The three product skincare regimen that healed my acne, and perioral dermatitis.

Sep 2

I have had sensitive, dry, reactive skin for as long as I can remember. I’ve had acne on and off since I was 13, and have always product hopped searching for a solution. I was using way too many products with active ingredients in them; vitamin c, retinol, chemical exfoliants, etc. The constant back and forth from stripping my skin to trying to heal my dry damaged skin barrier left me with perioral dermatitis. “Perioral (periorificial) dermatitis is a red rash that circles your mouth. Your skin can be scaly, dry and flaky with swollen, inflamed bumps called papules. It is one of many types of dermatitis. Perioral dermatitis can look like acne and is often mistaken for it.” I have struggled with picking my face too, and always ended up picking the papules (caused by PD) making the situation even worse. Often times the cause of PD is unknown, which is frustrating. I tried switching toothpaste, not wearing make-up, changing laundry detergent, nothing worked.

February 24, 2020

I found three products that didn’t seem to make it worse, or burn, so I decided to cut everything else out. This Dermalogica Cleanser, Differin, and Avene Cicalfate. I use the cleanser morning and night, washing with lukewarm water, and gently pat dry with a clean muslin washcloth. Differin is such a great product. It used to only be available with a prescription, it’s now available at any drugstore/grocery store. Differin is not a spot treatment, it’s a retinoid. You can read the science behind why it should be used to treat acne and the like here. I think a big reason it doesn’t work for some people/causes more inflammation is because they don’t allow the skin to dry for a sufficient amount of time. Skin is most vulnerable when wet. I try to wait at least 30 minutes after I wash my face to apply it, and I only use it once a day in the evening. I’ve tried sooo many moisturizers, I don’t even want to know how much money I’ve spent on moisturizers hoping they would heal my skin barrier. I can’t remember where I heard about Cicalfate, but I knew after the first use it was actually healing my skin. It’s super thick, like almost a paste, you have to rub it between your fingers and warm it up before applying. I use cicalfate morning and night, even in the summer. It’s probably too thick for most people during the day..but I’ve never had that problem in my life. 🤪

April 13, 2020

This is after seven weeks of that regimen. It’s two and a half years later and I still use these products every day without exception! I’ve added a sunscreen, and a physical exfoliant that I use once a week. I get Botox from Nicole Cox every 3-4 months, she is the best. Now that my skin can actually tolerate some different products I’ve tried a couple different things. Honestly nothing I feel like adds that much value to my routine. I’ll definitely update you if I find something amazing! Let me know if you have success with this!