On my About page, I wrote that I’ve spent most of my life believing I have dry skin, but now realise that I actually have oily skin. How could I have made such a seemingly obvious mistake?
Like most people, I had a flawless complexion until puberty was in full swing at about age 12. I actually started my period when I was 9, but luckily the skin problems didn’t emerge until later. Anyway, I had spots, as most teens do, but what really concerned me was the development of a flaky red rash on my chest. After seeing my (unsympathetic) GP several times and many months of waiting, I was finally able to see a specialist at the hospital. He diagnosed me with eczema and sent me away with a big tub of aqueous cream and a topical corticosteroid. The aqueous cream wasn’t very pleasant to use, but I did find the corticosteroid helped the rash. During a flare-up, I could apply it before bed and the rash was either gone or significantly toned down by morning.
Unfortunately, as I hit my mid-teens and beyond, the rash began to extend to my face, mainly around my cheeks and I developed a general redness that looked as if I’d been rubbing my face vigorously. I couldn’t apply the corticosteroid there as my GP had warned me not to and I didn’t dare leave the house without a thick coating of foundation to cover it. To top it all off, my acne was as bad as ever. I also had dreadful dandruff which made me incredibly self-conscious, especially as my school uniform was largely black. I was thoroughly miserable and suffered from depression as a result.
During my early twenties, I read about corticosteroids online and realised - with horror - that long-term use can cause the skin to thin. I instantly decided to discontinue use and find some other solution to my problem. At that point, the rash on my chest wasn’t as bad as it had been during my teens, so I didn’t feel too insecure without my safety net. My face, however, was another story. I tried all sorts of acne creams, but most made the condition worse. Then I happened to come across a soap made by Palmolive containing starflower oil. It was amazing. After only a few uses, the reddening on my cheeks had lessened considerably and the acne was so much better.
As my luck turns out, Palmolive discontinued the soap within a couple of years. I tried an evening primrose one instead, which was still helpful but not as good as the starflower. I continued this way until early 2007, when my rash decided to make an aggressive re-appearance. I gave the corticosteroid another try and was shocked to find that it no longer worked! I trotted back to the GP who this time said I had a fungal infection. Though I agreed with him that it looked like one, I wasn’t convinced as this was the same rash I’d been suffering from all along, just much worse than usual. He gave me a topical antifungal, which made the rash go bright red, itchy and inflamed!
My dandruff was an equally hopeless situation, I’d been using medicated shampoos over the years which never worked. Head & Shoulders - the favourite anti-dandruff shampoo of many - only made me itchier and flakier. The nearest thing to relief I got was Nizoral shampoo, but it’s incredibly expensive and didn’t come close to eliminating the problem.
At this point, I decided that conventional skincare just wasn’t helping. I was doing a lot of research online about chemicals and skin irritants and this is when I found out about SLS/SLES and parabens and how much damage they can cause. I decided to try cutting all these nasty chemicals out of my skincare routine and this is when I began to realise that my skin wasn’t actually dry. I was buying virgin cocoa butters and shea butters and finding that they left my skin soft, but way too greasy. Reading online reviews and forums revealed that people with dry skin found these products nourishing and could slather them on without any problems.
Reading further on acne, blemished skin and dandruff, I began to see that these conditions are often caused by an over-production of sebum. The seemingly dry and flaky patches on my skin and scalp were actually a build-up of dead skin, not lack of moisture. All these years I had been compounding the situation, not making it better!
Though I have only been aware of my true skin type for about 9 months, I have already seen massive improvements from using the right products. The rash on my chest is all but gone and I no longer suffer from redness and blemishes on my face. I’ve recently found an amazing (and simple!) treatment for my dandruff. I’m still battling the acne, though I am making progress and it does take time to see results. Most importantly, I now feel confident that these problems will someday go away.
So that’s it, in a slightly long-winded nutshell. It really is important to know your skintype before you attempt to treat any problems. Don’t assume that the medical professionals always get it right. Do your research and talk to others. After all, nobody can know your skin better than you do.
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