HELP - Advice for a male with sensitive skin??
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Sun May 06, 2007 9:31 pm

Hello all --

I'm a 27 year old male with VERY sensitive facial skin..
I'm irritated by fragrances, color, essential oils, some botanicals....etc ( You get the idea! )

I'm pretty frustrated and feel that i'll end up spending thousands of dollars on products that aren't helping... I can't use any "For Men" products because they all contain heavy colognes....

My skin is always tight, and reddish.... and obviously shaving tends to irritate as well.

Any suggestions for great skincare products with minimum ingredients that will really help me out?

I'm looking for a cleanser, and moisturizer and possibly a serum.

Thanks so much in advance.. you guys are a lifesaver..

Mark

free skin care · Mon May 07, 2007 12:59 am

Hi Mark,
I would highly recommend going out to your local drugstore and picking up CeraVe Lotion (not the cream). It is a simple, unscented, non-comedogenic, light moisturizer that mimics the natural lipid structure of the skin. It also has hyaluronic acid, which is an excellent moisturizing active. I could recommend to you about 50 other expensive moisturizers, but this one is the most basic, is affordable, and is a preferred one for those in the know.

As far as cleansers go, a non-detergent cleanser for sensitive skin would be perfect for you. From what you describe, it sounds like you are overcleansing your skin and stripping it of its natural oils. PSF skincare makes some excellent cleansers that would be great for you.

AS far as sera go, what kinds of effects are you looking for?

Mon May 07, 2007 1:32 am

Lavera has a great line called Neutral for extremely sensitive skin. It's free of fragrance, colourants, all kind of botanical extracts and essential oils. The ingredients are natural which is always a big plus and unlike some other unfragranced skin care products they doesn't smell bad at all. Some of the products do contain alcohol, but I've never had any problems with them and my skin is prone to redness and dryness too.

You can check them at http://www.lavera.com/ and the ingredient lists can be found at http://www.lavera.co.uk/

HTH.

Mon May 07, 2007 10:24 am

thanks for your replies!

I can't seem to find CeRave here in Canada.... not sure why they don't sell it here... i've actually heard about it and checked all my local drug stores!

As far as a serum goes, maybe something that reduces the sensitivity of my skin? Takes away redness and soothes it?

I've actually used Lavera Neutral before and it was my fave moisturizer.. i used it for about 6-7 months and then when winter it it just dried my skin out completely and the last tube smelt SO strong of alcohol... maybe a bad batch? I keep thinking of going back to it....

free skin care · Mon May 07, 2007 4:00 pm

Cetaphil liquid Gentle Skin Cleanser (not the one that says specifically for face, it's terrible, and not the bar since they added "masking fragrance" to it it's also terrible) to start with. Wash your face no more than twice a day, and if you are using a lot of products right now you might want to chill it out for a bit and let your skin relax.

You might want to check out the multiple sunscreen for sensitive skin threads that are going on right now, also.

I'm wondering with your list of sensitivities and the mention of dry and red if you shouldn't see a derm and find out if you have rosacea.

Mon May 07, 2007 10:43 pm

Rozzy1 wrote:

As far as a serum goes, maybe something that reduces the sensitivity of my skin? Takes away redness and soothes it?

Have you tried emu oil? Not exactly a serum, but the only thing that really seems to calm my skin without breaking me out.

Rozzy1 wrote:

I've actually used Lavera Neutral before and it was my fave moisturizer.. i used it for about 6-7 months and then when winter it it just dried my skin out completely and the last tube smelt SO strong of alcohol... maybe a bad batch? I keep thinking of going back to it....

That's strange, I've never noticed any kind of strong smell of alcohol. Maybe it really was a bad batch or maybe they reformulated it? I also just noticed Lavera has another Neutral line for kids & babies and the Baby Neutral Face Cream doesn't contain alcohol at all. If the alcohol was the problem with Neutral Face Cream, maybe that would be a better option, since the rest of the ingredients look pretty identical.

I do agree with Harmonster though, maybe you should go to see a derm before spending all the money on products that might not work.

free skin care · Tue May 08, 2007 9:42 am

I don't know where you are in Canada, but if it's anything like where I live, the waiting period to see a derm can be very long! You can ask your regular doctor for some suggestions of non-irritating products though. I would recommend SpectroJel cleanser, it's available at many drugstores, Walmart, etc. and I like it better than Cetaphil, as the pH is better for the skin. My husband uses the Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Shaving Foam, and that has really reduced redness and irritation for him. We both find the Neutrogena Dry Touch Sunscreen to be non-irritating as well. I've only mentioned drugstore products, just because they are easier to access. The CeraVe that someone else mentioned is not available in Canada.

free skin care · Tue May 08, 2007 9:50 am

I will say Cetaphil liquid Gentle Skin Cleanser.
My husband has sensitive and oily skin, pretty bad combination. A dermatologist recommended this product, and now we both love it. It's very reasonable as well, you can get it at most drug store. If you tried Cetaphil and still have problem, maybe it's time to check in with a dermatologist.

free skin care · Tue May 08, 2007 2:14 pm

I have VERY sensitive skin and have been really pleased with Dr. Hauschka cleansing milk as a cleanser. A simple, inexpensive moisturizer that has worked really well for my equally sensitive-skinned husband is Weleda's Skin Food. (You can use it on face, hands, body, the works.) I've used it on occasion myself with excellent results.

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