Beauty

[lynbeechwood]

Oh my goodness- my face is so dried out and breaking out in acne! I bought the Shea terra organica black soap with such high hopes but my 41 year old skin is a wreck! I have acne prone aging skin- what a mess I have made of my skin. Please any suggestions?

[lynbeechwood]

Also I have only used it about four times - very sparingly- then I added a drop of acute argon oil to my moisturizer because of the dryness.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

Oh no, you poor thing! Unfortunately African Black Soap is very drying. Would you ever consider oil cleansing? It gently cleans your skin without stripping it to death. If you're concerned about oil production, oil cleansing actually helps to normalize that.

[Akane]

Have you ever tried CeraVe products? My dermatologist recommended the CeraVe hydrating cleanser and lotion for my face when it was irritated several years ago from the cold weather. I think it would work well for a product reaction as well since it is a mild product.

[cassiem]

I can't use black soap because it dries my skin out horribly and then I get huge under the skin bumps. Something in it just does not agree with my skin.

Your skin sounds very irritated. Right now you need to treat the sensitivity rather than the breakouts, as acne products will just make you drier and more irritated, causing more acne. Once your skin starts calming down, you should see the breakouts diminish, too. I've been there many times, it does get better, you just have to be very gentle with your skin when the temptation is to bombard it with more products to get rid of the acne.

What I would recommend is using nothing other than a gentle cleanser and moisturizer. No actives for right now.

Gentle cleanser: I like LaRoche Posay Toleriane Dermo Cleanser (a light milky cleanser), but Neutrogena makes a good lotion cleanser called Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser - Creamy Formula. (NOT the Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser - Foaming Formula, that one contains fragrance which can further irritate skin.) Some people also like CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser (a light lotion, not the foaming formula), athough I personally find it stings my face if my skin is super irritated. You can also try regular Cetaphil lotion cleanser (I find it leaves a film on my face, so must remove with a washcloth.) Recently I saw both the CeraVe and Cetaphil cleansers for sale at CVS in small sample sizes.

Gentle moisturizer: My favorite is LaRoche Posay Toleriane Facial Fluide, it's a light lotion moisturizer with very few ingredients that hydrates well without being greasy. I also like Clinique Moisture Surge, Complex 15 Therapeutic Moisturizing Lotion (can find at the drugstore, the lotion, not the face cream which is too heavy for my skin), and Cera Ve Moisturizing Lotion (just the regular lotion, not the facial lotions as they contain more actives). There were samples of CeraVe lotion at CVS, too.

If I have a particularly large breakout, I spot treat pimples before bed with a dab of tea tree oil on a q-tip. Or sometimes I use a dab of clay mask (any kind I have on hand), dabbed on with a qtip before bed. Not pretty, but works really well to dry pimples out.

Good luck!

[JeanLouiseFinch]

On 1/21/2014 Bikkie said:

Have you ever tried CeraVe products? My dermatologist recommended the CeraVe hydrating cleanser and lotion for my face when it was irritated several years ago from the cold weather. I think it would work well for a product reaction as well since it is a mild product.

CeraVe products are very good. Lots of derms recommend them, mine included.

[AspenGrove]

So sorry to hear this happened to you. I know someone who also got some Shea Terra black soap when it was all the rage and promptly had a horrible breakout, like none she had ever had before. Nothing helped until she sought medical help; the dermatologist told her to steer clear of the soap forevermore. I urge you see a dermatologist about your skin. I also went through a bad skin period in my early 40s. I tried every treatment, lotion and potion ... and nothing worked. In fact, everything made it worse until I sought medical help. That one visit to the dermatologist, and the following of her specific advice, changed my skin forever.

[lynbeechwood]

Thanks so much for all of your responses! I just desperately want clear skin and I am one of those peoe who have tried everything! My own derm told me that unless I used a certain prescription pill- nothing else would work- I just don't believe this. Plus as much as I do want clear healthy skin - I no longer want to take drugs that may harm other parts of my body- I'm 41 now and concerned about future health issues from all of these chemicals and such.

[lynbeechwood]

Thank you all

[AspenGrove]

lynbeechwood, remember that second and third opinions are a very good thing! Case in point: a friend saw a dermatologist last year who wanted to give her prescription oral meds for some issues she was having. The meds had a potential for big side effects. Not wanting to do that, my friend decided to seek a second opinion. The second derm's advice was completely different and involved no oral meds at all. Her skin is great now, about 10 months after she went for the second opinion.