overuse of products - help!

[splotx]

Hi beauty gurus,

My name is Sonya and I'm new to this message board. I've had clear, soft skin all my life but lately it's become dry, rough and I've had breakouts that just won't go away. After my first breakout, I started using clean and clear cleansing masks. They worked well and I continued to use them and also began to use peeling masks at least once a week, added in some facial scrub once in a while and an array of different products - Burt's Bees products, St. Ive's, Neutrogena, Avon's mark.

Now I've realized that my nose and the area around it as well as my chin is dry and feels grainy. I also get more breakouts (especially on the nose area), they are usually red and itchy and take a long time to go away (I don't use any acne medicine). I also have blackheads on my nose and little bumps around the nose area.

I was reading articles online and I read something that said the overuse of products can make skin dry, and sensitive as well as destroying the natural oil balance, and antioxidants. I think this is what has happened to me. Is there anyway to fix this? How can I heal my facial skin? Is it necessary to go to a dermatologist? I am 16 and my parents have a hard time seeing the importance of skin care. Also, what products/brands are best to use to prevent breakouts and blackheads? Please help soon!! I have no idea what to do!

 

[donnamaryuk]

Hi, sorry to hear about this. Try drinking more water and eating fresh fruit and veg. Stop using any skincare stuff and get a bar of simple soap or baby soap. You could also try changing your hair products as some can make your skin worse if they contain any alcohol and chemicals. Switch to baby shampoo and baby soap for a week and drink at least 2 litres of water every day. Avoid any products that contain mineral oil Also, try taking a good multi vitamin that contains zinc and vit C. Eat at least one portion of oily fish a week and stay away from fatty or fried over processed food.

GOOD LUCK. X

 

[Geek]

Originally Posted by splotx

Hi beauty gurus, My name is Sonya and I'm new to this message board. I've had clear, soft skin all my life but lately it's become dry, rough and I've had breakouts that just won't go away. After my first breakout, I started using clean and clear cleansing masks. They worked well and I continued to use them and also began to use peeling masks at least once a week, added in some facial scrub once in a while and an array of different products - Burt's Bees products, St. Ive's, Neutrogena, Avon's mark.

Now I've realized that my nose and the area around it as well as my chin is dry and feels grainy. I also get more breakouts (especially on the nose area), they are usually red and itchy and take a long time to go away (I don't use any acne medicine). I also have blackheads on my nose and little bumps around the nose area.

I was reading articles online and I read something that said the overuse of products can make skin dry, and sensitive as well as destroying the natural oil balance, and antioxidants. I think this is what has happened to me. Is there anyway to fix this? How can I heal my facial skin? Is it necessary to go to a dermatologist? I am 16 and my parents have a hard time seeing the importance of skin care. Also, what products/brands are best to use to prevent breakouts and blackheads? Please help soon!! I have no idea what to do!




Hi Sonya! I just wanted to pop in and welcome you to Makeuptalk. I can assure you that you will get all your questions answered. Glad to have you

 

[SusieQ]

So nice to see you here splotx. You'll get lots of replies on this topic; everyone has their own opinion including me. The only thing that works on breakouts is a well formulated beta hydroxy acid AND a blemish cream OVER. THE BHA will open up the pores and clean them out and the blemish cream will disinfect the area. I suspect you're having the drying problems because of too much product use. This is what I would do: use a GENTLE cleanser, nothing harsh. On your break out and blackhead areas, use a BHA product like Paula's Choice 1%, blemish cream OVER that. Use a light moisturizer over the dry areas. Do this for 2 weeks. I 'm sure you'll see a difference.

 

[splotx]

Thank you guys so much!! I will definitely start eating more fruit&veggies, try my best to drink 2 litres of water..however, the getting lots of rest part is hard - I usually end up sleeping past 12 on weekdays because of the school workload. I think I will lay off using any products for around a week and see if there's any difference (less dryness?) and then pick a cleanser, toner and moisturizer. (does this sound like a good way to start the healing??

) But I still have so many questions...

1) Should the cleanser/toner/moisturizer be of the same brand?

2) Are moisturizers just lotions?

3) As for the products that were mentioned: Paula's Choice, Arbonne, can they be found at any drug store? or do they have to be ordered online?

4) And where can you find natural soaps containing Tea Tree oil?

5) Is Clean and Clear a good/mild enough product to use?

6) Are Dove products/soaps good/mild?

7) To determine if a product is good, all I need to consider is its ingredients? What other ingredients, other than mineral oil, petroleum products?

8) What does toning do?

9) How can you tell if something is 'non-comedigenic'?

And lastly, if you guys know of any brands that are gentle, work well, not too expensive and easily accessible, please tell me!

Sorry for so many questions - you guys are helping me a lot already! After I get my facial skin back into shape, I'm definitely going to look into the makeup posts here and sort out my makeup

. Thanks!

 

[Lily]

drink lots of water, eat well or try to improve on your diet.

I think seeing a Dermatologist (if this continues) is a very good idea.

Gentle products like a light oil-free moisturizer is good too but no toner imho - becuzz overdoing it may cause the skin to become sensitive and breakout, upsetting its normal PH. I find toners break me out-any kind.

The help here on this site seems is very good

.

 

[NYAngel98]

Hi Sonya! Welcome to MuT!!!

 

[SusieQ]

Originally Posted by splotx Thank you guys so much!! I will definitely start eating more fruit&veggies, try my best to drink 2 litres of water..however, the getting lots of rest part is hard - I usually end up sleeping past 12 on weekdays because of the school workload. I think I will lay off using any products for around a week and see if there's any difference (less dryness?) and then pick a cleanser, toner and moisturizer. (does this sound like a good way to start the healing??

) But I still have so many questions...
1) Should the cleanser/toner/moisturizer be of the same brand?

2) Are moisturizers just lotions?

3) As for the products that were mentioned: Paula's Choice, Arbonne, can they be found at any drug store? or do they have to be ordered online?

4) And where can you find natural soaps containing Tea Tree oil?

5) Is Clean and Clear a good/mild enough product to use?

6) Are Dove products/soaps good/mild?

7) To determine if a product is good, all I need to consider is its ingredients? What other ingredients, other than mineral oil, petroleum products?

8) What does toning do?

9) How can you tell if something is 'non-comedigenic'?

And lastly, if you guys know of any brands that are gentle, work well, not too expensive and easily accessible, please tell me!

Sorry for so many questions - you guys are helping me a lot already! After I get my facial skin back into shape, I'm definitely going to look into the makeup posts here and sort out my makeup

. Thanks!

Skin care really gets confusing, and theres a lot of products you don't need to use. All of your questions and concerns are addressed at cosmeticscop dot com. You'll also find the Paula's Choice products there as well and a wealth of skin care information that will set you straight. Hope this helps.

 

[SusieQ]

Originally Posted by naturally Okay ..first off ..the link should be cosmeticscop.com (drop the dot) ...now the site is fine if you want to use Paula's products ..after all it's her site...however I don't agree with some of her articles on the ingredients (myth list) ...natural ingredients would be harmfull if you even found them...mineral oil/petroleum products safe ...MO does have it's uses in some applications when you want that barrier ..however in overall skin care ..preferably not (IMHO). There are other alternatives to preservatives also ..besides what she uses in her products.
There are MANY sites out there you could search on for SKINCARE issues ..as there are many users right here that have options, answers, experience, etc. We even have Fanie products/users and yes you can go to Fanie's site for more information at fanie.com ...(I just placed an order there myself...and why ..because they are NATURAL products that will work with the skin ...not some chemicals that I can't even pronounce the names of!

 

[SusieQ]

Excuse me, but many of the natural skin care thats out there, aren't all that natural. Some companies use irritating ingredients like witch hazel and problematic plant extracts in their products. Many of the day time moisturizers don't include UVA protecting ingredients. Its misleading markerting information that isn't all that convincing. Check out this link http://www.ctfa.org/Content/Navigati...net_Rumors.htm

If the CFTA doesn't have the correct information on skin care myth, than list the links who do. This is the one website I put my trust in when it comes to skin care and cosmetic ingredient information.

 

[SusieQ]

Originally Posted by naturally I've seen CFTA's links ..I've been to their site ...it's one of my bookmarked sites. I was citing how (IMHO) that the one site you listed alone is NOT the gospel on skin care ..there are many. Many of our products today are derived from natural sources ..even our medicines today are derived from natural sources ..mainly because they cannot be patented. It comes down to use what works for you ..if you feel that Mineral Oil works ..go for it, there are many sources ..plant, chemical, etc that have different reactions for everyone ..and NO ONE item is perfect ..thus having a zillion products out there. Do I take what the CTFA says as gospel for skincare ..NO ..because they even say some things are safe ..when I personally would rather NOT use them as they have been known to cause reactions or have estrogenic effects ..and let's face it ...there's enough of that going around! I don't put my sole trust in any one site...but make my informed decisions on what works for me ..what I've seen work for others ..and then some. True PB is not gospel but I really enjoy hearing from anyone who provides consumers with substantiated and well documented studies about skin care and makeup products. She merely provides all women with information to make the most suitable choice.

 

[Geek2]

Hi and welcome to MakeupTalk Sonya! I have to agree that over use of products can irritate your skin. I would try to stick to the basic routine (cleanse, tone and moisturize) for a while and cut back on the masks etc that might be irritating your skin. You are on the right track taking care of your skin already so keep up the good work!