My skin has always been normal to dry; we're talking super low-maintenance here! I've been blessed with a decent complexion; even through my teens. You can imagine my bewilderment when I developed a red rash around my mouth. It started at the corners of my lips and spread inward toward the center. I began researching possible causes and learned that many things could cause this skin condition: allergies, caffeine, stress, chapping, and hormones are all possible culprits. After eliminating as many suspects as possible, I was left with the unhappy prospect of hormonal imbalance--how does one control hormones and the skin outbreaks that result from obscure changes?
I finally contacted my friend, a skin care specialist who said, "It sounds like you have facial eczema." Wow! Me, the perfect complexion girl? She recommended a simple skin rehabilitation program:
1) Use a gentle, natural soap such as oatmeal soap (well, that was easy--I OWN a natural soap business! I chose Pure Joy Facial Spa Oatmeal Soap)
2) Moisturize thoroughly with Cetaphil or Aveeno (I chose Cetaphil)
3) Use an over-the-counter cortizone cream such as Cort-Aid (the store brand is fine)
Five weeks later, the swelling, itching and dryness have all but disappeared. I am still dealing with some hyper-pigmentation (redness left over from the irritation), but it is much less noticeable than before. I believe I am on the way to complete recovery!
It turns out that my facial eczema was probably triggered by a hormonal imbalance. You see, at this middle stage of life, hormones are struggling to readjust. Their erratic levels are evident in skin changes such as dryness. As soon as I began an intensive moisturizing program, my skin actually looked five years younger! The treatment worked so well on my face that I started using it on my hands as well with the same fantastic results.
Now to tackle those age spots--I'm in the beginning stages of a treatment program. I'll let you know what I'm doing and how it works in a future post!
--Julianne, from EasyOnTheSkin.com
