Sensitive Facial Skin - Best Skincare Routine/Products?

LadyMorticia

Heya all. :wave:

I have sensitive facial skin which is oily.

Most of the products I've used tend to make it appear red and blotchy.
I have acne scarring on my cheeks near my nose which already give my face "a little bit of colour" lol. I also have a pimply forehead and a bit of redness on my chin as well as pores which, to me, seem massive.

Does anyone have any products which they would recommend that wouldn't make my skin so red after using them?

I've tried Clearasil (years ago though), Clean & Clear and Oxy which all seem to make my skin flare up.

In the past my facial routine has been:

Facial wash
Facial scrub
Cleanse
Moisturise

Even without the facial scrub, my face is still red. It's the same without the cleanser too.

Does anyone have any tips on what my facial routine should be for my skin type or what products may help to not make my skin flare up?

Somebody suggested the new Neutrogena "Stress Control" (or something along those lines) range but I'm not sure.

Many thanks in advance.

x

freyasmum

When skin is oily, the common thought is strip it of it's oils. This is the wrong thing to do because your skin needs oil (and sebum) for its protection. If you try to remove every trace of oil from your skin, it will only produce even more to compensate and so on...

You need to keep your skin clean - cleanse it twice daily, once to remove any make-up and surface grime and the second is to thoroughly cleanse the skin. Don't just rub it on and straight back off, give it a good massage in, this stimulates cell renewal.

Clearasil :eek: Because your skin is sensitive, you really need products which are going to be gentle on it - have you tried simple? Don't buy any face wash which says it's going to treat the oil, this will just strip your skin and won't help with the sensitivity.

Don't scrub your face - did I understand that you'd been doing it every day? You do need to exfoliate, but get a gentle, chemical exfoliant (this is one where you don't scrub, the product does the work - it's pricey, but I adore origins 'never a dull moment', this uses papain (from papayas) to 'eat' the dead skin cells - like a little pacman ). Avoid anything which says scrub - this will be too harsh for your skin. Exfoliating once a week should be more than enough.

So, you should be cleansing x 2, twice daily and using a good moisturiser which doesn't make your skin sensitive - visit a department store or boots and go round the counters and see if they'll give you any products that you can try

Once a week, exfoliate with a gentle, chemical exfoliant and use a mask too

I really didn't mean it to be that long, but I hope that helps a little

Lobell

I have extremely sensitive and reactive skin and after years of suffering, I finally discovered Dermalogica. It's a bit pricey but worth every penny, IMO. I have a completely different skin type to you so I wouldn't like to try to suggest possible suitable products but t may be worth your while finding a beauty salon who provide skin consulations and facials with Dermalogica products so you can try before you buy. However, products are much cheaper online if you are going to buy any.

Serena51

Any Vichy products, not too easy to find but really good quality and ingredients.

donnac2558

The Brand you need is Mir.

tp://www.coolessentials.com/

This brand really is gentle beyond belief. Get a trial pack first and see what works for you. I swear by their argan oil and facial scrub.

I use Elemis Sensitive Facial Wash and love it.

minerva_windsong

Seconding Simple - they specialise in sensitive skin but also do a really good oily skin range, consisting of a gentle daily scrub/face wash with scrubby bits in (not entirely sure of the difference but assume the face wash isn't as scrubby), face wipes and a moisturiser. It comes in blue packaging and you can get it in Boots and Superdrug, one or other of them will probably have an offer on it.

Boots Botanics do a sensitive/oily cleansing mousse for about £4.

Lush also have some good products that deal with sensitivity - ideally you want their Fresh Farmacy face wash for the day, Ultrabland cleanser at night (not if you have a nut allergy though as it has peanut oil which helps fade spot scars apparently), Tea Tree Water toner and Vanishing Cream moisturiser. Can't recommend a scrub/mask though, you're probably best to go and ask them if there's one near you.

Finally, if you've got the money to push the boat out a bit, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish is wonderful. I've also heard great things about Neal's Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm but that's a bit out of my price range at the moment!

HTH

suki1964

LadyMorticia wrote: »

Heya all. :wave:

I have sensitive facial skin which is oily.

Most of the products I've used tend to make it appear red and blotchy.
I have acne scarring on my cheeks near my nose which already give my face "a little bit of colour" lol. I also have a pimply forehead and a bit of redness on my chin as well as pores which, to me, seem massive.

Does anyone have any products which they would recommend that wouldn't make my skin so red after using them?

I've tried Clearasil (years ago though), Clean & Clear and Oxy which all seem to make my skin flare up.

In the past my facial routine has been:

Facial wash
Facial scrub
Cleanse
Moisturise

Even without the facial scrub, my face is still red. It's the same without the cleanser too.

Does anyone have any tips on what my facial routine should be for my skin type or what products may help to not make my skin flare up?

Somebody suggested the new Neutrogena "Stress Control" (or something along those lines) range but I'm not sure.

Many thanks in advance.

x

You may also have roseacea which is why its worth asking a doctor to take a look next time you are in.

you need to find a very very gentle routine - as natural a product as possible as well

Cleanse and moisturise is enough when your skin is so sensitive. A very very gentle exoliator once or twice a week may also be helpful. Look for something that has jojoba beads or similar . Elemis papaya exfoliator is good as all you do is apply, leave and rinse off - no rubbing.

Whatever you use to cleanse - it needs to be gentle - which means no soap or alcohol - both strip the skin and make it sore, red and oily. You will be hard pushed to find products in the supermarkets but look at the more "natural" or organic lines - Tescos BNatural is ok for a budget line

and the same for the moisturiser - make it a light one that wont sit and clog the pores.

I would avoid like the plague lines such as oxy, neutrogena etc - they are full of alcohol and will cause more problems then they resolve