My face is drying up! EEEKKK!

[Barb]

I just don't know what to make of my face's skin these days.

My forehead and my jaw (I mean the lower half of my cheeks) have become thick, rough, slightly reddish, and the skin is just kind of peeling in little circles. On my jaw especially, it almost looks like I overdusted with talc, it's all white and powdery with dead skin cells.

And the weirdest thing is that I'm getting these teeny-tiny little pimplettes. No bigger than the head of a pin, not particularly painful, but a tiny pint-sized pimple nonetheless. Almost like a miniature blister or cold sore.

Now, before you go "Oh, poor deformed creature!" I should tell you that I'm the only one who's freaking out about it. Because I'm the one who's peering into a mirror from just inches away. If you were sitting across a table from me, you'd probably say "Hmm, her skin looks a little patchy and dry." And if you touched it you might think "Yikes, that's a bit rough."

Anyway, I just needed to vent, and ask if anyone else has ever had anything like this? What the heck is it?! Is this going to be expensive to fix? Or should I just put this down to getting older and simply walk away from the mirror?

*sigh* :boggle::purplex:

[Isilme]

sounds strange, maybe you should try some peeling intended for face and then use a antiseptic (fat?) moisturizer?

[kissme]

i'm no expert in this but perhaps you can write your routine down and let the experts here analyse. =) hope you get better soon. (((hugs)))

[darkwaves]

It sounds like your skin might be reacting to something -- have you started using anything new (cosmetics or creams) lately? If not, I'd get a referral to a dermatologist and find out what's going on. Good luck,

[kimberlily]

I agree with Darkwaves. Usually sudden severe skin changes are a reaction to a product or a food you're eating. I'd try switching to Cetaphil for washing, with a bland moisturizer (I think Eucerin makes a facial moisturizer) to give your skin a break, and see if the dry patches go away.

[SunCat]

How often do you exfoliate? It sounds to me like you need to get rid of dead skin cells. If I don't exfoliate for a few weeks my skin gets that way as the dead skin cells just build up.

I gently exfoliate with a small amount of baking soda mixed with my Chagrin Valley Soap Bars. You can add baking soda to whatever skin cleanser you are using. I try to exfoliate at least 2 times a week, as you get older your skin doesn't exfoliate like it did when it was younger.

Also asprin masks work well also for gentle exfoliation. I use 3 non coated asprin and disolve them in aloe vera gel, apply to my face leave on for about 10-15 mintues then rinse with warm water.

I use jojoba oil for a moisturizer it is gentle and works for all skin types.

ETA: If you don't exfoliate the dead skin cells you are just moisturizing dead skin.

[Barb]

Thanks for your suggestions!

I've always had a little problem with needing exfoliation. And I do have very dry skin, especially in cooler weather. I think my first mistake was using a very strong glycolic cleanser (30%) way too often (like every day) to get rid of the dry, rough skin. I was even using a retinol lotion with it. That's when I started noticing the little blemishes.An aesthetician told me to expect some breakouts while my skin adjusted to the exfoliation. But I'm thinking this is a little different.

Now, if I used the cleanser and the lotion, and immediately followed it with a couple of very emollient moisturizers, I could stay ahead of the dry rough skin. The blemishes would come and go.

All the above struck me as a lot of work, and I wondered if maybe some of this roughness was being perpetuated by the glycolic cleanser, instead being helped by it. So I stopped all the above, and just cleansed my face with cetaphil and kept up the moisturizer. But the dry, rough, powdery skin isstill here. As are the little tiny pimples.

I know this is probably something I should take to my dermatologist; but I wanted to ask you here at Beauty Bottle first. I figured there was a chance someone here would say "Oh, I had that same thing - here's what I did!" before I threw down a wad of money at the skin doctor's office.

Anyhow, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Thanks for your suggestions guys!

Barb :grinhappy:

[peripheralvisionary]

Are you getting enough essential fatty acids in your diet? I think flax, borage, black currant seed, and evening primrose oils are supposed to be beneficial for dry rough skin.