OMG, my face is on fire

Lothlorien

Active Member
I bought the Anew cream (red). I had the daytime stuff on my face all day without any problems. I took a shower and put the night cream on. It looks as if someone slapped me all over my face. It's itchy and I'm just miserable. I don't think I'll be able to leave the house. I just washed my face with just warm water, but it almost feels worse...like I just heated it up.

At this point, I'm afraid to put anything on my skin.

I took an allergy pill and rubbed a little hydrocortisone cream. Any advice? Anyone else have any experiences with returning cream to Avon? This stuff isn't exactly cheap.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
According to the brochure, they have a money-back guarantee. I've had to return stuff, there's never been a problem.

Cosmetic reactions - I also can't use Anew especially near my eyes. Some of the creams I can use on other parts of my face. I suspect the problem is preservatives which just about all cosmetic companies in the world now use because legislation insists. My mother in law used to use a particular brand of (formerly) hypoallergenic cosmetics, but suddenly found her skin reacting to it. Her daughter found the same problem at about the same time. And I also found that at about the same time, companies were required by law to use preservatives, because of the problems POSSIBLY caused by people using cosmetic creams which have gone "off". So now we have MORE problems caused by preservative reactions... go figure.

I've begun using some cosmetics by LUSH, a company that uses all natural ingredients and (as far as possible) no chemical preservatives and also as low a level of preservatives as they can get away with legally. I've found an eye cream I really like. Before that, I was using olive oil with some success and no reactions.

Otherwise - I have my own recipes for natural cosmetics, which I use in between whatever commercial ones I can tolerate.

Good luck. Call your Avon rep. There should be no problem.

Marg
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Sometimes after a warm shower it's best to wait a bit before putting anything harsh on your face (I'm guessing this is something like alpha hydroxy acid stuff?). Maybe a baking soda compress would help soothe your skin tonight? Or some cool cucumbers!

Hope it feels better soon!
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I am so sorry! I know just what you are feeling. Wiz' fave teacher of all time started selling Avon and gave me some samples of Anew. the day stuff was okay but the night time was an instant problem. It started burning right as I finished applying it.

I would wash in cool water (not cold) and then put a compress on it. cool tea bags can feel good and be helpful. Benadryl is a good oral fix, and if you have benadryl cream that would be a good thing to try.

Anything you try should be tried on a small part of your skin.

FYI the new products by Eucerin also gave me problems. In addition to being rather harsh they have a mushroom extract in them that is supposed to help various skin problems. I thought my reaction was just because I am allergic to mushrooms. Jessie and my mom both had reactions to them and neither of them has the mushroom allergy.

Arbonne products are okay for a day or two. After that a yucky rash comes up.

Cortisone cream is good for treating it. You may also want to look for a cream that contains pramoxine. It is the "plus" ingredient in Neosporin Plus and the pain relief in hydrocortisone cream plus pain relief. Aveeno's anti itch cream has pramoxine and calamine and feel wonderful on skin problems.

I am sorry your face hurts.
 

timer lady

Queen of Hearts
I had that reaction to a scented bottle of Olay moisturizer (didn't read the label). I used benadryll and Solarcaine gel. It really relieved the burning on my face.
 

Lothlorien

Active Member
The Avon consultant emailed me back this morning. She'll take it back. I didn't have a problem with the daytime stuff either, but that night cream....holy cow.

I took an allergy pill last night and then I took an Ambien. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep with all that itching and burning. I itch from just under my eyem down to my chest. My face is still pretty swollen too. Thankfully, I don't have anywhere to go.

I don't use soap on my face, unles it's really dirty. I either just use warm water and a clean washcloth or a fascial cleanser. I know that soaps can reacts with lotions after a shower....that happened to me many years ago. I rarely wear makeup so simply washing my face with warm water is fine most of the time. I find that overwashing my face makes it oily and pimply.
 

SRL

Active Member
Sorry to hear about this, Loth. I don't think there's any way to predict how you'll respond to products. I have super sensitive skin and I've had similar reactions even to some of the Clinique products.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
I react this way to any of the products with either salycilic acid in them, benzoyl peroxide, or hydroxyl acids.

The stuff is supposed to "increase cell turnover", but it does that by basically burning away dead skin cells. The problem is that our skin system is based on a layer of dead skin cells remaining on top as a barrier to the outside. If you burn away the top layer of dead cells, you are exposing underlying skin to things it isn't equipped to handle.

I just gave up on using any of the "renewal" things. I've got fifty year old skin that has been exposed to way too much sun and wind over the years. It looks it. I'm not a redhead, but I have, due to heredity, the red head's skin.

In my case it is quite blotched and wrinkled from exposure to the elements. I just have to deal with it. I use a bland moisturizer when I remember, and sunscreen, but that's it.

I'd love to be able to use some of the products out there to help skin like mine, but I just cannot tolerate them.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Loth, I don't know if this will help or not but Wal Mart sells some inexpensive Vitamin E cream. Onyxx used the Clean & Clear moisturizer and burned her face on something in it (this is the kid that washes with Noxema and has no problems... Go figure). Anyway, a little of this cream went a long way toward helping her face. They sell 2 4-ounce jars in a package for like $3.

I love the stuff.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
husband was very active in the theater from HS on, including many professional performances. He had incredibly sensitive skin and from wearing stage makeup, especially having to get it back off, caused major problems for him (peeling, break outs, etc)

What he found worked for him was good ol' Ponds'. He used it to both remove makeup and wash his face, plus it acted as a moisturizer as well. I think Pond's is still available in stores, but I think it is sold as a moisturizer these days.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
GET THE HYDROCORTISONE OFF YOUR FACE NOW!!!!!!!

YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER PUT THAT ON YOUR FACE FOR ANYTHING it will make it worse.

I have had this discussion with my dermatologist because I have rosacea and believe me nothing short of poison oak itches as bad as Rosacea - and so I put hydrocortisone on it? And OMG - it made my skin WORSE....temporarily? It will make it FEEL better but by tomorrow it will NOT be okay.

Wash your face off with cool/tepid water and a soft cloth - if you HAVE to use any soap ---either use Dove for sensitive skin unscented (bar or liquid) or pure glycerine unscented only. Then pat dry. If your skin is peeling? I would leave it alone for a day but the only thing out there that is recommended by any dermatologist that I have talked to (several) is Olay Complete or Dove unscented sensitive for faces. If your skin is on fire do not apply anything for a couple days.

I'm sorry it burns - but chemical burns can be very bad.
 

Lothlorien

Active Member
I'm better, now. The swelling and itching finally died off a while ago.

Star, I have two spots on my face that I use a cortisone cream on....but only occasionally when it's bad. I know putting on the face regularly will cause disolorations and damage the skin. I do think that the cortisone may have reacted with whatever was left on my skin last night and probably did make it worse.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Spots okay - I pictured the whole face....:anxious:

Glad you are better hon! :D You are too pretty to have red skin!
 

susiestar

Roll With It
If used regularly any cortisone cream will thin the skin leaving you far more susceptible to ANY irritant or bacteria. This is a major cause of bedsores and cellulitis in nursing homes. My pain doctor goes nuts on this topic because one of the homes puts it on every red spot a patient has, 2-3 times a day. He now writes NO Cortisone cream in the chart, on the outside of the chart and posts it on the door.

Boots makes a great moisturizer also. Far more gentle than most. For a long time we had afriend mail it fron England because dove makes me break out. The soap, body wash, all of thier productsexcept deodorant and shampoo.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
Yeah. Cortisone cream is bad stuff for chronic use. As SS said, it breaks down the skin barrier and makes the skin way more succeptible to damage, be it from pressure, abrasion, or the elements.

It's fine to use for a day or so in localized areas, but not long term, and under NO circumstances should it be used on large areas of skin.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Loth, try to get a list of ingredients from the container before you send it back, so you can work out over time what possibly caused the reaction.

For example, you know the day cream doesn't aggravate your skin (well, it used not to - wait a week before trying it again, carefully - you could have sensitised your skin to a new allergen) so examine the ingredients list for both and mentally subtract anything that is in both. You're looking to create a small list of what is in the night cream but not in the day cream.

After tat - any cream tat you use with no problems, look to see if it has anything in your short-list in it. As you go, cross stuff off your short list that you discover you don't have a problem with.

In the long-term, this will help you keep your skin as healthy as possible.

What you describe sounds like a full-on allergic reaction. Not good.

I really worry about skin creams that are claiming to be good for your skin, but which encourage cell renewal. ANYTHING that "encourages cell renewal" is a greater risk for skin cancer, form what we understand skin cancers to be. A doctor I was talking to about this (we were both whinging about Australian Cancer Council's overkill in its advertising) said that cancer happens spontaneously when cells divide. The more cells divide, especially older cells, the greater the cancer risk. The reason sunburn is a risk is because sun-damaged skin has to renew itself, and as a result cells have to divide. So it stands to reason we need to be careful to avoid damaging our skin in the sun and making to have to divide unnecessarily.

And they sell creams which deliberately make your skin cells replicate? Are they mad?

Sure, slough off dead cells. But avoid sloughing them off when they're not dead, or damaging them so they slough off prematurely.

Dermabrasion? Forget it!

Marg
 

Lothlorien

Active Member
Thanks Star.

I tried the Anew day cream again on a small spot where it was the worst last night, just to see if the day cream would have the same reaction. Fortunately, it did not. It is very similar to Oil of Olay Regenerist, which I've not had a problem with.

Marge, I am going keep track of this. I used to use Nutragena skin cream in the jar and didn't have any problems, but I got the Rite Aide version once, because it was on sale for half the price and claimed to be the same....I had the same reaction that I had last night. I wonder if the makers are the same. It was definitely a full on reaction. My one eye was starting to swell shut. I'm glad I had antihistimines.

I've never had a problem with Oil of Olay, but I buy the sensitive skin after the Rite Aid cream debacle. The only downside, is that I think it's mostly water and just doesn't have the same effect. I guess that I'm at least fortunate that I really don't have much in the way of wrinkles, but I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible.
 

everywoman

Well-Known Member
I had the same reaction with Clinique---it was horrible. It was right before New Years---I had gotten the Clinique set as a Christmas gift. I looked like one big blister---ugh.

I have always used Mary Kay without any problems. It is all I'll use now after the Clinique mess.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Clinique is one of those formerly hypoallergenic brands which has suffered from having to add preservatives to the formulation.

think it's mostly water

All creams are mostly water. Also, as you have just discovered, a change in formulation can happen even with the same manufacturer. It is really important for you to find out which ingredient caused this reaction in you.

mother in law for years has been saying that she reacts to creams that have Vitamin E in them. This is because she once tried a cream which was being promoted as a Vitamin E cream, and her skin broke out. She blamed the Vitamin E and as a result wouldn't touch any creams with Vitamin E in the list of ingredients. But in that cream she tried, there were a lot of things in it other than Vitamin E, any one of those could have been the trigger. Plus, I was able to show her that she regularly got stuff like sesame oil on her skin and sesame oil is a natural source of Vitamin E. If she didn't react to that, maybe it wasn't Vitamin E that was the problem.

I've tried various preparations on mother in law's skin including some of my home-made recipes. The advantage to home-made, is I know exactly what has gone into it. I've found that she reacts to some perfumes (including essential oils, so it's not the synthetic chemicals she's reacting to necessarily). And very few creams aren't also perfumed. You won't necessarily find the specific perfume details given in the packaging, either. You COULD contact the Chief Chemist of the Avon company and ask for specifics in order to track down a problem ingredient - you could ask, "What is in cream X that I reacted to, that is NOT in cream Y which I do not react to?" and hope they tell you. Then one by one, you test these ingredients on yourself, so you know what other products to avoid in future. It is useful to know, ahead of time.

I found a website that listed some ingredients of Anew creams - they include "water, Glycerin, Phytol, Octinoxate, Cyclopentasiloxane, and Oryzanol." If all these are in all Anew products, then I would suggest that none of these are a problem for you, since you are able to use the day cream with no problems.

It is so easy for people to get fixed ideas about what is a problem and what is not. It is always important to approach these things scientifically and check things out carefully. mother in law still insists that she is allergic to Vitamin E preparations even though I've been able to show her that she is not. But she told herself tis so much and for so long, that old habits don't break easily.

I once was talking to someone over the phone who was insistent that she is allergic to water. She gave me details of her symptoms and described how she can't drink plain water, it makes her feel sick. The symptoms she described were very difficult to pin down and at times were quite extreme. I very quickly stopped trying to get a grasp on what she was saying because I realised tat she had very strong ideas and was determined to hold on to those ideas even in the face of logic explaining otherwise. She was also making very determined statements of fact especially about her health condition, but when I asked, she had never been diagnosed by anybody, she had simply worked it out for herself.

When I said to her, "But the human body is 70% water!" she replied, "Yes I know, that is why I am so sick all the time."

[nod and smile, that's all you can do - nod and smile...]

Marg
 
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