Five things to stop when your skin suddenly flares up
When skin suddenly flares, the first move is to take things away, not to add them. Keep cleansing, moisturiser and sunscreen, stop everything else, and it becomes possible to see what caused it. Once the skin has calmed, bring things back one at a time and the same thing stops happening. Blisters, weeping or spreading swelling are different: do not wait those out, come and be seen.
When someone comes in with a face that has flared overnight and I ask what they are using at the moment, six or seven products come out of the bag. Most of them were bought in a hurry after the skin went wrong and layered on top. In that state there is no way to find out what did it.
Why adding several products at once hides the cause
Start five new products on the same day and, when the stinging appears, there is no way to know which one caused it. Trying to drop them one by one does not help either, because the skin is already reactive and the responses run together.
So when someone arrives like this, I sort out what they are using before I think about treatments or prescriptions. Cleansing, moisturiser and sunscreen stay; everything else stops for two weeks. It looks like doing nothing, and it is the fastest route.
When exfoliating is the wrong move
When skin turns rough and flaky, the hand reaches for a scrub or a peel. But flaking at this point is mostly the result of a barrier that has broken down. Scrub off the result and the cause is more exposed than before. Patients who find the area covering over with flakes again and again are in this loop.
"There is flaking, so it needs removing" is worth setting aside for this stretch.
What happens when stinging is taken as a sign that it works
Some patients tell me, "It stings, so it must be working." It is true that certain ingredients can sting mildly early on. But if it goes red every time you apply it and the burning lasts more than thirty minutes, that is not skin adjusting. Keep using it in that state and it sometimes stays as pigmentation.
Touching and squeezing spots belongs in the same category. Those areas are left as red or brown marks, and the marks outlast the spots by a long way.
What happens when you try to fix it in a day
In a rush, some patients pack a calming treatment, new products and a clinic facial into the same week. Then, when it improves, they do not know what helped, and when it worsens, they do not know what did it. The next time it happens, everything starts from scratch. If this hits in the middle of a trip, I would rather leave the clinic treatments out and hold the routine at three steps until you fly home.
A skin barrier takes time to settle. What there is to do meanwhile is closer to removing the irritation and waiting.
Signs that mean being seen rather than waiting
If any of the following applies, it is safer to be examined than to hold out on a stripped-back routine.
| If this is happening | Why |
|---|---|
| Blisters or weeping | Something other than simple irritation has to be ruled out |
| Redness spreading without a clear edge | Contact dermatitis or infection needs checking |
| Swelling reaching the eyelids or lips | An allergic reaction has to be considered |
| No change after a week | The cause may not be a product |
| The same area, again and again | Factors other than external irritants come into it |
FAQ
Would several calming products make it settle faster?
The more products, the harder the cause is to find. A calming product is still something new laid on top, so while the skin is reactive it is better to keep it to one.
When can I start using the products I stopped?
Once the redness and stinging have gone down, bring them back one at a time, three or four days apart. Putting them all back together makes it hard to tell again.
Should I stop sunscreen too?
Keep the sunscreen. If it stings, try a different texture, and if it still irritates, cover physically with a hat or a mask instead.
What should I bring to the appointment?
Bring the products you started in the past two weeks, or photograph them. It narrows the cause down quickly.
2 min walk from Isu Stn. Exit 13 (Line 4·7)
Tel 02-517-9996