Need serious skin help right now :(

[Shawna]

So the weather has been really bad this year and my skin is suffering. It has rained, then snowed, then been windy, then rained, well, you get the idea. The darn weather has dried my skin right out. I always have dry skin and use a thick heavy moisturiser, but it isn't working this year. I have patches of excema everywhere and the worst is on my eyelids and under my eyes. The dry skin is flaking and I look like I have the plague. I finally broke down and bought an exfoliater and I already am regretting it. My skin is now burning and raw and I didn't use any pressure. I was just hoping that if I got rid of the dry skin, the moisturiser would have a chance to work. I need some serious help. What am I supposed to do? Is it best to try exfoliating again? Or should I just keep slapping on the moisturiser and hope for the best? Please help. I look at least 5 years older than I am right now with all the dry skin

 

[purplkaret]

yea i hav really dry skin too. my skin has been taking it really bad this winter too. probably cuz it's way drier this winter

definitely dont exfoliate too much!!! just cleanse very gently... when it is really chapped like that, i put my clinique moisture online moisturizer in a very thin layer and let it completely absorb. and if it still feels raw after that, apply another thin layer. i usually hav to wait 5 min to check if i need to apply another layer n sometimes i apply up to 5x..

hope that helps!

 

[LMcConnell18]

i would recommend GENTLY exfolliating... only because it gets rid of all the dead skin cells. i dont really know what to do since its hurting to exfolliate... but if i were you.. i would exfoliate and then apply moisturizer. if you dont have really sensitive skin, [even though they say not to do this.. it worked for me during snowboarding season

] try using some body lotion. its moisturizers are stronger since its made for thicker skin.
for irritation, soak a washcloth in whole milk, and let it sit on ur face for about 5 minutes.
u can try boiling some water, or just really hot bath water in a bowl, and put ur face over the bowl and cover ur head and the bowl with a towel. after about 10 minutes, apply a light coat of vaseline, or pretoleum jelly. AGAIN tho.. if you have sensitive skin, or if your pores soak up a lot, i wouldnt recommend that. its up to you. hope it helps!

 

[eastsidesunset]

Aquaphor!

It's like vaseline. I slather this stuff on my face (I get the dreaded eczema too) and it helps big time. I use it before i slather on moisturizer when it's extra cold/windy/crappy, and I don't have to worry about flakes and such. Granted, the only thing that will truly fix it is noncrap weather, but I make due.

Oh, and as far as exfoliator, I feel your pain. I started mixing my exfoliator in with my face wash (Purpose from target), and the burning stopped. OH, don't use anything with AHA in it. Makes eczema way worse!

I apologize if that doesn't make much sense/ is totally spelling butchered. I've been up for over 24 hours due to midterms.

 

[Showgirl]

Maybe try a really rich moisturising face mask? I understand masks gently exfoliate just by their very nature... so sorry to hear you're having a horrible time with your skin, it's sounds a nightmare.

 

[~Crystal~]

Do they have Sorbolene over there? It's fairly cheap I think- and has the fewest additives, as well as 15% Glycerine.
I would say to not exfoliate if it's hurting you... Also- I realise that it's cold and such over there right now, but if possible, AVOID using hot or even warm water on your face. It dries it out even more. (I had excema for awhile too..)
All you can really do is keep slapping on the moisturiser I think... If it's really really getting bad, you can try Bepanthen- again, I'm not sure if it is sold over there- but the company which makes it is called 'elevit' I think. My mother works in the hospital and this is what they use to help the premature babies (VERY delicate skin!) repair, after they've had to remove any tape which may have previously held in tubes of some kind, which.. more often than not.. took a few layers of skin with it.

 

[prinzessin784]

I definitely wouldn't exfoliate again since what you describe sounds really painful! I would use a really gentle facial soap (like Basis soap - it's what everyone I know has been prescribed by dermatologists!) and then a gentle moisturizer all over your face with a more intense eye cream for under your eyes. You can also use the eye cream on the more dry, flaky parts of your face, but if your whole face isn't like that then it's best to do a sort of "spot treatment" so the rest of your face isn't over loaded with heavy moisturizers.

When I had a similar problem last winter (this year in CT it's been too warm to have any problems!) I found a lot of relief in steaming my face. I was in a dorm room so I just sat in front of our humidifier (haha I know it's ridiculously cheap) and the steam felt sooo good on my dry skin and I think it helped! Give it a try!

 

[Shawna]

I keep hearing wonderful things about aquaphor for eczema (finally looked up how to spell it lol) but where can I get it? I have looked everywhere and can't seem to find it

Is it carried at regular drug stores or do I need a prescription or what? I am also going to try the steam thing. I hate my skin right now. The exfoliating helped a little bit, but I'm still all scaly. I'm going to have to go to the doctor.

 

[Bey28]

You can get Aquaphor at just about any drugstore. Rite Aid, Walmart, CVS, grocery stores. Sometimes it's in the aisle with lotions/creams/ moisturizers, and sometimes it's in the aisle with ointments, first aid, chapstick, baby diaper rash products. Aquaphor was a lifesaver for my amazingly dry skin when I did Accutane. HTH.

 

[jessiekins1]

exfoliation will just aggravate eczema. use a gentle cleanser, toner and heavy moisturizer. also try slipping into a tanning bed for a couple hours a week. i don't normally recommend tanning but tanning actually help with eczema.

 

[Shawna]

I have looked everywhere and I can only find the regular Eucerin cream. No aquaphor. Nobody even knew what I was asking for so it may not be available in Canada yet.

I can't tan either (hence my pale complexion) because of a family history of melanoma. I gave up and booked an app't with my doctor. I can't handle the itching and the scaling anymore. Stupid skin. I'm not going to wear makeup tommorow and see if that helps. I do feel sorry for the people I have to work with though

Just for reference, the skin cream I have been using is Skeyndor wheat germ moisturizing cream. I use that at night and during the day I have been using Skeyndor Aquatherm re-balancing cream. I also use Skeyndor natural defence eye cream. It should be working on my skin by now, but I have a feeling it is internal problems rather than external ones. I'm going to bump up my flaxseed oil intake and see if that helps too. This is so darn frustrating. I normally have beautiful skin and the way it looks now just wants to make me cry

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I am going to steam my face right now.

 

[Shawna]

So I went to the doctor and it turns out that I had an allergic reaction to water of all things. That's why the problem was getting worse despite all the creams and moisturisers I globbed on. I got a cream from the doctor and my skin is absolutely clear and not itchy today. I guess it pays to let a professional deal with the problem rather than me assuming it was just my stupid eczema acting up (well, it was, but it needed medical help to go away) Thank goodness. As much as I love B movies and horror flicks, I was tired of looking like the bride of frankenstein.