having had lots of rough texture on my skin for many years and many different reasons, I know there is no miracle potion, but I have found several products that can help a bit in several cases.
I’m not addressing conditions like acne, eczema and rosacea, but far milder (and to a point a lot more temporary) texture concerns.
for me, there are two main types of texture: disturbed or irritated skin, and rough or lacklustre skin.
disturbed or irritated skin
This type of skin irritation can have two “levels”:
1. impaired barrier – slightly swollen dry patches with some roughness, redness, maybe peeling, sometimes itchiness, tenderness, skin heat and even some soreness that stays on the skin for a few days.
this usually happens when one’s had a close encounter with a product that didn’t agree with one’s skin and the skin’s barrier may have been compromised. could I call it contact dermatitis? I’m not equipped to say that.
2. environmental changes – not as severe, but when your skin goes suddenly quite dry, feels tight, may start having some dry patches and even some light tenderness, usually because of an environmental cause – like being in a room with heavily drying air conditioning for long periods of time.
what has worked for me to soothe a skin freak-out is always to pair down my skincare, remove all actives – go back to cleanse-moisturise-spf – and rely on products that help calm those symptoms down and help my skin recover.
- Pixi Double Cleanse
- La Roche-Posay Serozinc Mist (calms itchiness but is a bit more drying)
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra 8 Mist (refreshes and is a great all-rounder)
- Bioderma Atoderm SOS Spray (provides some relief for more severely damaged/atopic skin moments with itchiness, heat and soreness)
- Uriage Bariederm Cica Daily Serum (to help soothe and nourish the skin in a very lightweight formula)
- Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Serum – leave it to me to forget to mention one of my all-time favourites, all-rounders products both for soothing aggravated skin and to pack a punch in terms of hydration and moisture without feeling heavy. can be used alone or layered. the texture is closer to a lotion or lightweight cream.
- Cicaplast Gel Pro-Recovery Skincare (for helping with skin healing)
- Cerave Facial Moisturising Lotion (good, simple moisturiser)
- Cosrx Comfort Ceramide Cream (for dryness – contains fragrance)
- Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream Mist (for dryness – contains fragrance) Cosrx also has a Ceramide Cream mist
- SVR Cica Cream SPF 50+
rough or lacklustre
When your skin feels a bit rough to the touch, it doesn’t look soft, elastic, may have some dry patches – but no irritation —, and it’s lacking that bouncy glow.
First things first, and I didn’t emphasise this enough on my video: although some occasional exfoliation is something that our skin will eventually need, now and again, a good skincare routine will overall fix most daily needs for your skin to be in tip-top shape.
I’m assuming you already have your routine down, your skin is properly balanced, but just needs that little bit of oomph to get it a bit further.
Basically, only exfoliate healthy skin and never push it.
So, exfoliation.
Know that exfoliation goes hand in hand with proper nourishment of the skin: when you exfoliate, you need to hydrate and moisturise. The products mentioned in the precious list play really well with exfoliators, because they balance it all out.
Always start slow with low concentrations and using the product once a week, and only increase the use if you feel you really need it. If your skin doesn’t like it, it doesn’t like it, don’t push it.
Mild/daily exfoliating toners
– I would not advise daily exfoliation if you already incorporate other cell-turnover or potentially skin-sensitising actives in your routine like retinoids and/or LAA. It all comes down to each one’s skin, of course, and these products are formulated to be well-tolerated with daily use.
- Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Peel Pads – a blend of several acids in a very mild formula
- Paula’s Choice Resist Daily Pore Refining Treatment 2% BHA (travel size!) – BHA is good for clogged pores and black heads
Cream exfoliators
masks
- Oskia Renaissance Mask (lactic acid)
- Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask (fermented ingredients, smoothes slightly firms the skin temporarily)
the freevolous 