Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with sensitiveskin

ouchless exfoliant?

happy scrappy — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:53:15 -0800

I need suggestions for gentle exfoliants. I have pretty good skin (small pores, even complexion), but my face gets dry and flaky in the wintertime. I've been using St. Ives apricot scrub for sensitive skin, but I need something gentler. Lately when I use it, it stings my cheeks, and I'm already seeing early signs of rosacea so I'd prefer not to irritate it too much. But I do want to get the dead skin off.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

My love for you is like a red, red nose...

Phalene — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:41:40 -0800

Rosacea management: care and hiding of a sometimes red face? Several questions all on one topic inside. I have moderate rosacea that afflicts only my nose. The antibiotics removed the surface damage, curing the bumps so I'm merely pink instead of red, inflamed and spotty, but discovering that I have an incurable tendency to flush in a disfiguring fashion means that I want to know the best ways to manage my condition on the other hand I don't want to live my life trying to avoid everything that could cause a rush of blood to prevent a flare up. So:

1) My dermatologist gave me a huge long list of things to avoid based on 'typical' rosacea suffers. Most of these (hot baths/showers/exertion/sun) certainly turn my feet red, but seem to improve my facial redness by fading it. Cold, allergens and surface bacteria seem to be my triggers. How to cope? I’m Canadian, so avoiding the whole winter thing is a non-option.

2) As a contact lense wearer, I find that eye irritation causes me to flush a little bit. How can I minimize this until I can get laser eye surgery (in another 2 or 3 years)? I would swap back to glasses, but the difference in vision between contacts and glasses is for me, considerable. How can I keep my eyes less inflamed, and thus my nose healthy?

3) As a female I want to wear makeup. What lines and brands of foundation/concealer/powder/etc should I look for, that I can use to cover the pink, when I don’t want to look cute and windblown, which have a good track record for sensitive skin? It’s no use hiding the pink only to turn it red with a flare up.

4) The ‘if left untreated’ pictures are ghastly and some things I’ve read say that getting worse is normal. Do I have a future of looking like boil covered raw meat, or do people generally do okay and this is those extreme pictures you typically find in medical texts? Similarly some sources say going into remission is possible (ie Wikipedia). How complete is that remission?

5) On the internet, rosacea seems to be a topic prone to voodoo cures and conflicting information. While interesting reading, what are the best rosacea resources? Non-flakey (ie actually has studies for their ‘emu-oil’ cure ideas) are best.

6) Socially speaking, how do I deal with nice people asking about my skin affliction (ie ‘You have a cold?’) or idiots humming ‘Rudolph’ in what they think is taking the mickey out of me, but is making my self esteem wither? I mean asides from screeching ‘Christ, what an asshole?’

7) I'm 22, and it seems to have started at 20. What gives? I thought this was a middle aged lady disease? Is this something to follow up on? Or is is just genetic luck of the draw, given that my mother has a pink nose too?

8) Anything else I should know about rosacea?

How do I keep from getting an ankle rash while snorkeling/diving?

squishy — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:26:19 -0800

How do I prevent an ankle rash from dive fins w/ socks while snorkeling? I got blisters from my dive fins, so I bought some cheapo dive socks, but about a full day after wearing them with fins and snorkeling for a few hours, I got a red, super itchy rash on my ankles that lasted 4 days. My skin is generally very sensitive, but what can I do? Buy more pricey dive socks? (Does the quality of neoprene matter?) Is it chafing, and if so, would some sort of oil-based lubricant work?

I'm going again in a month and would love to be more comfortable this time...

New products for sensitive skin?

LunaticFringe — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 09:27:25 -0800

Skin care products filter: I have recently overcome a bought of perioral dermatitis and am looking for ultra-gentle, hypoallegenic skin care products. Heaps more inside. Warning: Extensive explanation!

I used to use Estee Lauder's Perfectly Clean light cleansing lotion followed by the Clear Difference moisturizer (light green bottle). I've been using this for years but am now in the market for more "natural" products. As stated above, I have just managed to "cure" a case of perioral dermatitis (by me I mean my doctor cured it with a prescription of antibiotics) and am now looking for skin care products for my clearly sensitive skin. I am aware of the toothpaste link and have changed to a fluoride-free toothpaste so please don't tell me it's my toothpaste. Now while I don't think my current cleanser/moisturizer was the cause of the rash, I do think it exacerbated it as both are quite heavy on the perfumes.

I have an oily T-zone but dry patches on my cheeks and around my mouth. I'm starting to get fine lines (gasp!) and have what I would say are medium to small pores, you can see them but they're not that big (yet). I tend not use soaps as I find them over-drying and need light moisturizers because of the oily tendencies of my skin.

History: I dislike Cetaphil immensely, I don't like the filmy feeling it left behind and my skin never felt clean after using it. Please don't tell me to use it, I won't. I've used the cleansing milk and hydrating lotion from Phytomer, both of which I really liked and were really nice to my skin but would like it if I could find cheaper-but-equally-good products. I may go back to them but it means sacrificing food for face-care. I have also tried the cleansing lotion and moisturizer from Aveda (supposedly from all natural sources, hence why I bought them) but was unhappy with both. The cleanser was over-drying and the moisturizer far too heavy leaving way too much oil on my face.

While the rash was clearing up I have not been using a cleanser but simply rinsing my face with water and using an exfoliating scrub (Apricot something from St. Ives) twice-ish a week. This works well but I constantly have that "heavy skin" feeling (same one I had with Cetaphil but not as bad) and my skin is starting to show signs of pore-clogging fun.

I would prefer to get non-biased opinions from the MeFi community as opposed to the clearly biased opinions of skincare "experts" at the drug store or makeup counter. So, hope me find new things to wash and moisturize my sensitive face with! Gah, sorry about the length. Thanks in advance!

Extra Gentle Shampoo / Conditioners for Color Treated Hair?

sarahmelah — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 10:40:24 -0800

Is there an extra gentle, natural, or super-mild hair care product that I can use to wash my hair when it needs it? Looking for recommendations of natural or very mild hair products, especially for color treated hair. I have fairly sensitive skin, and am looking for the least irritating, friendliest shampoo and conditioner out there. I know that Cetaphil is a good gentle skin cleanser, is there a hair-care equivalent? I have been trying to wash my hair less often, and average about every other day, but when I do need to wash, what’s the least harmful shampoo to use?

In my mind, extra gentle = safe for color treated hair, but I know that just because a shampoo is safe for colored hair it’s not necessarily going to prevent any fading or loss of color. Having read through the shampoo questions posted previously, I know there are a great number of people who dye their hair, a good number who wash their hair infrequently, and at least a few out there with sensitive skin. The other threads don’t really address all three issues, so I hope it’s okay to combine them and ask for recommendations.

I’d appreciate any information people have on extending the longevity of hair color as well.

Thanks in advance!

Sunscreen for sensitive skin?

crapulent — Thu, 26 May 2005 11:02:56 -0800

I have sensitive skin and I need a good sunscreen. I am desperately seeking an all-natural sunscreen that won't irritate my very sensitive facial skin. I am extremely picky about ingredients, therefore I have a grudge against all department store and grocery store brands. I'm looking for something with no fragrances, no preservatives, and all that junk. I would prefer a product in which zinc oxide is the only active ingredient, but I guess titanium dioxide is okay too.

I need something with an SPF of 25 or higher to wear under my makeup. I ordered some MexiTan (www.mexitanproducts.com -- sorry, don't know how to link in this window), which is the best that I could find after many hours of Googling, but I am looking for other suggestions as well.

Foamy Soap

agregoli — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 11:09:18 -0800

Recommendations for a liquid hand soap that foams up a lot but is gentle on the skin?