Perioccular Dermatitis, Rosacea, and Wrinkles

So, after the nightmare of dermatitis died down, I was left with sad dry skin that looked liked it had aged 10 years. That’s not my flair for the dramatic. It was sallow, flaky,and disroportionately red around the nose and mouth. My eyelids flaked. I can pinch my un-moisturized forehead and it takes a second for the skin to figure out where to go. WTF? I tried the oil cleansing method. Other blogs about perioral/periocular dermatits extolled the virtues of ditching sulfates, thalates, parabans and all sorts of other, lengthier, words. Apparently, we have demons lurking in our modern American skincare. And they are in EVERYTHING!!!! So, coconut oil seemed, if not highly suspicious (because…well..have you ever touched coconut oil? ) than a little than more extreme. But because, I had been cheated before, I thought what the hell. Why not. Holy Closed Comedones!!! That’s why. If you are reading this blog than I suspect we have similar skin issues, in which case, take heed. Oddly, the premise of oil cleansing is that like attracts like. Simply put, the oil you apply to the epidermis seeks out the oil underneath in order to unclog pores. The beauty is that it is supposed to restore natural oil production to skin. I tried it. I really did. It’s cheap! It smells good! It is soooo soooo easy. It didn’t work. Not for me. 
 My tub of Mistakes;
  
Here’s the thing. I have sensitive skin. That is such a ubiquitous term that means practically nothing when taken at face value. What my skin is sensitive to could be your holy grail product. BUT…if you have dry skin I would suggest starting with a different oil and here’s why: Oils in general are better for oily skin. I know it sounds counterintuitive. And at first, oil feels nice and soothing on dry skin. But think about it. If like attracts like then oil seeks oil. I’m not a scientist and I certainly don’t want to pretend I know something I don’t so, I will put this loosely…Oily skin is regulated by using oil. Their sebum amounts are reduced leading to more balanced skin. Drier skin seem to suck it up like a thirsty sponge and then spew it out in the form of closed comedones (zits and pre-zits) on a landscape of both parched and oily skin. Add to that that many proponents of the oil cleansing method suggest soaking the oil-soaked skin in a hot washcloth. I maybe got a little zealous with the application and one person’s hot is very different from another’s and here I am paying for it with broken 
capillaries. I should add here that I absolutely LOVE coconut oil. It’s cheap, smells like vacation and really moisturizes. There is some debate over whether or not it is comedegenic but I think you most likely know whether or not it will work for your skin upon first touch. I absolutely can not use it on my face but it is wonderful on knees, feet, and hands. I also use it in peanut butter cookies instead of butter and in a homemade floor cleansed with white vinegar and thieves essential oil. Smells great and cleans without chemicals! I do use argan oil and love it. It is non-comedogenic but still very viscous. I usually just add a drop to my Vanicream sensitive skin lotion. You can buy a big bottle on the cheap. You’ll want to make sure it is in a brown glass bottle as light can affect the oil’s efficacy. I buy an organic variety from Amazon. It has lasted me months.

I do sometimes use it as an oil cleanse/double cleanse agent when I am wearing heavy make-up or sunscreen (which is honestly almost never). What the oil does (and it can be any oil YOU can tolerate—even coconut) is break up the heavy oils on your skin making them easy to rinse off. Many people will ONLY use oil…i.e. oil to remove make and also to cleanse while some introduce soap or other cleanser after the initial oil wash(i.e. double cleansing method). I prefer the second method. It might just be my conditioning but I prefer my cleaned skin to feel neutral so that I can add moisture as I please. After all, My skin is a bit indecisive. Right now I am cleansing only with a cream cleanser. It works for me and it’s cheap. Cleansers don’t stay on your skin and won’t enrich it in any long term way so I think that it is totally okay to experiment with what works in this arena. I use Say Yes to Carrots. Just Because. Next is when it gets really exciting!