i'm scared i'm scarred
April 27, 2010 10:38 AM   Subscribe

Bad skin reaction to Blackhead foampads. Help?

5 days ago I used a single Neutrogena blackhead removing foampad for the first time. My skin immediately reddened. The blemishes are not as bright a red anymore, but are still there and prominent all about my face. The texture of my skin is also much rougher. Can I do something?

As far as I know, I have no allergies.
posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)
 
I would take some Benadryl for the redness and any itchiness to see if that helps, and in the meantime, use very gentle cleansers and moisturizers like Cetaphil.

See if that calms things down- don't use anything overly drying or meant for exfoliating. If in a few days you're still red and uncomfortable, get thee to a dermatologist.
posted by rachaelfaith at 10:43 AM on April 27, 2010


This happens to me whenever I use a product that includes salicylic acid --which your foaming pads feature as the active ingredient.

I don't know if it's a true allergy, but it is definitely a deal-breaking irritant. I have never found any solution except avoiding salicylic acid entirely.
posted by Coatlicue at 10:58 AM on April 27, 2010


Everybody's skin is different, so it's kind of hard to give a hard-line "what-to-do." I wouldn't, personally, put any kind of cleanser on it— which means also avoid cosmetics and moisturizers.

And dermatologists are awesome, but a lot of GPs are equipped to handle things like this too. If it still hurts and has been 5 days, I'd go ahead and go. No panic or anything, but I'd probably go ahead and make an appointment if it were me.

(But I'm a baby when it comes to stuff like this.)
posted by functionequalsform at 11:02 AM on April 27, 2010


You can develop allergies to things over time. In my early 20's, I used Proactiv without incident. Then one day after about 1.5 years of regular use, and any time I used the product thereafter, my face got red, and often itchy and swollen.

Seconding the Benadryl or anti-histamine to reduce the redness and any inflammation, and use of gentle cleansers like Cetaphil or Burt's Bees. Cleanse *gently,* don't overdo it, and perhaps gently wash your face with a washcloth in the shower to get some of the dry skin off. Don't scrub! But just lightly brush it around on your face.

For stubborn rough spots, I find that a little bit of neosporin rubbed into the skin helps restore smoother texture.
posted by raztaj at 11:03 AM on April 27, 2010


Completely off topic, but these worked great on my cat's acne that she had under her chin.
posted by meepmeow at 12:31 PM on April 28, 2010


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