2.5.21

THAT TIME I F*CKED UP MY FACE OVER LOCKDOWN (AND HOW I FIXED IT)





Fucked from
June 2020 - January 2021

Prior to 2020, I thought I had elephant skin. Tough as anything. Not sensitive whatsoever. Having gotten into skincare in my early teens I have always been conscious of my skin. Whether it was not touching my face to trying different things in an effort to maintain my youthful visage. It was only until mid-2020 within a pandemic lockdown did my skin lost its shit. And I followed soon after.

Being unemployed and at home 24/7 I had a lot of time on my hands. With all of this extra time, I still maintained if not was more regular with my skin regime. Masks, Treatments, Tools, and the kit and kaboodle. What I didn't expect was my skin was slowly getting more and more aggravated. 

SO WHAT HAPPENED?
Over the course of 6 months, I developed red rash-like marks near my mouth, nose, and eyelids. At first, I thought it was some weird acne, but the skin quality felt different and it was not responding to my classic ance treatments. Worst of all was that concealer had no effect on the blemishes, it only helped to emphasize the irregular texture of the skin. Being in a lockdown due to the pandemic meant that I wasn't going to swing past the GP for a quick check-up so I had to do some investigation on my own. Working off credible sources mixed in with some youtube videos for visual comparison I realized that I had developed perioral dermatitis. Basically, my skin was pissed off and it was showing it to me.

HOW DID I TREAT IT?
The sad thing about Dermatitis is that it's a bit of a mixed bag term and there can be many factors that can cause it. From the tail-end of it I can say it was overusing products on my face (and especially since we were in lockdown I should have eased up) Another thing is that it takes a minimum of 6 weeks to fix it... it took me around 6 months. It was 6 months of trial and error, treating my skin as super-sensitive, removing actives and irritants. I even changed toothpaste to avoid SLS (not that that helped me). From natural remedies to drug store staples, I tried a selection whilst trying not to go overboard. Everyone deals with it differently, but these are the products that I found helped my skin recover and some I still use to this day. 

MY DREAM TEAM



LA ROCHE POSAY
Toleriane Cleanser
This Milk cleanser is really gentle and doesn't leave your skin stripped or dry.



NIOD Superoxide
Dismutase Saccharide Mist
I don't know how but this mist helped my skin feel hydrated and clean.



NIOD
Modulating Glucosides
This is my secret weapon. A potion of skin-loving ingredients that calm skin.


LA ROCHE POSAY 
Lipikar AP+M Body Balm
Even though this is for the body, I used this balm as a spot treatment on the very dry patches. It was the best barrier.



NEUTROGENA
Hydroboost Water Gel
Once my skin was on the mend I stuck on an old favourite for simple clean hydration.



LA ROCHE POSAY 
Anthelios SPF50 Sensitive
I steered towards a simpler SPF, avoiding heavy silicones and creams. This is super light and great near the eyes.


It took around two months of this regime to get rid of my perioral dermatitis. I had to be diligent with not using anything else, not exposing my skin to excess heat or damage. Thankfully I was able to clear it. What it taught me was how lucky I am to have nice skin, but how much of it is a balance not to piss it off again. I definitely know to take it easy and focus on things that nourish and hydrate than harsh acids and treatments. I still take a photo every morning of my face just to chronicle any changes and add to my skincare diary to really keep track of what works and what doesn't.