REALLY need your help guys. So upset, advice needed
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

Tue Aug 31, 2010 12:00 pm

Hey guys,

I'm really freaking out. So when I turned 24 I decided that I needed to really start taking care of my skin. If ONLY I could go back in time. I had pale skin, kind of dewy. It ran on the dryer side, but was fairly normal. I had recently moved to California, so I was in the sun more and wore sunscreen everyday. I don't really care for being out in the sun anyways. I then became obsessed with skincare products. I changed from using dove soap, which I have used my whole life, to the Cerave Hydrating cleanser. I then added Aqua Glycolic face cream and skin Ceuticals Ce Ferulic. My skin looked great, really great. I then thought it would be a good idea to add RENOVA, which I got samples from my dermatologist. I started using that and my skin looked bad, and realized that I need to stop using the Aqua Glycolic and just use renova. I would then glob on Cerave moisturizer after the Renova. I did that for a while, and my skin looked worse which I knew would be normal. Then I would have days where it looked really great, beautiful and I got compliments. This is where I got crazy. I decided to stop using Renova, because I felt like I had more bad days than good. I start globbing on so many products, creams, scrubs. I developed oily skin and acne. HUGE CYSTS around my mouth and occasional on my cheeks and forehead. I then used proactive, back to renova, then my skin turned on FIRE. beat red, and so I put hydro cortisone cream on it for a few days. My pores on every part of my face opened up and were huge. I cry a lot. My family told me to stop everything and use dove and things have gotten a little bit better. But my shiny, orange peel like cheeks have me feeling devastated. It has been 8 months since I started all of this stuff, did I do permanent damage? I also was working outside on the patio of a restaurant 3 days a week in the California sun and kept trying different sunscreen, globbing it on every hour. I recently quit this job so I don't have to be in the sun anymore. When I went to the dermatologist she wanted to give me Ziana, and the Clarisonic (Which i TRIED and it enhanced broken capillaries). She also told me I have mild rosacea, which I can see because I have blotchy cheeks now. I hate how dermatologist always want to prescribe prescription retinoids. I don't want to use another retin-a, I feel like that caused the problem in the FIRST PLACE. I have very delicate, sensitive skin. It's tissue paper thin

I'm so distraught. What should I DO? Are the open pores because my skin is exposed from over-doing it? The pores have little grooves connecting them to other pores too. I know I make it worse than it actually is, but I'm blaming myself for all of this. Will this heal over time? I read all about people who treat this kind of problem with more peels and creams, and I just am afraid to do that because I think it would make it worse.

I have been washing my face with dove, and a few drops of jojoba oil. I was going to simply do that, a green tea replenix serum at night. Then Skin ceuticals vitamin c in the morning with sunscreen. I am on antibiotics which has helped the breakouts, I also think not using as many products is helping too.

What do you guys think? I'm only 24 it makes me so upset that this might be permanent. I feel depressed a lot. How can I post a picture? Crying or Very sad

free skin care · Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:20 pm

check out the OCM (oil cleansing method)thread on the diy forum here (the 3rd forum listed)...many have been helped through using that method.

also check out the green smoothie thread on the same forum (what we eat..and assimilate has a lot to do with how our skin looks)

there are other threads that may support you too,...like a thread on using spirulina..externally and internally for problem skin... but i'll post about them later....

i think some of these holistic methods may not be so 'appealing' at first...but they can 'really do the job' re healing the skin.

free skin care · Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:32 pm

meanwhile imo it's really important that you stick w/your familiar simplified regime (and gradually add/shift to some of these holistc/natural healing methods)... and not be tempted to try othr products w/chemical or lab processed ingredients.. even though they may promise you beautiful skin.. cause (to me) that would feel very anti-productive at this time

Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:53 pm

I agree with the poster who suggested OCM. I do a modified version where I precleanse with olive oil and then use a gentle foaming face wash to take the oil off.

I would pare down your routine as much as possible. Likely you've damaged your acid mantle so you need to work on getting that back to normal. Cut back on all actives, except maybe the vitamin c serum (though if you find it to be too drying, I would stop it too for the time being). And don't forget to use a broad spectrum sunscreen. If you can, I would stick to physical filters like zinc and ti dioxide vs chemical ones that might cause irritation.

PS: I've been there with the over-exfoliation, and ended up with oddly shiny, crepy skin. I'm cursed with always thinking if a little is good, a lot must be better. I want to let you know that my skin did heal, and since then I've been able to add back some of actives I had to completely cut out.

Tue Aug 31, 2010 4:33 pm

Thank you for your messages guys.

Have a lot of people on this forum experienced this? When you say crepey skin, were your pores enlarged looking too? My skin right now is oily and dry/tight. I feel like I can feel the skin under my eye tug and pull too when I use my mouth, or chew. It's a really weird tightness. Should I be using a moisturizer? I have been using Elta Md oil free sunscreen and it has zinc and chemical, and you're right - it does sting. Also, it just enhances the shiny bad texture of my cheeks right now, and causes me anxiety! Did going off renova do this? My stress probably isn't helping. I just wonder if the enlarged pores are from permanent skin damage, oily skin, or something else- and if they will ever go down :/ Crying or Very sad

free skin care · Tue Aug 31, 2010 4:49 pm

Hi Believer,
One thing you have going for you is youth! Thus, your skin has a good chance of healing in due time. "Less is more" is probably a good mantra for you to adopt. Your skin sounds completely stripped of its natural oils due to over-exfoliation from a variety of products. So, your skin is trying to over-compensate making it somewhat "oily" at this point.

It sounds like you added too many skincare products in a short amount of time. It's probably difficult to point a finger at the offending product. It's probably a combination of all of them and not allowing your skin an acclimation time per product.

If I were you, I would use a very gentle cleanser such as Cetaphil (this was recommended to me by a plastic surgeon) and a high quality sunscreen during the day. Try a dusting of mineral make up to cover the red, if you'd like.

In the p.m., I would cleanse with Cetaphil (not with the Clarisonic) and apply jojoba afterwards. I think your skin needs some "down time" just to repair itself.

Tue Aug 31, 2010 5:02 pm

It sounds like you currently have dehydrated skin - dry & tight but at the same time oily, right? The way I understand it is that dehydrated skin lacks water whereas dry skin is lacking oil. You want to make sure your skin is always hydrated. So apply moisturizers, etc on damp skin to lock in the moisture.

If you can find a barebones hyaluronic acid serum (maybe try garden of wisdom), it might help to bring back moisture to your skin. The thing with commercial HA serums (like the ones from sephora or health food stores) is that they are FULL of essential oils and extracts, which I think do more harm than good.

And keep using sunscreen - it's what;s going to prevent hyper-pigmentation and any damage from the sun.

Just treat your skin with care over the next few months and I'm sure things will get better Smile

free skin care · Tue Aug 31, 2010 5:58 pm

kims wrote:

Hi Believer,
One thing you have going for you is youth! Thus, your skin has a good chance of healing in due time. "Less is more" is probably a good mantra for you to adopt. Your skin sounds completely stripped of its natural oils due to over-exfoliation from a variety of products. So, your skin is trying to over-compensate making it somewhat "oily" at this point.

It sounds like you added too many skincare products in a short amount of time. It's probably difficult to point a finger at the offending product. It's probably a combination of all of them and not allowing your skin an acclimation time per product.

I think your skin needs some "down time" just to repair itself.

I agree with this. I would like to recommend the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrate (not the nightly use one, but the one that you use for 21 nights). This really does work at repairing the skin barrier, at least for my skin. (I think your oily skin/acne were most likely caused by Renova, which is usually prescribed for older people with dry skin. That, plus "globbing on" the Cerave after the already moisturizing Renova probably really clogged your pores.)

free skin care · Tue Aug 31, 2010 6:38 pm

I am sorry you went through this, but this is your skin trying to tell you something, it's screaming you to stop.

You are young and have great skin, why try and change it?

I don't think you've done permanent damage, skin is an organ and it goes through regeneration cycles, I don't remember my bio, but I think 3-4 month cycle of renewal. May be faster depending on immune system.

I would say STOP all creams, cleansers and such. Let your skin take a breath and recuperate.
If you don't have oily skin, buy rose hydrosol (rose water) and in the evenings apply to cotton pad and wipe gently. DON't use makeup until you get better. Who cares what people think, you need to let your skin recover.

If you are feeling on the dry side, take olive oil, or if you can buy camelia or jojoba oils (try newdirectionsaromatics dot com) apply in the mornings after wiping gently with rose water.

I would suggest you do some physical exercise, because a) you will increase your body's metabolism rate, which will in turn mean that your skin renewal is better and faster, and b) through sweat you will clean the pores better.

It will become better.

In terms of sunscreens. If you do not have to spend time in the sun, and only drive etc, use physical help - wide hat for example. If you absolutely must be in the sun, again use a sunscreen on your body, but keep your face in the shade under a very wide hat or umbrella.

And don't despair, it's not irreversible./

free skin care · Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:23 pm

Hi B92k
If I were you I would stop anything harsh and just wash with a gentle cleanser and use sunscreen and thats it. Your skin is probably sensitive. It will probably take a little while but I think your skin will return to normal.

free skin care · Wed Sep 01, 2010 7:57 pm

luvskincare wrote:

Hi B92k
If I were you I would stop anything harsh and just wash with a gentle cleanser and use sunscreen and thats it. Your skin is probably sensitive. It will probably take a little while but I think your skin will return to normal.

I totally agree with this recommendation. Give your skin some rest and let it regenerate. At the same time, how's your diet? Do you eat a lot of junk food? Do you drink a lot of alcohol/smoke? Do you hydrate enough with plain water? How about rest? Are you getting enough sleep? Don't just think of topicals all the time. Nourishment comes from within, and our lifestyle will reflect on our skin. Hope this helps.

Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:37 pm

Thank you for everyone's advice.

This whole problem makes me feel sick to my stomach Sad

I also feel like there are little horizontal lines on my cheeks, faint but there. Like the pores are connecting to one another. I read so many woman doing laser treatments, and having it botched and getting enlarged pores and horizontal lines on their skin. I just used a bunch of products, granted they exfoliated my skin a lot. Could I have done permanent damage too? I am only going to use Dove soap. It's awful when I put on sunscreen, my skin has a shiny texture to it. I'm just going to avoid the sun. I also feel like I am seeing fine lines under my eyes, and dark circles. This is so terrible. I have had to be in the sun this whole year, and even though I am diligent about sunscreen and everyone makes fun of me, I still think I must have gotten some damage. Will it take months for my skin to heal? Did I just strip it so the pores are exposed, is that why they opened up? My skin just feels really weak and thin, and really soft. But NOT smooth looking. I also have blotchy cheeks, and my cheeks get more rosy when I smile.

Thanks for all of the encouragement everyone!

I would love to send people pictures if anyone wants to see, and get some opinions. Best, Believer.

Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:41 pm

Hey Blaze,

I don't smoke, and rarely drink. I am a little underweight right now with all the stress. About 5' 7" and 118. I really do try to eat healthy, I could be doing better though. The only issue I feel like I have had to deal with is working in the sun a few times a week. The sun in california is super bright. I always reapplied sunscreen every hour though- everyone makes fun of me for it. It was exhausting layering it on though, and just saturating and suffocating my skin with it over and over. That probably didn't help this situation either.

I think I'm n panic mode, like this is never going to go away and it's all my fault. I need to strengthen my skin. And not using things like vitamin C, that's hard too! I feel like my skin looks dull.

If anyone can address some of the questions I have regarding the pores and horizontal lines, that would be awesome!

Thanks guys <3

Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:48 pm

Wow, I guess in my fit of panic over my skin, I decided to post RELLY instead of REALLY. Oh dear...I can't believe I just noticed that!! Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:07 pm

Check out your parents skin. Do either of them have large pores? If so, then its genetics and your pores are starting to become noticable as you age. My large pores are genetic from my dad and mine became noticable around the age of 22-23. If not, then it could be because your skin is reacting badly to the aggresive treatments in which you need to back off and wait until your skin adjusts.

free skin care · Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:20 pm

You're really young (my age!) so you don't need to do any of that stuff. Just use a physical sunscreen with a high zinc oxide content and allow your skin to recover and heal. Preferrably use a physical sunscreen with uncoated zinc oxide because that will help with the healing. You really don't need anything else except a cleansing routine that works for you. Your skin will recover in no time!

edited to add: oh and the good thing is that with physical sunscreen, you don't need to reapply it all the time. Just reapply it whenever you wash your face, or you feel like you sweated a lot and wiped your face.

free skin care · Thu Sep 02, 2010 2:00 am

azalea wrote:

It sounds like you currently have dehydrated skin - dry & tight but at the same time oily, right? The way I understand it is that dehydrated skin lacks water whereas dry skin is lacking oil. You want to make sure your skin is always hydrated. So apply moisturizers, etc on damp skin to lock in the moisture.

If you can find a barebones hyaluronic acid serum (maybe try garden of wisdom), it might help to bring back moisture to your skin. The thing with commercial HA serums (like the ones from sephora or health food stores) is that they are FULL of essential oils and extracts, which I think do more harm than good.

And keep using sunscreen - it's what;s going to prevent hyper-pigmentation and any damage from the sun.

Just treat your skin with care over the next few months and I'm sure things will get better Smile

PSF pure skin formulations has a 100% HA serum.
I got a sample of it and really like it-it helps with my dry skin around the eyes and cheek area.

I also tried Bioelements moisture x10 that one has silicone in it though and is more expensive.

the psf one seems to absorb better and is cheaper.

I'm not sure which one I should buy!
probably the psf since it is more concentrated I guess...

free skin care · Thu Sep 02, 2010 2:06 am

luvskincare wrote:

Check out your parents skin. Do either of them have large pores? If so, then its genetics and your pores are starting to become noticable as you age. My large pores are genetic from my dad and mine became noticable around the age of 22-23. If not, then it could be because your skin is reacting badly to the aggresive treatments in which you need to back off and wait until your skin adjusts.

sorry to post again (i knw teh is a rule about double posting,lol).

my dad he had oily skin even in his 60s and my mom who is 62 now..she still has oily skin and large pores and goes from using sunscreen to using oxy pads and not too sure what else.
so that is true about looking at family members skin!

free skin care · Tue Sep 07, 2010 5:49 pm

believer92k wrote:

Hey Blaze,

I don't smoke, and rarely drink. I am a little underweight right now with all the stress. About 5' 7" and 118. I really do try to eat healthy, I could be doing better though. The only issue I feel like I have had to deal with is working in the sun a few times a week. The sun in california is super bright. I always reapplied sunscreen every hour though- everyone makes fun of me for it. It was exhausting layering it on though, and just saturating and suffocating my skin with it over and over. That probably didn't help this situation either.

I think I'm n panic mode, like this is never going to go away and it's all my fault. I need to strengthen my skin. And not using things like vitamin C, that's hard too! I feel like my skin looks dull.

If anyone can address some of the questions I have regarding the pores and horizontal lines, that would be awesome!

Thanks guys <3

Calm down girl. You are way too young to be stressing so much about your skin.

#1 quit using all skincare products except a cleanser and sunscreen for a few weeks and please quit reapplying your sunscreen so often. You don't need to. If your using a sunscreen over SPF 30 you only need to reapply maybe twice a shift at work.

I agree you did mess up your skin. At your age you don't need all that stuff. Your just making things worse.

Once your skin gets back to normal use an antioxidant and sunscreen in the AM and a over the counter retinol, not Retin-A every night along with a moisturizer if your skin needs one.

That's all you need.

Are you so afraid of getting old that your so obsessed with all this skincare stuff at such a young age?

Relax and enjoy life. All you need are the very basics at your age . You'll be doing more than most of us here ever did at your age.

Don't let forums or magazines make you that vain that you obsess about your skin so much.

I wish you well and hope your skin gets back to normal soon.

Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:22 pm

I know this is a really old post but I am experiencing something similar that started around 4 months ago after a bout of overexfoliation. Huge open pores connecting to make lines, redness, sensitivity, and awful thin crepey skin when I smile. I am 31. I am not sure if you will even see this but if you do, did it improve over time?

Thanks!

Fri Jan 01, 2016 7:30 pm

Hey to all,

This is a REALLY old thread. Today is Jan 1, 2016 (lol). I've been spending a lot of time today reading through EDS threads having to do in particular with negative effects of Retinol. For the past 1.5 years I've been on a constant, obsessive, manic battle with my aging skin. I turned 40 last April (omg which makes me 41 in a few months UGGG) and about a year ago I started really noticing under eye wrinkles when I smiled. So thus began my manic search for the perfect skin care. FF to several months ago, I found Paula's choice and began obsessively reading her articles, her product descriptions, and the customer reviews. I then realized that I absolutely needed the following:

Chemical exfoliant
Anti oxidants
Retinol

So I began slowly with vit c and a very very mild Retinol product which did nothing. My issues were/are hyperpigmentation, large pores, blackheads..AND..AND..why did I start seeing loose skin on my neck in certain lighting?
So anyway, I moved on to her 1% Retinol, and also used her AHA and/or BHA. I realized quickly that I should NOT be exfoliating every day, much less every day and night (which is actually a part of the directions for both exfoliants!)
My skin looked AWFUL for a short while. However seemed to return to normal when I stopped (exfoliating) and now only do it 2x a week.

Then the Retinol. I worked up to using every night, pea sized amount, and one day my skin was glowing like I had never seen! So I continued use, thought "I found my HG product", but nope. Nope nope nope. Now my skin has huge, gross pores, and blackheads worse then before.

This isn't supposed to be an "irritating" Retinol product and it seems to be wildly used and tolerated.

I guess, after reading this thread, I'll stop the Retinol, and not exfoliate too much either. I've also been using this AAA moisturizer from MUAC which I love. I figure sticking with antioxidants and vitamin c is ok since it's never given me issues before and doesn't seem to be now either? I actually scared to go caveman at my age. Skin doesn't bounce back at 40 like it did even ten years ago. Has anyone had issues with non prescription Retinol products like the one I used from PC?

Sat Jan 02, 2016 4:43 am

Hi there,

I had the same problem as you with the huge, saggy pores. I've found most of the creams on the market are too harsh with preservatives and make it worse. What I've found soothes my skin in just 1-2 days, makes my pores look tight, barely visible, and healed, is gotu kola extract. It helps synthesize new collagen, elastin, and is used medically for healing wounds.

You can use an alcohol free gotu kola extract, or just make an herbal water extract which I make myself. I can tell you how I make mine if you're interested. And just smooth it onto your face, that simple. I think lotioncrafter sells the extract too but it might be more effective to make your own. Another name for the herb is "centella asiatica", might be called that on the website.

I also plan to start using elastica bounceback cream soon so I hope that helps too.

Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:55 am

Thanks for your reply tango,

And thanks for the recommendations. I was reading a thread where people noticed amazing results from taking HA supplements. And another supplement called Neocell? I'm looking into both right now.
And I actually just ordered the bounce-back cream. I'm excited to try..

I think the issue with so many of us, is that were bombarded with so many anti aging ingredients, and were told to use all of them. And we read these glowing reviews online of people who swear they've turned back the clock with these products, so we're dying to try them all. That plus on Paula's website she's gone into explicit detail about what a good/healthy skin care regime should look like, which includes chemical exfoliater sand Retinol on a daily basis,and we think there's something wrong with US when all these active ingredients backfire. And we're told by professionals that were crazy. I swear- online information is one of the most dangerous conventions to hit our society this millennium.

Anyway, we all go through the painful trial and error with exfoliater and retinols only to discover we've done the exact opposite thing we set out to do. So we're in damage control. Ok idk where I'm going with this besides venting so thank you for reading Haha..

Anyway. This morning I washed my face with my MUAC green tea wash, and skipped everything else and went straight for the sunscreen (I used CeraVe with zinc 50). And although my face feels slightly dry, it looks better already. How disappointing that I could've been doing the most basic routine this whole time..

With regards to the goth kola extract, that's actually the first I've heard of it. You can most certainly post your recipe or whatever and maybe I'll give it a try sometime in the near future. I'm trying not to add too many things in at once, as I tend to do, and just let my skin heal. Fortunately my skin heals rather quickly. And thank you for mentioning this! It's something ill be researching all day I'm sure lol. Smile

free skin care · Wed Jan 06, 2016 1:39 am

I had a similar experience. I think strong retina and steroids shouldn't be used on the face, especially for sensitive skin

free skin care · Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:25 am

To me its not that they shouldn't be used on the face but that people shouldn't self treat. Both are prescription based for good reason. When I read about youngsters self medicating it fills me with dread big time.

pokerlady888 wrote:

I had a similar experience. I think strong retina and steroids shouldn't be used on the face, especially for sensitive skin

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