Chemical peel, Retinol, exfoliation damage (dehydrated skin)
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Thu May 21, 2015 8:05 pm

Hi,

I am writing this to find some clarity on what’s going on. 6 months ago, I got a Vi Peel for a scar that was bothering me. It is marketed as a medium depth peel but my skin was not able to handle it. Shortly, a week after the peel, my skin became very crepey, bumpy, and congested. I had white stringy stuff and hardened sebum in almost every pore. Pores on my nose and cheeks opened up as to where my pores were nearly invisible prior to this. My nasolabial lines are so defined now and I have lines running down my face. I am only 24 years old so wrinkles at this age is abnormal. My skin looks like I’ve literally been smoking cigarettes for 50 yeas.

After the peel, I started a very gentle routine using only Cera Ve products to restore my skin barrier. After six months, I still have yet to see any difference. My pores are heavily clogged, I have an orange peel rough texture, and my skin looks very inflammed and crepey. I just started using the Nia24 Skin Strengthening Complex but it’s only been three weeks so I will use it for another couple of months to see if it helps.

My symptoms resemble anyone who had damage from Retin-A, Fraxel/laser treatments, or other harsh exfoliating methods. My question is, for someone who has experienced this, did you ever recover from this damage?

Everyone in my family has flawless skin so no one understands what I am going through. My skin damage has literally ruined my life. I can’t be normal like every other 24 year old when my face looks like it’s plagued with some disease.

So I turn to this forum to get opinions and help from people who have experienced something similar. I need any help I can get at this point because I am afraid this damage is permanent. I would greatly appreciate it.

Fri May 22, 2015 5:10 am

Hi,
I posted a very similar message some days ago. I also had a chemical peel done 10 months ago, and have experienced the orange texture you describe ever since.

As regards creams, I haven't found any that works much really. I was told emu oil and Tepezhuite could be helpful, but I haven't been able to get them because they're not sold where I live. Anyway, I started taking vitamin C and cod liver oil supplements a few days ago, and I have noticed considerable improvement. It seems my skin is plumping up so the lines are diminishing, and so is that ugly "shiny" appearance. The pores at the sides of my nose are still there, though, but since they're covered with blackheads I think I'll need to get a facial for them to shrink (which I'm not going to do for the moment because my skin is still very sensitive). Yesterday I incorporated vitamin E, vitamins B and zinc, which are proved to speed up wound healing.

I understand how you feel, because I've been feeling the same for the last 10 months. This issue has taken over my life. I hope we all get our deserved healing.

Fri May 22, 2015 12:45 pm

Camouflage wrote:

Hi,
I posted a very similar message some days ago. I also had a chemical peel done 10 months ago, and have experienced the orange texture you describe ever since.

As regards creams, I haven't found any that works much really. I was told emu oil and Tepezhuite could be helpful, but I haven't been able to get them because they're not sold where I live. Anyway, I started taking vitamin C and cod liver oil supplements a few days ago, and I have noticed considerable improvement. It seems my skin is plumping up so the lines are diminishing, and so is that ugly "shiny" appearance. The pores at the sides of my nose are still there, though, but since they're covered with blackheads I think I'll need to get a facial for them to shrink (which I'm not going to do for the moment because my skin is still very sensitive). Yesterday I incorporated vitamin E, vitamins B and zinc, which are proved to speed up wound healing.

I understand how you feel, because I've been feeling the same for the last 10 months. This issue has taken over my life. I hope we all get our deserved healing.

Hi Camouflage,

It's disheartening hearing peoples story whose damage is further out than mine and still have not healed. I'm glad you are seeing changes with vitamins but I did try NeoCollagen supplements which have vitamin C in them but didn't notice any difference. I took them for two months but maybe it takes longer to see changes. I just wanted to see the slightest of difference so I knew they were somewhat helping but I did not get that.

I'm tempted to try a retinoid in hopes for it to regenerate my skin and bring up the healthy layers but I am afraid it might cause further damage so I don't use it.

Fri May 22, 2015 4:21 pm

Hi Ashley,
I'm sorry the supplement didn't work. Anyway, mind you that Neocollagen has only 60 mg of vitamin C, which is quite a small amount actually. The one I'm taking is Good N' Natural C-Complex, which has 1,000 mg. I'm having one after lunch and another after dinner. Maybe you should give it a try, I've been taking it together with cod liver oil for four days and I'm already seeing some improvement.

I would stay away from Retin A for the moment. Our skin is inflamed and hypersensitive, and retinoids may irritate it even further and leave more lines and pores. I hope I don't sound patronizing, this is just an opinion, but I've read so many horror stories about retinoids on Realself and the Laser Victims forum that I've become quite wary of them.

Fri May 22, 2015 8:28 pm

Camouflage wrote:

Hi Ashley,
I'm sorry the supplement didn't work. Anyway, mind you that Neocollagen has only 60 mg of vitamin C, which is quite a small amount actually. The one I'm taking is Good N' Natural C-Complex, which has 1,000 mg. I'm having one after lunch and another after dinner. Maybe you should give it a try, I've been taking it together with cod liver oil for four days and I'm already seeing some improvement.

I would stay away from Retin A for the moment. Our skin is inflamed and hypersensitive, and retinoids may irritate it even further and leave more lines and pores. I hope I don't sound patronizing, this is just an opinion, but I've read so many horror stories about retinoids on Realself and the Laser Victims forum that I've become quite wary of them.

I'm going to order those supplements. Thank you for the help. I hope I see changes and you continue to heal as well.

Do you have bumps all over your face? All my symptoms like enlarged pores and wrinkles resemble other people, but I haven't seen anyone talk about having clogged pores all over their face. Every single one of my pores is literally clogged and I can't use anything because I'm hypersensitive.

Mon May 25, 2015 6:16 pm

I have wrinkles and enlarged pores with blackheads, but not bumps actually. Maybe it's another sign of dehydration? Since the skin barrier was damaged, it can no longer hold any moisture, so your glands produce more oil in an attempt to hydrate the skin and as a result you get clogged pores. Aloe vera may help with that, as it is anti irritant and anti bacterial.

Keep us posted how you're doing with the vitamins. It's been a week since I started taking them, and the improvement's been amazing! The lines and discolorations are quickly vanishing, and my skin is much more plump and healthy looking. The pores at the sides of my nose seem to be the tough nut, though.

Mon Jun 08, 2015 11:33 am

Camouflage wrote:

I have wrinkles and enlarged pores with blackheads, but not bumps actually. Maybe it's another sign of dehydration? Since the skin barrier was damaged, it can no longer hold any moisture, so your glands produce more oil in an attempt to hydrate the skin and as a result you get clogged pores. Aloe vera may help with that, as it is anti irritant and anti bacterial.

Keep us posted how you're doing with the vitamins. It's been a week since I started taking them, and the improvement's been amazing! The lines and discolorations are quickly vanishing, and my skin is much more plump and healthy looking. The pores at the sides of my nose seem to be the tough nut, though.

Hi Camouflage,

I’m writing to see if you have an update on your skin with the supplements. I’ve started taking Cod liver oil and Vitamin C and haven’t seen any changes yet. How is your skin doing?

Regards,
Ashley.

Thu Jun 11, 2015 7:10 am

Hi Ashley,
I'm noticing some improvement, not as much as I'd like to, but it's definitely better than what it was some weeks ago. What improved the most is the plumpness. The texture is still rough though. I've increased my intake and now I'm taking 1 Vit C + 1 Cod Liver Oil after lunch and 2 Vit C + 2 Cod Liver Oil after dinner. I'm thinking of adding some Omega 3 supplements as well.

Besides, I've been doing some research (actually, I'm so desperate I'm doing research pretty much all the time I can Embarassed

) and the good news is that it seems the lines and pores plus the oily surface are a sign of dehydration, rather than permanent damage. What our skin lacks is water, not sebum (as opposed to people with dry skin). That's why "heavy creams" like Cerave and the likes don't work for us. I've begun using a light moisturizer with hyaluronic acid and aquaporins and it definitely smooths the surface, though the effect doesn't last long. Last night I watched a video by Paula's Choice team that recommended using a light moisturizer and putting Aquaphor on top of it before going to bed, so that the skin could hold the water for a longer time before it evaporates. I want to give it a try to see if it works.

Fri Feb 03, 2017 12:54 pm

Has anyone here fully recoverered since the last post?

I'm going through something similar from retinoid damage and am quite frightened.

free skin care · Sat Feb 04, 2017 8:33 pm

Vitamin C pills are supposed to repair damaged skin? I think laser resurfacing or fraxel is more realistic.

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