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Sensitive Skin (Trying Diet Adjustments)...what To Wash With? Advice For A Beginner..

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(@margot1126)

Posted : 09/26/2012 11:12 pm

Hey Everyone,

 

So - I'm a newbie here. I have tried - literally - EVERYTHING to help my acne, as the further along I get with my "acne knowledge" the more acne I have. In high school, I was able to control my acne with Proactiv. However, the product eventually stopped working for me. When I was in high school, I have no recollection of having "sensitive skin," but as I've gotten a bit older (24 now), my skin feels like its constantly sore. I've tried:

 

-non-acne specific, heavy-moisture regimens

-acne-specific benzoyl peroxide regimens (Proactiv)

-salycilic acid regimens (Clinque, various natural brands)

-oil regiment (only tried for a two weeks..visibly improved my skin, but didn't get rid of acne, and I found it quite drying)

 

Now that I'm older, my skin seems like its always dry, even when I am using moisturizing regimens.

 

I went through a period of about 3 months where I completely stopped using makeup. Didn't help.

 

Anyways, the point is that I seem to have quite sensitive skin. My skin is quite blotchy, though not necessarily rosacea skin, I don't think. I have fairly large pores. My acne is only really severe around my mouth, but I have what looks like very small cystic acne all over my face. I have almost no problem with body acne.

 

I have heard that acne around the mouth can signal a food allergy. I want to try both dairy-free and gluten-free living. Does anyone have any advice on if I should do both at once, one at a time, etc? Or does anyone have any advice on how long it will take to notice a difference if it does turn out to be a food allergy/sensitivity issue?

 

Lastly, does anyone have any recs for what to wash with? I'm seriously at a loss. I stopped trying new things because I thought my skin was probably just mad at me for switching regimens every three months. So, I've been doing the same (moisturizing, not acne-specific) regimen for about a year, and my skin feels just as mad at me as ever. Please help! Thanks for reading all this way!

 

TIA!

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(@alternativista)

Posted : 09/27/2012 1:22 pm

Water. And Oil cleanse to remove make up.

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(@ghost08)

Posted : 09/27/2012 2:27 pm

I have sensitive skin also! You can check out my regimen in my signature.

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(@kdowell)

Posted : 11/01/2012 12:11 pm

I also have really sensitive skin! Mine is super oily, but dry and flaky at the same time...I'm not sure how that works, but it's so frustrating. I can either have clear skin that's visibly flaky, or fairly moisturized skin with moderate breakouts. My skin is also blotchy. I'm really into the idea of natural skin care treatments, and have tried it in the past, but never stuck with it because it was less convenient than bottled acne treatments. I used to use benzoyl peroxide treatments, which kept my light-to-moderate acne under control, but dried out my skin terribly and made it itchy and sore.

 

A week ago, I decided to try homemade, natural remedies again. This time, I'm going to stick with it for longer than a few weeks! I wash my face with oatmeal that I put in a small food processor to make a finer powder that was still fairly course. I keep the dry oatmeal in a bottle, and when I need some, I dump some into my palm, add warm water, and rub onto my face. I try to leave it on for a few minutes. Then I wash it all off with warm water and splash some diluted apple cider vinegar onto my face and immediately wash off again with water. I do this to balance out my skin pH and close up my pores a bit (it also makes my skin more even toned). If I leave it on for too long, then it really irritates my skin. The oatmeal washes off the dirt and excess oil without stripping all of the moisture out of my skin. Occasional egg white masks and honey masks also make my skin softer.

 

I've only been doing this for a week, but I've seen great results so far! My skin is so much happier, and doesn't feel so dry anymore. It's looking much less blotchy, and it's starting to have a healthier glow. My acne hasn't improved yet, but I haven't gotten any new breakouts, either (the acne I currently have is from before I went natural, and hasn't completely gone away yet.) I'm thinking that most of my acne is due is my skin being so irritated all the time. I hope this helps! I'll try to post back sometime in a month or so to let you know if it continues to improve my skin. I'm trying hard now not to go the easy route of bottled chemicals. It takes extra time to go natural, but I think it will be worth it if I stick with it and my skin will thank me!

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(@dejaclairevoyant)

Posted : 11/01/2012 12:40 pm

I would do both gluten and dairy free at once. Eliminate soy too, if you haven't already. These are all major allergens. Other grains and foods can be as well, but those are a good place to start. See if you improve, and if you do, you can gradually and systematically test each of those things to see which ones are the worst triggers for you, if any.

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(@emt813)

Posted : 11/01/2012 5:14 pm

I am considering a gluten-free/dairy-free diet as well so I'm curious to see what advice others have regarding those dietary changes! I also have super sensitive skin. I have been using Agera's Salicylic Wash since middle school (I'm twenty now so it's been quite a while!). I have to order it online from skinterra.com, but it's not super expensive, contains 2% salicylic acid and is fragrance and dye-free. I have had a lot of trouble finding a moisturizer that works well with my skin but I've finally settled on Neutrogena's Oil-Free Moisture for Sensitive Skin. It is much more widely available than the cleanser I use and half the price. It sinks in to my skin well but I've figured out that I have to use a little bit more of it than I would other moisturizers to help with the flaking from the prescriptions I use. My mom uses CeraVe's cleanser and moisturizers and loves them, but the few times I've used the moisturizer it left my skin too shiny and stung. Cetaphil is another option to look into... I used it when I was growing up. In fact, besides the Agera cleanser I use now, Cetaphil is the only other facial cleanser I've ever used! Everyone's skin is different, so, unfortunately, finding the right skincare regimen for you can be difficult. My best advice is to start by asking your dermatologist for product recommendations and read the ingredients on everything! Try your best to stay away from facial products containing fragrance and dyes because they can be irritating and, quite honestly, I don't see why face washes and moisturizers need to smell or look appealing. Good luck!

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