Click here to visit the Beauty Brains blog.
Welcome to the new Forum. Please feel free to start a new discussion.
Washing my face causes breakouts :(
  • kira_girl
    I'm hoping someone can help me with this issue--washing my face causes me to break out! It doesn't matter what face wash I use, and I've tried quite a few! I've tried most of the major brands on the shelves (including a few products from Clean & Clear, Noxzema, Neutrogenia, Dove, Olay) and those fall-back products everyone recommends (Cetaphil, Purpose, Proactiv) and everything causes me to break out. The strange thing is that when I just use water, I don't break out--it's just using product on my face that causes acne!

    I haven't tried any products from the higher end lines (like Clinique), but I'd be open to it. I've heard people say that your skin just has to "get used to" a product and then the breakout will clear up, but I am not willing to wait for that. I tried Proactiv for nearly a month and hated looking at myself in the mirror because of those nasty, red pimples. :(

    Any help would be appreciated--this is driving me crazy!!
  • K
    The only thing I can think of- is that you have VERY sensitive skin. The skin gets irritated from the detergents in the soap causing bumps and breakouts.

    Hit up Walgreens and buy Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash. Its in a tube and around $6. That cleanser is very gentle as it is designed for sensitive skin, loaded with moisturizing ingredients, and removes all your makeup. It's the only cleanser I use, and my skin totally changed for the better when I switched to it. Follow that with Korres 24 Hour Wild Rose Moisturizer from Sephora. It is in the $30 range, but is unlike any other moisturizer out there. It absorbs almost instantly, so you don't need much, and will last SO long. It also won't leave an irritating film on your skin, is all natural, and has anti-inflammatory and skin-soothing ingredients. The best part is, if you try these products and don't like them, you can take them back- so you won't lose out on any money.

    I HATE HATE HATE Cetaphil and Purpose- they dry my skin out so bad and are NOT gentle!!! This Olay is SOOOOO much better and has worked miracles on everyone who's tried it. The same goes with the Korres. It's a little pricey, but worth every cent!!! Proactive and the other Acne washes you tried above are too harsh. Seriously, try the Olay and Korres and tell me what happens. I think it will work wonders for you.

    Good luck!
  • vananners
    Why fix what's not broken? If cleansers make you break out and using just water doesn't, then I would just stick to using plain old water. You could try using a microfiber cloth to assist with the cleansing and to provide some exfoliation benefits.
  • disablingmercury
    I second the Olay recommendation. I use the Olay sensitive skin foaming facewash, though. It's made a big difference in my skin, too. Hmm, but I saw you tried Olay. Do you remember what you tried? I know that I can't use any of their products with sunscreen in them, but their normal moisturizers work fine. Perhaps you're reacting to a certain ingredient.

    Vananners makes a good point though. Unless you wear face makeup, you could do without the facewash. Eye makeup can be taken off with mineral or olive oil, which may not irritate your skin. You could also try the oil cleansing method. I can't recommend it because I haven't tried it, but people seem to enjoy it.
  • killingxspreekillingxspree
    Yeah... well I dont recommend that olay 'sensitive' face wash. It has never worked miracles on me, or my mother and my derm didnt recommend it either.
    I have bad skin.
    Extremely sensitive. My face burns with most moisturizers/toners whenever i apply anything from chanel, lancome, biotherm...etc. Im not allergic to the ingrediants, either.
    dry-normal, with occasional mild acne.

    Just clean the crap off your face with simple soap and water. Fragrance free.
    If you've been wearing makeup use an oil like jojoba to disintergrate it, and then wash it off with soap.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/fashion/04skin.html

    Don't need anything fancy or complicated. Soap is not overdrying, used sparingly.
  • ekd45
    it might help to cut back on how often you wash your face. I used to wash my face twice a day and actually made the problem worse by drying it out and got more pimples as a result... I also have tried Perricone's hydrating nutrient mask (it was my friends, i'm too cheap but they do have really good deals sometimes on their blog http://blog.perriconemd.com/specials/) and that worked really well for me
  • kira_girl
    Thanks for all the answers! I have used the Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash, and that made me breakout as well. :(

    I think I'll give the oil cleansing method a shot this weekend and see what happens. Worst that could happen is I get pimples, right? ;)

    I'll be back to try more of your suggestions and see what works best. Thanks for all of your input!
  • K
    I'm so sorry the Olay didn't work for you :( You are the first person who's said that!

    I don't like the oil cleansing method as I find it abrasive. You have to rub it off with a washcloth, and my skin got very irritated after a few tries. I also didn't think it removed my makeup well, even though Jojoba oil is supposed to dissolve it. Maybe you could try using an eye makeup remover all over your face. That would definitely be gentle.
  • disablingmercury
    Many people seem to like the Dove face bar. I think it comes in a sensitive skin version, too. Just a thought.
  • Curses
    Is there any way you can see a dermatologist?
  • kira_girl
    Thanks for the additional suggestions! I appreciate everyone's input! :)

    I can get to a dermatologist, but I wanted to really exhaust my options before I do so. My health insurance is...not the best. So I'd be paying most of it out of pocket. I wanted to see if I could get some free help before I shell out for a dermatologist visit. But who knows, I could end up there anyway. :)

    I'll try some of these things and see what works! Thanks again for all the input.
  • bugabo0o
    Have u tried one that is detergent free like Boscia cream cleanser or Dermologica ultra-calming? I bet you are allergic to one of the detergents like Sodium Laurel Sulfate. Also you could just have a sensitivity to some of the irritants. here is a list of common irritants and pore clogging ingredients im sure you will solve it. :D goodluck! http://www.zerozits.com/Articles/acnedetect.htm#inglist
  • kira_girl
    I just wanted to add my results for anyone else who might be suffering from this problem. I finally found something that works for me! I'm now using Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin (which, apparently, is different than the Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin!). I haven't had a single breakout since I started using this.

    Before finding this product, I was using Basis Sensitive Skin Bar (which I found while searching for the recommended Dove facial bar) which worked pretty well, but the bar started splitting into chunks in my shower, which was not pretty. But it was only $2, so no big loss. :)

    Anyway, thank you all for your recommendations! Looking at the ingredients lists was the key, I think, and I'm happy with what I've found. I'm not afraid to wear makeup now, lol. :)

    Thanks so much!!!
  • Ally E.Ally E.
    i recommend trying cleansing oil. i have very sensitive skin - my rosacea flairs up with almost any face wash, but cleansing oil did no such thing, I use Shu Uemura at the moment, will try MAC next. It's expensive, but St Ives have a cheaper version
Add a Comment