Help! Disgustingly dry, flaky skin :(

[toyhearts]

Sorry in advance for this being so long, but I'm pretty desperate for help!

I'm not really sure what to do about my skin anymore. About a year or so ago my face used to be pretty oily but now it has become red, dry, bumpy, and sometimes flaky (particularly around my nose, cheeks, and inbetween my eyebrows). It seems to become the most dry right after I shower, and the skin on my face feels tight and dry. I don't know if it's due to the face wash I use... which is Cetaphil... or if I just have really dry skin? It almost feels like it's drying my skin out even more. I apply this lotion my dermatologist gave me called Atopiclair, which is for eczema, which I don't think I have (but it seems to help a little). I also use MAC Studio Moisture Cream but it doesn't seem to do very much unless I apply a lot. I'm also having an issue with my foundation. If I apply a moisturizer beforehand, not soon after it's like my skin just absorbs it and the surface becomes dry again, making my makeup flake and just look plain disgusting. Right now I'm using MAC Studio Tech foundation and this happens with it all the time so I'm wondering if it's the foundation itself or my skin that's causing it to wear off easily and flake? It seems like it would go on nicely if my skin were smooth and hydrated. Does anyone know of any really good moisturizers or anything that would help my skin and make it less dry and more smooth? ... or a better foundation or something?

[chipmunkvoice]

i dont think its the Cetaphil. im no expert but my skin gets really dry and flaky at times and its absolutely horrible how it feels like sandpaper. when that happens... i like The Body Shops Hemp moisturiser, its for really dry skin and my skin seems to soaks that up nicely. i've tried Bio-Oil... that got my skin oily but that might be because i slathered it on..... but it felt good haha Cant recommend any foundation sorry, i dont really use it. I use tinted moisturiser instead.

if your skin is driest after you shower, make sure that when you wash off the shampoo from your hair to not let it wash over your face if that makes sense? coz shampoo might be too harsh for your face and dries it out ........... well thats what a friend told me and it sorta does help. But thats only if you do that.. coz i know i use to hehe

oh and most importantly... drink heaps of water
dont know if my post helps ^^"

[eastsidesunset]

You sound like you've got the same problems I do. My doc kept telling me it was eczema, and gave me protopic, which made it worse. My skin around my nose and chin is flake city, all red and dry and whatnot. Then the doctor says it's roseaca. Now it might be an allergy, which I think it is honestly. Talk to your doctor about maybe doing an allergy patch test, because it's entirely possible that the skin problems might be due to something you either put on everyday or eat regularly. Well, it's worth a shot in finding out what's wrong.

Hope your skin gets better. I know what a bi**h it can be to have skin that refuses to stay smooth.

[triccc]

I have really dry flaky skin, probably because I use retin-a micro. but i only use it about twice a week at night.
when my skin is flaky I exfoliate to get the flakyness off. And use Neutrogena oil free acne wash cream cleanser. I use neutrogena sensitive skin moisturuzer and it works well. I wait for applying anything else (like 10 minutes) and then I apply some more.
After that I apply MAC prep + prime face with a brush (best product ever! it makes my pores disappear!) then do my foundation. My face is fine throughout the ENTIRE day.

I only have to deal with my dry, red, flakyness in the morning when I wake up.

[MisaMayah]

This is a long one!!!!!!!!!

I've had atopic eczema since I was 3, now 23 so I know exactly how it feels to have dry, flaky skin. I've had the worse things happen to my skin =(

But let me share with you what I do. I think I used Cetaphil the second time I went to the US, so I dont think it's that...but try and get your doctor to prescribe you a cream called DERMOL (great cos also anti-bacterial) which you can also use as a shower wash/face wash also. Just use it as you normally would with any other body/face wash and rinse of.

Make sure your showers are as short as poss, no longer than 10mins and use luke-warm, never hot water as both these things dry out the skin. PAT your skin dry, don't rub!!

To help redness after you bathe, run your tap till it's icy cold and put a flannel/face cloth under, wring the water and apply to your face. This will cool your face and get rid of most of the redness. I do this every morning before I apply my make-up and whenever my face gets itchy-I also use the sports injury ice packs they're the best for redness!!!!

Before your face is totally dry apply your moisturiser. I use Aqueous cream, but I dont know if you have that over there. It's pure liquid parafin & white soft parafin, no chemicals or perfume or lanolin. Your doctor should be able to give you this or have something similar. They also use it in massage salons!! It's greasy,really good for dry skin.

I wait a few minutes before applying my foundation which is Studio Fix. I know it's meant for oily skin, but it works for me (except when my skin is extremely flaky). I put it on with a brush. It covers a lot of my blemishes!! If I have odd bits of flaky skin I can see after applying, I just tweeze them off (lol- i know you're not supposed to pick at dry skin!!) It's worth trying, you never know it might work for you.

Another thing I wanted to tell you is it's worth doing an allergy test, as you maybe reacting to something you're eating which is causing your condition. You'll be surprised, I found out i'm allergic to rice!! And i've been eating it all my life- as you get older you can become allergic to things you've always eaten!!

Another tip is drink PLENTY of water!! I drink 3l a day mineral water & take an Essential fatty acid supplement to help your skin.

If you have any questions just contact me!!

Good luck!x

[yoonjungifer]

I totally feel ya on this one. >_>;; My skin is at its absolute WORST during the winter but during the summer, not so bad. Anyway, let's see if I can hep you out...

First of all, here's a few things you could possibly try:

Aspirin & Honey Mask/Scrub
I was totally skeptical about trying this since I didn't think it would work but I've been doing this night and day and my skin has improved a lot! I mean, I rarely get flakes anymore. The link is here: http://www.xanga.com/RiceBunny?nextd...&d irection=n
But, yeah. Definitely give this a try.

MAC's Microfine Refinisher
If you're hesitant about trying the aspirin mask, you could also try this as an alternative. I like to use this every other day [when I'm too lazy to do the aspirin mask] and it gets rid of my flakes. It makes my skin a lot softer and manageable for foundation. I don't think that it works as well as the aspirin mask, but I still like using it.

MAC's Fix+
Spritz this onto your face to revitalize it with vitamins! Or you can simply use some rosewater extract and put it into a spray bottle.

Moisturizer
Moisturizing DAY and NIGHT is crucial! I totally hate the feeling of moisturizers on my skin cuz they're just so BLAH but it's a MUST. I would recommend Nivea Cream [in the blue plastic tin thingy]. It's a really thick, pasty consistency but it definitely works the best out of all of the moisturizers I've tried. I hate how it feels but I only use it at night so it's not so bad. I mean, whatever moisturizer you choose to use is totally up to you but it is really important in a good skin care regime.

Foundation Primer
I would definitely recommend a primer if you plan on wearing foundation. I *love* Philosophy's - The Present primer. It's almost like a moisturizer/primer in one. A lot of other people love Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer. I like it, but not as much as the Philosophy primer. But if you're interested, you can research some other brands but I do believe that primer is a must. It definitely helped my foundation application.

Vitamin E/Water
If you want, you can also take Vitamin E but if you don't, just make sure that you drink plenty of water. I personally don't like taking vitamins because I'm lazy so blah to that idea. Hehe.

Foundation
Choosing the right foundation is important as well. I've gone through like 20 different foundations and have yet to find my HG. The MA at MAC recommended the Face and Body foundation for me because I have dry skin. It provides sheer coverage and a dewy finish. While it does help with my dry skin problem, I hate the smell of it and the dewy finish. It kinda feels sticky on my face. BTW, the smell isn't a huge issue but I'm picky. I'd also recommend trying some of Laura Mercier's foundations since I've heard a lot of good things about them. I ordered the Moisturizing Foundation and Silk Creme foundation a couple of days ago so I should be receiving them soon. And I actually picked up the Chanel VITALUMEIRE (sp?) foundation and it's great. I didn't accentuate my flakes and provided a nice, medium coverage for my skin. Usually my skin gets flakier when I wear foundation so it's hard for me to find the right one. Also, try to stay away from Clinique's foundations. The SA claimed that the Superbalanced Foundation was good for people with dry skin but believe me, it just made mine worse. Anyway, I don't wanna write too much so... yeah, lol.

Alrighty, so I've laid out the basics but here's the gist of it if you didn't wanna read all of this nonsense:

AM:
1. Exfoliate! Either use the Microfine Refinisher or the Aspirin Mask.
2. Use a toner after you exfoliate that does not contain alcohol. Witch Hazel is a good toner and is fairly inexpensive. But make sure you read the ingredients to see that it does not contain alcohol.
3. Apply moisturizer and make sure you apply it while your face is still wet! I recommend Nivea Cream but you can probably just keep using the Studio Moisture Cream.
4. Spritz on some Fix+ [or just some rosewater extract]. Or even just water.
5. Apply foundation primer. If you do decide to try Philosophy's primer, then you have to make sure you wait 2 mins for it to set in. But I don't think there's a wait time for any other primer.
6. Apply foundation. Make sure you use a brush or wet a spongy wedge and then apply it. From my experience, my foundation caked and applied unevenly when I used my fingers. I also had a ton of dry spots.
7. Apply the rest of your makeup. Blah, blah, blah.
8. Lastly, spritz on some more Fix+! It not only helps your foundation set better, but it gives you a nice, dewy look.

PM:
1. Exfoliate! Note: It's not recommended that you use the Microfine Refinisher this often so I only use it every other day or so. Instead I like to use the Aspirin Mask day & night.
2. Use a toner after you exfoliate that does not contain alcohol. Again, make sure it contains no alcohol.
3. Apply moisturizer and make sure you apply it while your face is still wet!

ALSO... before I forget.... Cetaphil is a good cleanser but it doesn't take off all of your makeup. For a good makeup remover, I recommend using the Ponds Cold Cream. It doesn't dry out my skin at all and it takes off everything. And watch out for some of those makeup remover cleansing towellete thingys. I forgot which brand I used but it made my skin so unbelievably dry. Not cool.

Hmm, what else. I feel like I'm forgetting something but I wrote so much my brain is all scrambled, hehe. But, yeah. I really do understand where you're coming from. I would come out of the shower and my face would instantly tighten. Then I'd apply some moisturizer but it would absorb so quickly and my foundation still looked horrible. Bah. Hope any of this helps though. Good luck!

[melaniumom]

HAHAHAHA! I just wrote out this big, long reply. Apparently I took too long because I got logged out. When I went to post it I had to log back and and my response disappeared Ah well... now I must go.