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If I ever forget for a second that I’m in control of my life, my skin steps in with the mother of all flare-ups to show me who’s boss. She can be a wagon sometimes, but I can’t tell her that, or else she’ll retaliate. So say nuttin’ ‘bout nuttin’…
I recently had a flare-up of my skin for no apparent reason, and I say that because over the years, having tested so many products, I’ve learned not to incorporate more than one new skincare product at a time. Doing this means that if I do react to something, I can tell who the culprit is. I’ve learned to follow the application instructions to the letter because if I don’t, the inflammation rears its ugly head. And despite doing everything I can to help prevent a flare-up, my skin can still lose its mind and leave me looking pure scaldy.
Exhibit A.
I don’t know for sure what caused this recent reaction. But looking back over videos of myself for the last 3 weeks or so, I could see it brewing. In real life, I couldn’t see any brewing. So I’m putting this down to something- I don’t know what, as I hadn’t applied anything that I hadn’t used before, affecting my skin barrier. And then the products I was using, none of which were new, were a bit too active for my skin. I don’t know.
But what I do know is how to soothe, calm and treat a flare-up like this. And my sister had a similar flare-up of her skin recently, so I gave her some of the products below, and I thought it’d be a good post for people to come back to if they need product recommendations. I keep things simple, as you’ll see below.
Products for Skin Barrier Repair
When my skin is reactive and angry like this, I keep things simple. I usually use La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Cleanser. But I didn’t have any on hand and didn’t want to buy anything else, so I reached for the E45 Face Foaming Cleanser because I remembered it helps preserve the skin’s moisture barrier. It’s foamy, it’s gentle and doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight or stripped. I used it for both the first and second cleanse, and it did the job perfectly. I try to stay away from fragranced cleansers when my skin is in a heap, and this is fragrance-free and soap-free too.
There’s always a bottle of either the Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray or the La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water Spray on hand 365 days a year. I love dampening my skin with one of them before applying my serum, but for days like these, I enjoy how they soothe and cool down my skin because flaring skin is inflamed and hot and not fun times.
When my skin is dampened with the thermal spring water, it’s time for a gentle serum, and the Sásta team had just sent me a bottle of their Microbiome Booster Serum before my flare-up. It’s like they knew! This is magic stuff for those of us with skin barrier concerns because it contains prebiotics and postbiotics to support skin balance and the skin barrier. It also helps to reduce the appearance of redness and hydrates the skin. I can’t count the number of bottles I’ve used since it launched, and it’s such a staple for sensitive-skinned people like me.
When my skin was in the absolute worst of the flare-up, with inflammation, itchiness and heat, I kept applying layers of Cicaplast Baume B5 from La Roche-Posay. I’ve always got a tube of this on hand for times like these because it helps to calm and soothe my skin when it’s at its angriest. It repairs and soothes the skin, nourishing it and protecting it too. And when my skin is flaring, I apply it as a thick, even mask and let it sink in. It’s fantastic stuff.
The one purchase I made during this flare-up was thanks to my friend Simone, who recommended I try the Dr Jart Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturising Masks and Simone, I owe you a glass of rosé! These are STUNNING, and I bought a pack of 5, knowing I’d use them for future flare-ups. And it turned out they were because I used two; I gave my sister two as her skin was reactive this week, so I’ve one left, and I’ll be keeping that for the first sign of another flare-up! These contain Ceramide NP, Panthenol and Glycerin, so they soothe, protect, strengthen and moisturise the skin. They felt quite cooling when applied, but that could be said about everything, now that I think about it, because my skin was so red and hot! But 20 minutes of this, with a layer of the next product over the top and my skin was super happy again.
As my skin got over the worst of the flare-up, I started using the Sculpted by Aimee Cloud Cream, which is the most gorgeous moisturiser that contains ceramides, and when your barrier is compromised, that’s the ingredient to look out for. Ceramides help to strengthen the skin’s barrier, and this also contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate and shea butter to soften the skin. I hadn’t used this in a while, and I forgot just how beautiful it is on the skin. It’s definitely helped bring my skin back to normal.
Another staple in my sensitive-skinned routine is the Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturiser. I’d used up the Oat Rich Balm, which is something my skin loves all year long, but in the summer, when I want hydration, soothing and nothing too heavy on my skin, I opt for this. Formulated with Prebiotic Oat to help soothe and restore the skin’s moisture barrier and Feverfew to calm the skin, it’s a gorgeous lightweight moisturiser to have on hand in the morning.
The Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel SPF50 is my favourite sunscreen, and I’ve gone through tubes and tubes of it over the last two years. The formula is lightweight; it doesn’t irritate my skin or my eyes, and I’ll always have a tube on hand. While it’s not a product to help calm or directly repair my skin or reduce irritation, it helps protect it from UV rays and prevents my skin from getting burnt and then inflamed.
On days when I wanted instant protection and help calming redness, I used the Skingredients Skin Shield SPF50. It has a slight peach tint, which helps even out my complexion a bit. Mineral sunscreens like this are usually well tolerated by those of us with sensitive skin, and I know that when I apply this, I’m getting instant UV protection. Whereas with the Isntree chemical SPF, it needs to dry down before it will provide protection. This is a gorgeous sunscreen and is always in rotation, skin flare-up or not.
What I will say is that I feel like this flare-up has been a little blessing in disguise because, thanks to it (and Simone), I’ve discovered the Dr Jart masks. I’ve also found a gorgeous combination of products in the Sasta serum and Sculpted moisturiser that have not only helped to soothe, strengthen and repair my skin but also left me with glass skin, the skin of a dolphin, and I’m so here for it! Silver linings and all that!
I’m totally ready for the next reaction, and there will be one, mark my words!
