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Question: Help! My face is red and raw! What should I do?

Answer:

If your face is red, peeling, and/or irritated from a new product, stop using it for a few weeks and let your skin recover.

If your face is red and raw from manually exfoliating or scrubbing, stop scrubbing! Don’t over exfoliate your skin because it could cause microscopic tears and make it more prone to infections.

Also, did your skin turn immediately red after using a new product? If so, you could be experiencing an allergic reaction. If you try something new and feel your skin turn very hot and prickly, wash your skin immediately and if conditions don't improve in a few hours, a trip to the dermatologist may be necessary.

Redness, irritation, and sensitivity are also a very common side effects from acne treatments, retinoids in particular. If you have been using acne topicals, give your skin a break for three or four days and afterwards resume treatment every other day.

In the mean time, stick to a gentle cleanser and basic moisturizer. You can apply Aquaphor, Polysporin, aloe vera gel, or cortisone cream to alleviate any irritation. A raw honey mask (if you are not allergic to bees) can also work wonders.

But, basically, just leave your skin alone for awhile to let it heal! It usually takes your skin mantle 6-14 days to fully recover from any kind of skin "shock".

Check out the recommendations for healing products for soothing suggestions.

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