Skin care routine. What am I doing wrong?

[Katue]

I'm in big trouble, Ladies! It's been going on for a half a year now. After Ponds changed their Cold Cream ingreadients it started breaking me out so I immediately quit using it. It was half a year ago and the consequences are still visible on my face. I break out more often then I used to and I always have those tiny'underskin' pimples (they are not red or pink just the color of my skin) on my forehead and chin. My skin used to be so nice and clear! I didn't even wear a foundation or face powder most of the time. But now it sdeems like I always have one or two brakouts and these wiers pimples.
I tried using olive oil as a moisturiser but nothing changed. I even switched back to clinique moisturisers that used to work so well for me! Still nothing! So I've recently purchased Catephil Cream and changed my skincare routine.
It now consists of scrubbing face, then washing it with natural olive oil, splashing my face with hot and cold water and finally misturising with Catephil Cream. Yes, my skin is a little better. But I want my gurgeous complexion back!
I noticed that most of you, Ladies, have close to perfect skin. So maybe you know what I am doing wrong. Any advice?
Thank you in advance!

 

[olive bleu]

just an idea as I read your post...I had the same problem actually..then realized that i had changed my laundry detergent and i was having a reaction to the new detergent i was using to wash my facecloths.

 

[Bluebird Marsha]

You may have milia (which is kind of like a pimple, but is skin that gets trapped and forms a bead under the skin). If that's what you have, try not using any moisturizers for awhile, and gently exfoliating every other night. Eventually, you'll get the trapped "bead" close enough to the surface to work it out without gouging yourself. I get them around my eyes, and they can take awhile to be free of.

 

[lframe]

I've done that too (and sorry I've been gone for so long), but have found that Aveda makes a great liquid beta-hydroxy acid exfoliant that doesn't irritate my ultra sensitive skin and speeds up cell turnover. Just put on a piece of cotton wool and swipe over your face after washing.

 

[W-D Forties]

Have you tried the hot flannel method? There's a thread on beauty somewhere. It seems to work very well for a lot of us without having to use many products.

 

[Miss Golightly]

Are you using a scrub on your face daily? If so, that's probably too often and might be upsetting your skin (using too many products also has the same effect). I was told to only use a gentle scrub on my face every two weeks - any more and I get breakouts.

 

[fortworthgal]

You may have milia (which is kind of like a pimple, but is skin that gets trapped and forms a bead under the skin). If that's what you have, try not using any moisturizers for awhile, and gently exfoliating every other night. Eventually, you'll get the trapped "bead" close enough to the surface to work it out without gouging yourself. I get them around my eyes, and they can take awhile to be free of.

That's what I was going to suggest - milia. I sometimes get them under my eye area if I use a moisturizer that's too heavy or has too much oil. I'd try skipping the olive oil for a while and try washing with something else. You may also look into oil-free moisturizers (not sure about Cetaphil - never used it). Also I don't know what scrub you use, but I agree about perhaps trying something more gentle, and less often.

 

[sheeplady]

I think your skin needs a little rest. You might be putting too much on it and it doesn't know how to react. I'd go for one of the other ladies' suggestions for a more simple routine, even going to plain old bar soap if you need to.

Also, if your Ponds product (when it changed) bothered you and these new products are bothering you similarly, you might want to look for similarities in their contents. You might be allergic to something. If you can find the old non-changed Ponds product label, you can rule anything out that is in that. What you are then looking for is similarities between the "new" Ponds and your current products that are not in the old Ponds formula.

Our skin is very sensitive to other things in our lives too. Changes in hormones (pregnancy, birth control, etc.) and foods (things you are sensitive to) can impact your skin as well. But I really think it's just that your skin is confused.

 

[Katue]

Ladies, I want to thank you ALL for your help!
olive bleu, dear, I think mayb be you are right. I don't know if the new fabric conditioner was a part of my problem but I stopped using it and my skin really does feel better. I'm going to go an old one as soon as possible. I once switched to a another hair spray (a better more expensive one) and I started to lose my hair. So I stopped using it and the problem was gone. I think the thing is our skin and hair get used to the products we use and we shouldn't switch to different products if they work for us.

Bluebird Marsha, I googled milia and I don't think it's what I have. However, I once had it on my chin. I was so scared that I did my best to squeeze that resulted in a huge red spot and a burn from too much hydrogen peroxide... If only I had known about milia then...

lframe, unfortunately our local drugstores don't carry Aveda. I'm going to order their exfoliant but it will take a while to get it....

W-D Forties, yes! I decided to stick to it for now. I think hot-dlanel mmethod can replace exfoliation. It's a way more harmful.

Miss Golightly, you're talking sense! I gave up using scrub every day. I'm going to try using it once a week.

sheeplady, thank you! I now use a hot flannel method and a bar of soap. If my skin feels dry I put a little moisturizer. It's been a week since I sticked to this routine and my skin is really getting back to normal.