When allergies stop you from being beautiful....... (Skincare in general)

Member Name: dawnfrancis

Product:	Skincare in general
Date:	05/02/02 (2042 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: makes you try out lots of different products

Disadvantages: expensive, irritating - in more ways than one!

SENSITIVE SKIN. Arrrrrgh! The scourge of millions of people, both men and women across the country. In some cases it shows up as a mild irritation to one particular product. In more severe cases, it results in a complete intolerance of makeup, toiletry products - even jewellery.

I never used to believe in skin allergies as such until I was diagnosed with a womb disorder called endometriosis (plug plug plug, see my op if interested!). One of the symptoms of this disorder can be the developing of allergies.

Due to this I am now allergic to many things including:-

Any form of bubble bath
Certain shower gels
Soap (when used on my face)
Liquid eyeliner
All earrings unless pure silver or gold
Certain antipersiperants
Perfume

hey this is getting boring!! You get the picture.

But it's not all doom and gloom. I've learned to still stay clean and made-up despite these allergies, and I thought I'd share how I do this with any other Dooyooers who may have similar problems.

This is a long op as I've tried to cover as many allergies as I have experience of! So please just skip to the section that interests you most.

I'd welcome any comments on the allergies I've missed. And many apologies to the blokes on Dooyoo, but as I have no experience of aftershave etc this op may seem a bit female-oriented!

WHAT CAUSES 'SENSITIVE SKIN'?

Sensitive skin is often a form of skin allergy. Put simply (I never was much of a biologist!) the body's white blood cells, designed to fight off infection, react to the artificial ingredients in toiletries and cosmetics by going into overdrive. It is thus an immunity problem.

People become allergic for all sorts of reasons. Some just become hypersensitive to one particular product for no obvious reason. However, skin allergies are commonly associated with other medical conditions such as the alre
ady-mentioned endometriosis, and also things like eczema, asthma, hayfever etc.

Symptoms are usually an intense itching in the affected area which is only intensified by scratching; redness and hotness of the skin, and sometimes little raised itchy bumps under the skin known as hives or nettlerash. When the affected area is very visible (for example my eyes are often affected) you can look absolutely dreadful!

GENERAL STEPS TO TAKE

1) It is always a very wise step to check out with your doc if there is any more serious underlying condition behind your allergy.

2) Stop using the offending product the very minute you get symptoms. Continued use will only sensitize the body even more to it.

3) I believe that even people like myself with numerous skin allergies do not have to avoid cosmetics/toiletries completely. It is a case of test, test, test. Ok this is expensive, but it's great fun too, as you get to try out lots of different products that you might not otherwise have tried.

4) Some people are affected so severely that they really cannot wear any make-up or use any soap etc. If this is the case, please convince your GP to refer you to a dermatologist for specialist help and don't try the suggestions in my op.

Right - here's a few of my tips for living in harmony with your own body!

EYES

My eyes are terribly sensitive and will not tolerate certain types of mascara or any type of liquid eyeliner. This is the allergy that annoys me the most, as the tiniest thing will make my eyes instantly bloodshot and the skin around them grows horribly dark and tight and may bleed.

Eyeshadow problems? If you use a powder-based product try switching to a cream-based one, or vice versa. Some people tolerate one much better than the other.

Mascara mania? I've found L'Oreal Longitude to be the least irritating to my eyes (even if I did slag it off in anot
her op!!). Try your best to cover the middle lashes only and don't go too far into the corners, which the eyes hate.

Eyeliner eyesore? For me liquid eyeliners are my nemesis. Cue profusely weeping eyes and panda-style look within seconds. Pencil ones were a little better. I've recently found a marvellous crayon-based eyeliner done by Collection 2000 (look in Superdrug and Bewise) for only 1.99, and it is remarkably un-irritating.

Removing eye make-up can be an absolute headache. Even the 'sensitive' products can cause the most alarming irritation. A solution to this is:

1. Put as little of the eyemakeup remover on a cotton pad as possible and VERY gently pat the eyes clean.

2. Gently wash off the residues of the remover with tepid water.

3. Bathe your eyes in an eye-bath such as Optrex - SUCH a treat for people with sensitive eyes.

4. An alternative to an eyebath (and more handy) is to squeeze a few eyedrops in each eye, and watch the redness melt away.

FACE AND HEAD

Weirdly enough I tolerate foundation and powder very well. The problem comes when I have to wash it off!!!! Most soap is an absolute no-no.

I tried Dove's Daily Facials (washcloths impregnated with soap) and came out in a particularly nasty reaction. I now use Neutrogena's deep cleansing makeup wipes. These have a mild antibacterial ingredient impregnated in them and so are good for warding off spots too. So far so good - no reactions yet. Cleansing wipes are a good alternative to washing your face with soap. If things get too bad, try baby wipes.

Be VERY wary of strong shampoos that profess to cause a 'tingling' feeling - e.g. those Original Source things. not only will you feel like you've got a head full of nits, but it causes havoc with your facial skin as it runs off your hair in the shower.

ARMPITS!!

no easy answer to this one I'm af
raid as I tend to get allergic to most brands. Dove seems to be the best to date. Go as unperfumed as you can bear to, and be ready to switch brands at the drop of a hat. Experiment to see whether sprays, roll-ons, or creams affect you most.

REST OF BODY

I can't use any kind of bubble bath without getting terrible thrush. Even kid's bubble bath is a no-go area - particularly the dreaded Matey. it smells so nice and I love the pretty bottles but I just cannot for the life of me use it.

if you must have bubble bath try the gentlest baby version you can. But for this one, I really do advise avoiding the stuff altogether.

Shower gel can be another problem. As for shampoo, avoid the 'tingling' versions. Often cheap supermarket brands are far less irritating than fancier ones (and much cheaper too!) And ladies - be sure to clean 'that area' with plain water only otherwise you'll be grabbing for the Canesten tube again....

A NOTE ABOUT JEWELLERY

Don't underestimate nickel allergies, they can be nasty b*ggers. Hyposensitve jewellery is somewhat better than nickel but can still be irritating.

you may see special fluid which you can paint on to nickel jewellery in order to provide a barrier between it and your skin. Don't bother with it. The natural acidity of your skin will quickly burn the liquid off and put the nickel into direct contact with your skin.

the only real solution to this one is pure gold or silver jewellery. Don't try the plated versions - again, your skin will burn the plates off.

A VERY SERIOUS WARNING......

Some allergies can be fatal and I am thinking of hairdye in particular here.

Very rarely people might react to hair dye and when they do it is extremely serious - heads swelling up to football size, breathing tubes compromised, resulting sometimes in death.

Bizarrely enough despite all my other a
llergies I'm ok with hair dye. But you must ALWAYS, always do a sensitivity test by wiping a little of the mixture behind your ear at least 24 hours before dyeing.

If no redness/itchiness appears proceed with dyeing but BE CAREFUL as there are cases where people are fine with the sensitivity test but react violently to the hair dye on their head. Be ready to douse your hair in gallons of water at the first sign of a problem. Don't die to dye!!!

IN CONCLUSION

I'm sure I've missed loads of things but I'm getting aware of the length of this op. I'd be very pleased to hear any other tips on this subject and how others have coped with allergies. In the meantime, happy shopping, and good luck in finding the products that irritate you the least!

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