Something for blotchy skin

Faith

I've got quite blotchy skin, and it's driving me MAD. It looks like I'm allergic to water or something after a shower, because my face, neck and chest all go red and blotchy, and my face doesn't calm down for hours. Even at the best of time, my face is still quite blotchy. I assume it's just my skin, but do you know if there's anything out there that can help with this? I know about colour-calming creams, but they don't calm already red skin. Is there a beauty product (s) I can use to have a lasting effect on my skin, to make it smoother and even-toned? Or supplements I can take or anything? All help appreciated!

AnneMarieCallan

Why not try Aloe Vera, as a drink which will purify you or as a cream directly onto the skin. It's a natural product, so should not harm you.

RxQueen

get your water tested perhaps??

liah

Jaysus you could've been describing me there. I go red and splotchy from head to toe after a shower, and my face has a goatee shaped bit of redness around my mouth.. never could figure out how to fix it. It's only really bad after a shower for about half an hour to an hour, or if I'm touching my face a lot, but it's never COMPLETELY gone.

Water doesn't make a difference because I've had showers in different cities, towns, and countries and it's always been the same.. the curse of sensitive skin, I suppose.

I really don't have any advice but I'll be watching this thread closely in case someone has something that works. I've been using E45 cream on my face and it tones it down a little but not enough to be gone completely.

It's annoying, I want nice skin more than anything

Faith

liah wrote: »

Water doesn't make a difference because I've had showers in different cities, towns, and countries and it's always been the same.. the curse of sensitive skin, I suppose.

Yup, me too. I suppose it could be a reaction to the chlorine or something, but there's no way to tell.

It never bothered me too much until I started going out with my boyfriend, and I'd have to do my make-up in the bathroom straight after a shower so he wouldn't get a fright . He knows I go red, and thinks it's funny, but I'm incredibly self-conscious about it.

Google didn't throw up anything useful, and it seems to be a predominantly Celtic problem, so I'm hoping someone here will have experience of it.

ash:)

Im not sure if this will be helpful to ye or not but maybe its some kind of mild allergy...sometimes i go all red after the shower, or if i go outside in the cold....or in the heat for that matter!:p ( ya i seem to be allergic to air):pac: But anyway i take allergy tablets called PIROTEN and they work a charm...you can but them over the counter at chemists for in and around 5 or 6 euro.

Posy

Obvious answer I'm afraid but have you spoken to your GP?
It's not the same problem but I've always suffered with bad acne and one time was at my GP for followup after a kidney infection and she commented on my skin and prescribed me some cream.. within a month I had clear skin and it's been fine ever since and I only use the cream once or twice a month.
Sorry for rambling but I always thought bad skin was a misery to be endured and never considered medical advice. A visit to a GP or dermatologist can work wonders, especially if it turned out to be an allergy, as suggested by other posters.

catch88

I am the same skin wise (after shower/after workout) and i had my skin looked at by the peeps in Anne Mc Devitts [wicklow street]. They basically looked at my skin and then based on that gave me a sheet that kind of looks like a family tree so if you have rosacea or oily skin then you use x product and so on.

My skin is perfect these days compared to how awful it was just a few months ago. [I also cut out dairy as it caused me to break out with white-heads/pussy spots on my chin]

Keep in mind that if you have problematic skin its very unlikely that just one product will suffice; you need to get into a routine and then after a while you can start easing up on the routine to just one or 2 products/steps.

I use an organic range called Eminence, its pricey but my skin is fantastic now!

cleanser/toner/antioxidant serum for trouble areas/moisturiser/sun screen

and then once a week exfoliate and a soothing mask.

Sounds like a lot but now im just down to cleanser, moisturiser and sun screen!

toucan

Have you tried taking showers with cool, not cold, water?

cherryred

i had this for a while too so i started washing my hair and body seperately. I lowered the shower head down so water didn't touch my face and just had a quick wash, and I would wash my hair over the basin after.

I wasn't sure if it was the water, my shampoo or the oils in my hair that were causing the problem but this was the only thing that stopped it. it stopped happening after a while.

becah

I find this happens if I have a hot shower that's too hot, so I just shower as normal and at the end rinse for a few minutes in cold water and I find this helps a lot!

sam34

this used happen me, but just my face and neck

what sorted it out was changing to the brand Simple- i use their face wash, cleanser and moisturiser now and it had totally solved the problem.

economic too!

_Whimsical_

La Roche Posay make a skincare line especially for people who have problems with redness and blotchiness. It's called Rosaliac and is for people who have Rosacea but also for people with other reddening.It promises "long lasting neutralisation of redness at source".Their stuff is usually very good so it might be worth a try.

Faith

chilly wrote: »

La Roche Posay make a skincare line especially for people who have problems with redness and blotchiness. It's called Rosaliac and is for people who have Rosacea but also for people with other reddening.It promises "long lasting neutralisation of redness at source".Their stuff is usually very good so it might be worth a try.

Where can you get that?

Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming! I'm not based in Dublin though, so Dublin clinics are no use to me .

I may try the Simple line alright. I have turned down my shower temp, but keep getting a bit chilly and edging it back up!

_Whimsical_

Faith wrote: »

Where can you get that?

Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming! I'm not based in Dublin though, so Dublin clinics are no use to me .

It's not a clinic treatment. You can buy it in alot of chemists now. Most of their products are made for very sensitive skin and intended to reduce "reactivity" of skin. Both the Rosaliac and Hydreane ranges they make are supposed to help with reddening of skin. Their website is very annoying to navigate but it's here : http://www.laroche-posay.co.uk/_en/_ie/index.aspx

flahers

If you are sufering from blotchy skin and sun intolerance you should really see your GP to rule out disorders such as Lupus. It's quite difficult to diagnose but heat sensitivity and redness could be a symptom.

Faith

chilly wrote: »

It's not a clinic treatment. You can buy it in alot of chemists now. Most of their products are made for very sensitive skin and intended to reduce "reactivity" of skin. Both the Rosaliac and Hydreane ranges they make are supposed to help with reddening of skin. Their website is very annoying to navigate but it's here : http://www.laroche-posay.co.uk/_en/_ie/index.aspx

I went out today and bought one of the Rosaliac moisturisers, so fingers crossed that it works. It was quite hard to figure out the products though, since it's largely in French. Will report back in a few weeks!

Cellar_Door

Faith wrote: »

I went out today and bought one of the Rosaliac moisturisers, so fingers crossed that it works. It was quite hard to figure out the products though, since it's largely in French. Will report back in a few weeks!

Any updates?

Faith

Well, I've been using it since I last posted, but only in the morning whereas the box recommends using it day and night. I wouldn't say I've noticed much of a reduction in redness tbh, but I do think my skin is looking brighter and healthier. The problem is, I don't know whether that's due to the moisturiser or the occasional bursts of sunshine it's getting!

Malari

I was using the La Roche Posay stuff too, but it didn't do anything for me. My skin can be quite "rosy" without makeup and this was recommended. I do like their moisturiser, but I'm afraid it didn't reduce the redness.

I have really sensitive skin though. If I absently scratch my skin lightly, I end up with a red mark that can last 20 minutes. People keep pointing these marks out to me!

Faith

Malari wrote: »

I was using the La Roche Posay stuff too, but it didn't do anything for me. My skin can be quite "rosy" without makeup and this was recommended. I do like their moisturiser, but I'm afraid it didn't reduce the redness.

I have really sensitive skin though. If I absently scratch my skin lightly, I end up with a red mark that can last 20 minutes. People keep pointing these marks out to me!

You sound the exact same as me! It's really irritating when people gasp "What happened to your arm?!" just because you scratched it.

Malari

Faith wrote: »

You sound the exact same as me! It's really irritating when people gasp "What happened to your arm?!" just because you scratched it.

Yep, and I get insect bites and hives that expand to the size of eggs as I watch them. Royal pain in the behind.

TriciaDelicia

Faith wrote: »

You sound the exact same as me! It's really irritating when people gasp "What happened to your arm?!" just because you scratched it.

Me too, it's gotten to the stage were I usually reply 'whats that on your head....oh it's just your face'.
I've never found anything to stop the blotchiness completely, Elizabeth Arden 8-hour cream helps though.