question is: is it possible to permanatly damage the acid mantle layer? Im worried thats what I did by misusing topicals. Ive always had oily skin and my now skin feel really tight and uncomfortable. Also wondering, are you supossed to do the cave man method short term until your skin begins healing or is this a long term thing? I cant imagine never washing my face again. I wanted to try it for awhile and eventually slowing begin bringing a gentle cleanser back into my regimin. Please respond with any info or input!!!!!!!
Your acid mantle layer is sweat and sebum secreted every day. And no, the 'caveman' method isn't meant to be short term.
You don't need soap or cleansers. I haven't used them in a couple of years now except for hand washing. However, if you feel you must, you can restore acidity to your skin quickly by applying an acidic toner. This is one of the main reasons people use dilluted apple cider vinegar.
Your skin will be feeling dry and tight because it is dehydrated. You should wash your face just with water (for cleanliness and hygiene reasons) and also you need to use a moisturiser to hydrate your skin (you can get products that will hydrate your skin without making it oilier). This should stop it from feeling tight and dry. Also drink lots of water as this will also help hydrate your skin. Hope this helps.
I agree with Kay ^ By not letting *anything* touch it its going to dehydrate, which is the opposite effect of what you want right now - just rinse it with water once a day. I wouldnt reccomend moisturizer though bc theres going to be a lot of dead skin on your face and I dont know how well moisturizer would react with that. Your skins natural oils will retain moisture from the water you rinse it with.