Update on skincare routine

So my skincare routine has been a bit erratic lately. I confess, I think I'm starting to become a bit of a skincare junkie, buying new products without having the patience to finishing old ones. Though to my credit, I am still using the Sukin Sensitive Cleansing Lotion and Lush Dream Cream because well, I'm determined to finish the cleansing lotion since it's only a small bottle and the dream cream is a staple of mine. I've also added on:

Rosehip Plus Pure Rosehip Oil

I've heard alot of great things about rosehip oil being moisturising for eczema. I'm using this one by Rosehip Plus, which is fairly affordable compared with other brands ($16.99 for 30ml at Chemist Warehouse). It doesn't react with my skin, and seems to be reasonably moisturising, though to be honest I couldn't definitively say whether it's making a substantial difference to my skin, since it's been doing okay lately. I tend to use this at night after cleanser and before moisturiser.

*Note: I've found that during the warmer months, this oil would be too much for my skin and I would break out

Frank Body Creamy Facial Scrub

Sooo there has been alot of hype about Frank Body on Instagram, the magical tool for success for companies. They market their coffee-based products as being great for problem skin such as eczema, acne, etc and even have a tag on instagram, #frankfeedback, where people upload before and after pictures that boast of their success. Most of the hype surrounds their original body scrub, but I opted to try their facial scrub. It's meant to be used 2-3 times a week and so far, I have to say it's been pretty good for my skin. It includes ground coffee to scrub away dry skin, as well as moisturising agents such as rosehip, coconut, almond and grapeseed oils. It doesn't feel too harsh, and although it does make my eczema a bit red if I'm going through a mini flare, it's fine and smooth in the morning. Amazingly, this line actually originated from right here in Melbourne (for once) and it's only $19.95 for a 125ml bottle with free shipping yay! I'm super keen to try their Creamy Face Cleanser but as I've said, I'm determined to finish my current one!

Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment - Advanced Therapy

So I've had this sitting in my drawer for a while but have only started using it on my eczema in the last couple of months. Whenever I put it on parts of my eczema-y face at night (not my whole face as it has the consistency of Vaseline and is therefore greasy and heavy), I wake up in the morning with it being much better and less irritated. I have also found that this is the only thing that heals my nipple eczema relatively quickly (a night) and keeps it moisturised and (until I scratch the wounds back open or wear a bra that is). Unfortunately, I couldn't find this specific product in Australia so had someone buy this for me from America. Guess I'll just pay a higher price for this on Amazon as I'm definitely going to repurchase it.



I've also tried a couple of new products but found that they didn't work for me.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser: It did the trick well enough, but would make my face feel tight and sting when I used it during a flare, no matter how mild.
Sukin Facial Treatment Oil: As much as I wanted to like this, I just didn't. I felt that it didn't moisturise my face that much and would irritate some of my eczema.
Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate: My friend recommended this and I was able to get a sample of it to try. While it didn't react badly with my skin, I didn't feel that it had any positive impact. Perhaps I have to use it for a longer period of time, but I don't think I'll be taking that gamble since it's a bit steep in price.
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream: I only tried a sample of this over the course of a week or two. My skin didn't react badly but I didn't feel like it really improved my skin

New Skincare!

It's been awhile since my last post as uni's been kicking my ass lately :( Nevertheless, I've just been chugging along and doing what I can to get my skin to play nice. Two new additions I've made to my routine:

Sukin Sensitive Cleansing Lotion

Thought I'd give this a shot, since Sukin is marketed as a natural skincare brand and alot of the key ingredients sounded really good for my skin (e.g. cucumber, aloe vera, rosehip, jojoba, etc). Unlike other cleansers, the way you use this is to massage it onto your damp face, like you would a lotion, and then wipe it off with a cotton pad/face sponge/face towel - no water necessary. That being said, it probably wouldn't be the best way to take off a face of makeup. However, as I don't wear foundation and I take off my eyeliner, eyebrows and lipstick with makeup remover, this works just fine for me. I've been using this for about 2-2.5 weeks and I have to say that it's made my face feel smoother and has reduced the intensity of my flares. It doesn't cause my skin to be irritated and it smells really nice! Huge plus is that it's an Australian brand and is really quite cheap compared to other brands. This 125ml pump bottle will only cost you $9.99, and $8.39 at Chemist Warehouse! Since this worked well, I've also bought the Sukin Facial Treatment Oil and Sensitive Calming Night Cream, which I am super keen to try.

Edit: lasted about 4-5 months for me, using it twice a day most days

Innisfree Olive Real Skin 

I decided to give this toner a try upon the recommendation from a lovely Instagrammer who also has stubborn eczema on her face. Innisfree is a Korean brand that prides itself on natural ingredients, so of course I was pretty interested to see if it could help. As I started using this about a week ago, it sort of overlapped a bit with my new cleanser and it has been a little hard to tease apart the sole effects of the toner. I'm not sure that it's made a huge difference to my skin, but I can say that it does not irritate it and provides a nice moisturising sensation before I apply my facial serum. However, this can feel almost drying as it's fast-absorbing - though, the perk is that it doesn't leave behind an oily feeling, despite olive oil being a core ingredient.



So, with these two products in the mix (and minus the epsom salts), my skin has actually been behaving itself (relatively speaking, of course). Despite being crazy stressed and anxious this past week and a half, my face did not explode into a horrible rashy mess like it would've in the past. The flares have been manageable and I've been able to leave the house feeling somewhat human. Hopefully this good behaviour will continue!

Current skincare routine

I should start off by saying that eczema covers about 85% of my face; forehead, temples, eyelids, cheeks, and my right jawline. So after much trial and error, this is what I currently use:

Epsom salts

This may sound strange but I'm not currently using a cleanser. I just shake some epsom salts (maybe a tablespoon?) in a bowl of water, mix it around to dissolve it, and then wash my face with it using a face sponge. I've also started washing it off with water, as I heard that leaving the salt water on your face can dry it out. The salts are great in that they actually help calm down my eczema when it's particularly irritated and red. It also helps shorten the duration of a flare. I find that when I use a cleanser, it just doesn't have the same effect, so I always switch back to the salts.

Lush Full of Grace Face Serum 

Funnily enough, this serum is in bar form. I rub this over my face before I moisturise every morning and night (less so in the morning so my face doesn't feel super dewy for the rest of the day). To be honest, I can't tell if it's doing anything amazingly fantastical, because I switched moisturisers at around the same time. I can say that it doesn't irritate my skin and that it does hydrate my face. In terms of repurchasing, I think I may try another facial serum next time.
Edit: This lasted around 3 months

Lush Self-Preserving Dream Cream

Boy, I can rave on about this cream. After extensive reading of reviews, I decided to give this a shot. It's fantastic in reducing the redness on my face and reducing the time my flares last for. Unlike other moisturisers, it helps keep my skin hydrated throughout the day (unless I'm subjected to heating, then I'll need touch ups) and isn't oily in doing so. It has made my eczema much softer and some bits of my normal skin have even returned! It has also been very effectively on my fingers, - reducing redness, returning 90% of the normal skin (by that I mean the smoothness, it still has a funny sheen to it), and even returning one of my cuticles! Much excitement. I've been using this for about 6 weeks, and although, it hasn't completely eradicated my eczema and I still flare, this has been the most effective moisturiser I've tried by far. Perhaps it's something to do with the amazingly natural ingredients? While some people comment that Lush isn't cheap, I say that it's a lot more cost effective than trying a bunch of cheaper, drugstore brands with no results!

Edit: This ended up lasting me about 4 months, using it twice a day on my face, fingers and nipples

So there it is! I'm still looking for a cleanser that will help reduce the irritation. I've also ordered Innisfree Olive Real Skin (toner) after being recommended it by a fellow eczema-friend - hopefully it's as hydrating for me! My skin still flares, but to a lesser degree. However, while some normal skin as returned, the eczema also spreads in other places, which can be extremely disheartening :( But I find that I just have to manage and get on with it!