Getting the Red Out: Part 2

If Part 1 was all about the agony, then Part 2 should offer somewhat of a counterbalancing dose of ecstasy. Thankfully, I can oblige.

The one good thing about suffering the travails of sensitive skin in bloggy public is the feedback — I received a lot of excellent advice from far-flung sources, and while not every single piece of it was bound to work for me, I was able to collect all the separate parts together and come out with a clear picture of what I was doing wrong in my approach to hyper-sensitive skin, and how I could manage to do better in the future.

For example, there comes a time in the life of every sensitive-skinned person when he must confront the fact that the harder he fights, the worse things are likely to get:

Behold the stockpile of weapons, and welcome to mutually assured destruction!

So while “Less is more!” might just seem like another worn-out cliche, it was absolutely applicable in this instance. Every treatment, serum, masque, scrub, exfoliator, soother, calmer, cooler and redness eradicator was just one more step on the super-highway to facial crash and burn.

In fact, I think one of the best pieces of advice I received turned out to be the simplest and easiest: grapeseed oil as a shaving treatment:

Grapeseed oil — it’s not just for stir-fry anymore.

After a week of slathering grapeseed oil on my neck and face as a pre-shave treatment, I can easily say that my post-shave skin has never been happier. The bumps, irritations and redness have radically decreased, and I like the Zirh aloe-vera based shave cream, as well. I think both Dawn and Thomas suggested that particular brand, and it seems to work really well. Much better than the parade of Sensitive Skin shave creams that I was using previously.

But why take my word for it when I can show a before and after photo — the difference between the damage that Ole Henriksen Clean Shave (for “sensitive skin”) contributed to my skin and the protection that simple Grapeseed oil now offers my skin is fairly dramatic:

Before grapeseed oil vs. After grapeseed oil. Nifty, eh?

I also received a lot of terrific advice on moisturizing lotions and facial cleansers. In fact, more than one commenter suggested I give up on cleansers altogether and just use plain old soap and water — which comes back to the less is more solution. This got me thinking a little harder about what was happening to my skin and how I might be exacerbating the issues rather than solving them.

You see, I’d always assumed that one of my biggest issues was adult acne, with its bumps and redness and irritations, so I was using adult acne treatments for sensitive skin, plus clearing masques, mud packs, spot serums, etc. A commenter with a good eye and an astute sense of “been there done that” perception (Okay, it was Juno, though Kathryn, Dawn, Tara and all the rest who left comments played major supporting roles), suggested that I was actually experiencing allergic reactions to all the acne treatments I was using — plus the treatments were drying out my skin and causing further breakouts.

Juno then whispered two magic words that I shall never forget — Dr. Hauschka:

This is the part where angels start to sing and a light bursts from the heavens.

After my mishaps with the DermaDoctor, Ole Henriksen, Kate Somerville, Fresh, Skyn, Kinerase, Cosmedicine, Neutrogena, Clinique and DDF brands (and that’s a lot of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth), I was skeptical of yet one more skin care product line making sensitive skin claims, but I was also desperate and knew I would kick myself if I didn’t at least give it the old college try . . . and what do you know, but Hauschka works!

I know! I’m having a hard time believing it, myself.

There’s one Dr. Hauschka product in particular, called the Rhythmic Night Conditioner Sensitive, that’s kind of pricey, and when I first applied it to my skin, I thought, “Oh for god’s sake, whatever, this is just over-priced filtered water that they think I can’t tell — *GASP!* LOOK AT MY BEAUTIFUL SKIN!!!”

Seriously, the stuff must be the triple diamond-distilled hopes and dreams of my personal guardian angel, because I wake up every morning with the tone and texture of my skin even more improved from the night before. I’m still experiencing minor problems with dryness, but the Dr. Hauschka daytime moisturizer is light and non-greasy and probably the only cream I’ve ever put on my face without an accompanying two to three hour flare-up of redness and skin irritation.

Just seven days post itchy-scratchy hell, and I’m one happy camper — that’s a “Part 2″ I can live with.

Re: updates/reports on other products:

1.) The Kate Somerville line eventually turned out to be a bust for me, and I’ll be passing my products on to my sister and/or her children. The moisturizer irritated my skin, though mildly (much like the Clinique Redness Solutions moisturizer, which I’ll also be passing on to someone else), and the other Somerville products I had purchased were for acne-prone skin, so they turned out to be extremely drying and aggravating for my face.

2.) The Complex 15 lotion someone recommended is indeed very light and non-greasy, but it’s not compatible with my face. I’m presently using it for my hands, arms and legs (the Cetaphil lotion I was using was much too heavy), though I’m not certain if it will be a permanent choice, since I think I might be experiencing the beginning of breakouts on my shoulders and legs as a result of its use. I love how airy the formula is, though.

3.) I had used several products from the Fresh line for a couple of years — the Fresh Soy face cleanser and the Fresh Umbrian Clay mask, in particular. The skin irritations I first experienced were mild enough to be tolerated, but as time wore on, the reactions became worse and worse and I finally had to abandon the use of Fresh skin care products. Their rose face mask smells wonderful and left my face feeling amazingly hydrated, but I also turned beet red and broke out in a rash of pimples after the second use. The same with their Brown Sugar Body Polish — terrifically hydrating but hard on the pores.

4.) Murad Redness Therapy Recovery Treatment Gel and Redness Therapy Correcting Moisturizer — wow, my face grew downright angry with me when I used these two products. Abort! Abort!

So I want to express a very special thanks to everyone who left comments and emails with suggestions, sympathy and solutions. I’m beyond pleased (and grateful) that many of you took the time to offer advice that helped me finally fight my way through this thorny thicket of skin irritations and allergies.

And if what I learned here can help someone else even the tiniest bit . . .

What was I even thinking?!!

UPDATE (05/08/09):

Just a quick update to state that, really, the simplest solutions are sometimes the best.

Right now, I use the Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream for sensitive skin, and follow it up with grapeseed oil as a moisturizer (I gently pat it on in very small amounts — it absorbs quickly into the skin so that there’s no shiny, oily look). And for shaving, I use only a very generous slathering of grapeseed oil. Period.

I was thinking I needed to use a branded moisturizer or masque, but all of them proved irritating, and some of them exceptionally so (even the Hauschka and Daybreak Lavender Farm products). Grapeseed oil solves any dry-skin problems I have while acting as a soothing, calming agent, and because I have very dry skin, before washing my face, I smooth in a layer of grapeseed oil and let it sit for a minute or so. This protects the skin and prevents my facial cleanser from acting too harshly.

One more thing: Daybreak Lavender Farms has a shea butter treatment that I can’t use on my face (it makes my face break out), but it’s fantastic as a body moisturizer: Healing Shea Butter with Face Feed. All I can say is — wow! It melts into the skin and provides the perfect amount of moisture.