Hi all,
I post infrequently but read this board all the time. I need some serious help. My scores are posted below - somewhat sensitive and more oily in summer and dry in the winter. Until now, I have been truly blessed with very good skin.
This winter has been extremely drying on my skin. I usually use Retin A every other night followed by Eucerin sensitive skin cream with wonderful results.
A month or two ago, I began entering peri menopause at 46 and my skin went nuts! Dry flaky circular patches on cheeks, cheeks red in general, some enlarged pores and whiteheads there as well. I have never experienced this before all at once and to this degree!
I think the whiteheads may be a result of overmoisturizing with Cerave PM to try to combat the redness in my cheeks. I can't seem to get rid of the whiteheads and the redness. I want to exfoliate the dead skin but don't know what to use since I don't want to make the redness worse.
Should I back off the Retin A until I get my skin back to normal as far as dryness? Do I need to an exfoliant for the dry skin and the whiteheads - I know it needs to be gentle so it doesn't aggravate my skin. I have used Neutrogena 3 n 1 hydrating treatment with 2% salicylic acid in the past for occasional breakouts and may try this again but am also so afraid of the dryness.
So sorry this is so long but I'm not sure what to try first -
Eliminate Retin A until my skin's barrier is better
Treat dryness with moisturization but afraid of more whiteheads
Exfoliate gently but now sure what product to try
Thank you so much for reading and any replies are greatly appreciated. I'm at a loss and not used to my skin looking this bad.
P.S. Dryness just started I believe from the weather. Could this be hormone related and I'm unable to use Retin A - have been using it successfully for 1 1/2 years
I did add Cerave Pm to my routine after the Retin A in the evenings (in place of the Eucerin) to combat dryness and for the added niacinamide to help with redness. I previously used Eucerin Sensitive skin cream but felt it wasn't enough.
Also, I would exfoliate once a week with Peter Thomas Roth peel pads (been doing this for a year)
