vanity woe

[rivendellrose]

My skin hates me right now. I blame the weather, and the cold I had (which made me less than usually neurotic about my skincare routine), but nothing I do seems to calm it down. Bleh. It's hard on the old self-esteem to know I'm going to see family I see once a year at the end of this week, and will have Skin From Hell as well as hair that desperately needs (and is not going to be getting) a trim.

Anybody have any fantastic miracle skin treatments to recommend for break-out prone, very sensitive skin? I'm at a total loss, here. Usually this kind of junk clears up for me within a few days once I get back to my usual routine...

Comments

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

I have awful skin and have tried everything, including Accutane. About six months ago, a friend turned me onto Paula's Choice. I started out by signing up for her newsletter, then finally tried her products. I've had better results, for less money, than anything I've tried before. And that's saying something!

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

I've sworn by DHC products, which are from Japan. I can't recall the website off the top of my head, but what I love about them is that they really cater to sensitive skin and even better, they send tons of free samples with each order (you get to pick the samples) and free samples in each catalogue.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Huh, haven't heard of them before, but they do sound like they might be a good thing to look into. I'm a bit leery of ordering skincare stuff online, to be honest - my mom bought me one of those selections that are really really media-hyped while I was in college, and my skin immediately started peeling. But if these are specific to sensitive skin they might definitely be worth looking into.

[narsilion.livejournal.com]

Umm...yeah, that was really bad. Sorry about that.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

It wasn't your fault! Everybody was talking about that stuff, I would've thought it might be a good idea, too, and it's probably fantastic for lots of people. My skin just hates everything, sometimes.

[theladyfeylene.livejournal.com]

If it's acne...

Toothpaste.

No, seriously. That's my secret. And the worst 'breakouts' I ever have are maybe two or three bumps around my period. Just plain old toothpaste, used like a face mask.

Alternately, I've had good luck with mashed banana mixed with honey.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Yes! I used to use toothpaste, too, and I'd totally forgotten it this time!

Banana and honey, huh? I might have to give that one a go, too... but I remember the toothpaste thing working pretty fast, which is exactly what I need right now. XD Thank you!

[amberdiceless.livejournal.com]

I've heard, though I've never actually tried it, that egg yolk is good for clearing up acne.

[mahala.livejournal.com]

For skin that doesn't tend to break out, like my legs and back, I use pure shea butter.

For my face, I had a ton of luck with the yellow lotion from Clinique. Sorry, can't remember the name! But there's only one yellow one. That worked beautifully until I was 40 and needed something a little more heavy-duty. ;)

Good luck...there's nothing more frustrating than dry, allergic, acne-prone skin. I totally understand!

[mahala.livejournal.com]

Oh! One more thing. Don't laugh! Promise? OK. For bad breakouts, the kind where the skin gets all bumpy and sore...diaper cream worn at night.

Seriously.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Seriously? Wow. I would've thought that'd be too oily, but... hey, if it works, it works. You're talking to someone known to put toothpaste on her break-outs, so I'm not likely to say no to anything that works. XD

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Ooo, yes! I remember the yellow stuff! I got a sample of it one time, and it was pure heaven. Might be time to spend them money on the full bottle... and maybe a little bit of the pink stuff, too, 'cause that was good for winter dry skin.

Thanks!

[mahala.livejournal.com]

It's worth it...and you'll get back the money you spent not having to buy so much skin medicine. :)

Re the diaper cream: I ended up through a pharmacy snafu with a tube of prescription strength diaper cream. It wasn't oily at all. But you just put in on the affected area, not all over. The ingredients are meant to take down swelling and infection, and brother, it does that. The cream doesn't actually require a prescription, but you have to ask the pharmacist to order it. Just ask him for the strongest diaper rash medicine he can provide. Don't have to tell him what it's for!

A little goes a LONG way.