Did I over-exfoliate?
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Wed May 28, 2008 10:13 am

Hi everyone,
I have a real dilemma. Here's the story;
I had pretty good skin with mild acne, nothing major. I started getting more pimples around my mouth and chin once I started taking the Alesse pill. I went for a Chemical Peel that did not really 'peel' like it was supposed to, leaving me with patchy skin. Someone told me to exfoliate with olive oil and sea salt, and I have done this every day for about two weeks, in conjuntion to starting to use the clinique products for my skin. Well, after all this, my skin has developed tiny bumps all over my face, that look more like an allergic reaction, than anything else. The reason that this is so bothersome, is because I haven't had this problem before, my skin was pretty good. I discontunued using all the products I mentioned and am just using cetaphyl products because they are supposed to be really mild.
-Is it advisable to go for another chemical peel in a month or so, just to correct the damage?
Please advise, I'm desperate!! Sad

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 10:23 am

Maria_312,

I would advise NOT to have another peel. The olive oil and salt might have irritated the skin especially coming immediately after the peel. I think it is also a good idea to stay away from Clinique as it is generally not considered a gentle line. The important thing is to not panic - I've had worse reactions to products and given enough time the skin does get back to normal. If you are able to see a dermatologist it might be a good idea to get a prescription for a mild ointment eg. Protopic which if used SPARINGLY for a SHORT period of time will aid in recovery of the facial skin.
Good luck!

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 10:44 am

What kind of peel did you have? Not a peels will give you visible peeling.

Manual (or chemical exfoliation like AHA) is not recommended after a peel. And in general daily manual exfoliation is not recommended either. Sea salt can be be especially irritating. I'm sorry but that was bad advice you were given.

When you have a peel its very important to be gentle to skin for at least 2 weeks (but it can also depend on the type peel you had also).

I would let you skin rest for a while now before deciding if you will have another peel. Use only gentle products, no treatments.
You can try a cortisone cream but only for 2-3 days max. This may help calm your skin down.

Since your acne is being caused by the BCP right now, its possible your skin will adjust or may have to change pills.

Wed May 28, 2008 10:52 am

Thank you so much for your reply!
It was supposed to be a 'Vitalize Peel' that seems to be popular. I've had it done before with excellent results (from a different place-they closed) so I think that it may have been a poorly-trained individual doing the peel.

That is my fault really, since I didn't thoroughly do my research on the person/place doing it.

I have also switched BCP pills two weeks ago, and am now taking Yasmin. I have noticed a reduction in the acne around my mouth area, but there is definitely tiny bumps all over my face that I don't think BCP was the cause of.

-I have seen some forums on this site that have recommended collodial oatmeal as an option to treat the bumps, is this an effective treatment?

Wed May 28, 2008 11:04 am

Also, Samkaj and GirlieGirl, I definitely appreciate your advice, and will definitely follow it!

-It's just nice to hear reassurance, as not many people know what to do and how to deal with this situation.

-I have definitely been given much bad advice, and shouldn't be so gullable.

Thanks again!

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 11:09 am

Quote:

Maria_312

"in conjunction to starting to use the clinique products for my skin."

I am sure the peel had something to do with the tiny bumps all over your skin, but don't be too surprised if you find it is the Clinque products you are using. I tried a whole series of Clinque products, when my face was great, and wouldn't you know it, in a matter of three days, my whole face had tiny bumps (mostly flesh in color) but some inflamed red (large) bumps. I kept using the products, thinking oh my skin just needs to get used to them. But it never stopped. After two weeks I took the product back and went back to basic cleanser. My skin cleared back up to normal (normal for me) and I will NEVER use these products again. Reviews on MUA for Clinque are not too hot either

Wed May 28, 2008 11:14 am

Bergquis,

Wow, I wouldn't have even thought that! It would make much sense, since it seems that I have the same types of bumps you have described-flesh coloured. Can you tell me Bergquis, do the bumps go away?

-I must say, Clinique was so disappointing, only because their ads seem like they do wonders for the skin. I feel so duped. And I gotta say that when I went to bring back the products (there was about $250 worth of it) the girl was completely rude and was asking me why I'm returning the products, and what am I going to use instead? Like it's any of their business!

Thank you again!

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 11:15 am

An enzyme mask might help. I don't think I would do any manual exfoliation as may be the case with the oatmeal.

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 11:22 am

yeah, Clinique has got many bad reviews, too many of them!
and exfoliating with sea salt?? Shock

I`ve tried it once on my body and it felt like salt was scratching me. and you`ve used it after peeling Shock

it was a really bad advice!
I think you should stop all the Clinique and give your skin some rest. it is not the right time to try any other new product.

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 11:57 am

Quote:

Bergquis,

Wow, I wouldn't have even thought that! It would make much sense, since it seems that I have the same types of bumps you have described-flesh coloured. Can you tell me Bergquis, do the bumps go away?

-I must say, Clinique was so disappointing, only because their ads seem like they do wonders for the skin. I feel so duped. And I gotta say that when I went to bring back the products (there was about $250 worth of it) the girl was completely rude and was asking me why I'm returning the products, and what am I going to use instead? Like it's any of their business!

I wanted to do something great for my skin a couple of years ago, so I went to the mall and listened to the Clinque lady. Who all what she said made sense. I invested close to $300, and I really was okay with spending if the products worked. But I did notice the first time I used the products they seem to strip my skin and make it burn. My skin felt tight and not "right". I kept at it for a while, but then enough was enough. When I brought my products back (I could bring everything except like the eyeliner, but I wanted to return that just for principal) the lady was nice, but she did have a way about her, that she commented "well, you are the only one that I have sold these products to, that did not like them". What a bunch of hoey! After reading more reviews I know that is a lie.

To answer your question about the bumps, yes they went away, took a couple weeks they slowly started going away, a few new ones popped up, but I knew that was to be expected. I used a very gentle cleanser and tried to use no makeup (when I could, after all when your face looks horrible and you have to go out in public, what is a girl to do). But try to take it easy with the products until your face clears. Then maybe introduce something new. I am in search of a new cleanser myself, doing research now. They will go away now that you are not stripping your skin, and don't worry about the rude gal. She is only rude because she lost her commissions. Funny thing, when I go to a place to buy skincare products or makeups, I always look at the gals selling the product. IF they have bad skin, I always ask "do you use it" and if they say YES, I usually excuse myself. That is a clear indicator for me, that my skin will HATE the products. Very Happy

Wed May 28, 2008 12:10 pm

Bergquis,

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation, and I must say, my face felt exactly like that too...like all my skin's natural oils were stripped away, and my skin felt tight and leathery (not to mention the little flesh-colored bumps and bigger red ones). I know this is not how my skin usually feels like because I always wear SPF and my skin is naturally oily. The whole 3-step system was completely drying for my skin, and when I went for my first 'follow-up' the girl (who had bad skin btw-should have been my first indication to run! Stupid me) got me to buy 3 more products.

I'm sure combination of everything I was doing has a part in why my skin got so irritated, but I just cant help but see the similarities between our two experiences regarding Clinique.

-Thank you for sharing!

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 12:14 pm

Definately Maria_312! Your experiences all the way around sound like mine. So here is the rating on MUA.

Product Reviews • Skincare - Face • Clinique • 3 Step System
Overall rating 2.5
Number of reviews 597
Would buy this product again. 34%
Package Quality 3.2
Price 3.4

Wed May 28, 2008 12:27 pm

Is this a good and 'gentle' approach for my irritated skin?

-Cetaphyl cleanser
-Cetaphyl lotion
-Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera gel.

I am just trying to stay away from anything with a lot of chemicals in it. Seems my skin is the more sensitive type so I hope this will work.

-I have also read somewhere that taking Milk Thistle will clean out the liver thus making the skin more clear. Has anyone tried this before?

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 12:29 pm

I know a lot of people who do say that Cetaphil is a nice gentle cleanser, and I do agree with that, but I used it for years and my skin always felt like it had a film on it. It does not seem to wash off. I am not looking for the stripped clean effect, but it is slimy. Just in my opinion.

Wed May 28, 2008 12:33 pm

Wow Bergquis,

It seems like we have the same skin type and same opinions about products too.. Smile

I feel the same way about cetaphyl also...it does feel slimy...I'm just lost in direction of what else to use...

I guess the only reason I stuck with it because my doctor told me to use it a long time ago when I had serious acne.

...seems like I tried the 'finest' and 'cheapest' and did not get very good results with either. Confused

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 12:36 pm

I agree that derms/docs all seem to turn to this cleanser, I think because it is the safe bet. But I did go to my third derm a month or so ago, and he said NO NO NO. He said it is cheap and they buy their oils from the cheapest place they could get them, so you never know what you are getting. That made sense to me, so I stopped using it. My son turned me on to Gardnier Oil Free cleanser, and I like it. It is gentle, I just somehow feel like I need some sort of acne agent to clear my constant whiteheads

Wed May 28, 2008 12:59 pm

Bergquis,

That makes perfect sense. It seems I'm back to searching for a good, gentle product.

Thank you SO much for all the advice!

-And thank you to everyone else for contributing!

-I really feel so much better!

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 3:46 pm

bergquis wrote:

I agree that derms/docs all seem to turn to this cleanser, I think because it is the safe bet. But I did go to my third derm a month or so ago, and he said NO NO NO. He said it is cheap and they buy their oils from the cheapest place they could get them, so you never know what you are getting. That made sense to me, so I stopped using it.

I'm curious .... is this comment about cetaphil cleanser? I'm not saying its a good or bad cleanser but I wonder where your derm gets this information. The company that owns Cetaphil is not a small company.
I bet some more expensive brands also purchase raw material from some of the same sources, as there are only so many to choose from.
Just my 2cents Smile

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 3:51 pm

Maria_312 wrote:

Is this a good and 'gentle' approach for my irritated skin?
-Cetaphyl cleanser
-Cetaphyl lotion
-Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera gel.

Maria_312 - Aquanil is also a nice gentle cleanser. I use it in the morning. I like it better then cetaphil but if you already have cetaphil I'd just use that. The lotion should be ok if you are generally are not acne prone.
Also I find aloe drying so might want to test that out and make sure it does not irritate you skin more.

Wed May 28, 2008 3:55 pm

I do find that Aloe is a bit drying...as soon as I apply it, it dries and makes my skin feel tight.

-Does anyone have recommendations on gentle facial lotions besides Cetaphyl? I prefer my face to feel more on the moisturized side than matte.

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 6:53 pm

Maria_312 wrote:

I do find that Aloe is a bit drying...as soon as I apply it, it dries and makes my skin feel tight.

-Does anyone have recommendations on gentle facial lotions besides Cetaphyl? I prefer my face to feel more on the moisturized side than matte.

I think the PSF lotions are sensitive. I'm using the perfecting one right now and it's really nice.

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 8:36 pm

Quote:

GirlieGirl

I'm curious .... is this comment about cetaphil cleanser? I'm not saying its a good or bad cleanser but I wonder where your derm gets this information. The company that owns Cetaphil is not a small company.
I bet some more expensive brands also purchase raw material from some of the same sources, as there are only so many to choose from.
Just my 2cents

As far as where the derm gets his information I could not answer that, but when I was explaining to him that I used it for years with no problems then all of a sudden I had problems. He said that because the cleanser is gentle, the only thing that could change is the oil products that are in it.

Yes, Cetaphil maybe a huge company, but they sell very very cheap products! So the only way they can sell cheap products is buy cheap ingredients. Made perfect sense to me.

**The batch of oils they they buy from companies all over the world, don't mix their oils the exact same as others, so the combination could be deadly. "deadly" meaning bad results not death.

free skin care · Wed May 28, 2008 9:45 pm

I concur with most of the posters. Both the oil/salt scrub and Clinique sound suspect. Salt can be very irritating and Clinique just sucks (check out the threads about the worst products to buy. Clinique wins!)

free skin care · Thu May 29, 2008 12:38 am

Has anyone here tried Moisturel lotion? My skin has been so dry lately/combination...So I went back to my old faithful...My sister went to a dermo 5 years back, and he recommended using Moisturel lotion, and I must say it really is a gentle lotion, oil-free. Anywho, I have used Cetaphil lotion before, but I prefer Moisturel over it. If anyone is interested, you can buy it at Walgreens.

And on a side note, just b/c a product is sold at drugstore does not mean that it is made w/bad or lesser quality raw materials. Often times, brands such as Neutrogena are better than dept. store brands in terms of raw materials used and effectiveness...Price should not be a factor in deciding effectiveness bc prices are always inflated in dept. store brands. It really is about what works for you. Just fyi.

free skin care · Thu May 29, 2008 5:55 am

gellys wrote:

Has anyone here tried Moisturel lotion? My skin has been so dry lately/combination...So I went back to my old faithful...My sister went to a dermo 5 years back, and he recommended using Moisturel lotion, and I must say it really is a gentle lotion, oil-free. Anywho, I have used Cetaphil lotion before, but I prefer Moisturel over it. If anyone is interested, you can buy it at Walgreens.

I bet Moisturel would be great for spot treating my dry patches. My skin has issues with silicones so thats why for me I say spot treat. I never would have thought of that, thanks for posting.

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