how old is your eye makeup?

It's not very old, my eyeliner and mascara were bought within the last couple of months....and it's the same stuff I've used for years. I can easily try switching makeup to see if that helps with the eye reaction, but I don't know what to try for the dry skin. Maybe if I could stop scrubbing my face it would stop freaking out when I use make up.

I would definitely stop scrubbing your face too hard, use Eucerin cream or Cetaphil, they're both very moisturizing.

I use Oil of Olay, but I suggest using vaseline,
since you're having such a problem with dry sky.

"scrubbing" may be your problem as far as dryness goes

I prefer Olay products..but I do not "scrub"

Lighten up on the washing,,,,maybe no soap whatsoever,and try Olay cleansing cloths if you can...change eye products too just in case you have developed an allergy to your familiar ones

Yep I agree with that rough scrubbing you make the matter worse. Try a cream of Ivory soap, no cloth!
Use a apricot scrub once a week or so. Then moisturize LOTS. At night I'd try Aquapore (I am pretty sure thats the name)Doc recommended it for Madison's very dry skin. I don't know why you couldn't use it at nighttime. Might be too greasy for day. I know Jenni uses this cause DS was going to get some and we had never heard of it before, thought it was Aqua4. She told us what it was and we went straight to the drug store and found it no problems. Eucerin would be my next try.
As for makeup you know I had such terrible itchy eyes from Maybelline mascara! I'd used it for years without a problem. I tried a more expensive (maybe a hypoallergenic??) one and no problems ever again. I'd go a few days without and then just try one new product and see how it goes.
Good Luck sweetie!

The scrubbing part probably isn't helping. You're damaging your skin more. Don't use soap either. It dries the skin. I use Nivea soft on my face, and while I do use soap, it's not a store bought soap. I use my sisters hand made soap which is full of natural glycerin. Store bought soaps remove most of the glycerin which is why it dries your skin.

I was having dry skin on my face so I started using olive oil at night. It really helped.

The Oil of Olay products always irritate my skin. Everyone is different.

philosophy products are all i use. they aren't cheap but it saves me time w/ make-up if my skin looks great and i enjoy people thinking i'm 20 yrs younger lol, i'm 41 and everyone i know thinks i'm in my early 20's till i tell them. i have both dry & oily skin and use their hope moisturizer, amoung several other things and swear by it! yrs ago oprah picked it as a fav and it made her all time fav list in dec. ~ liz

I never, ever, use soap on my face and I know the scrubbing isn't good and normally never even use washcloths on my face, but there has been so much dead, peeling skin on my face everyday, I have to do something to remove it before going in public. It's too disgusting otherwise.

I will definitely try a new lotion, or maybe the olive oil. Maybe both. Also, it is Mabyelline Mascara I've been using! I'll throw it out and try and new brand. I think I'll pick of some sort of facial mask to try and remove the dry skin that way.

Thanks for all the advice!

Just visited my dermatologist. She has the most fantastic skin! She uses Cera Ve products. There's a cleanser, a lotion and a heavier cream. She gave me a sample of the cleanser and I love it; it's very light. I haven't found the lotion yet.

Mary Kay.
Whatever your skin condition Mary Kay has the lotion for it!

Lori

Cetaphil is great for face washing and really helps fight dryness. I'm a great believer in plain old vaseline as a nighttime moisturizer: cheap, feels good, works as well as any expensive moisturizer.

Easy on the scrubbing, let you natural oils have a chance to work their magic. I use oil of olay, but do not scrub my face at night, just in the shower in the morning. Then oil of olay on a damp face.

Trin

How do you use vaseline? Just spread a very thin layer on the dry areas, and wash it off in the morning with warm water? I'm trying to picture it. Does it absorb into the skin?? I've never heard of putting it on a person's face, but I'm intrigued and I think I'll try it.

Sounds like you may need to see a dermatologist. I would definitely stop the scrubbing and any soap. I have found that the Philosopy "Purity" to be quite gentle. I've been using it for several years without any trouble - I've actually seen lots of improvement. But, I never had the flakiness you described. My DS is a great aesthetician. I'll check with her to see if she has any recommendations. Her interests are in holistic skin care and not so much, just the cosmetics portion. She will probably recommend a derm, but maybe a skin care specialist. But, she may have some idea of what it could be. Not sure though since she will not have seen your face.

Have you changed anything at all - diet, laundry products, etc?

Email me if you want.

Here's an update - from my sister, the aesthetician:

"First of all, make sure she is not using soap on her skin. She needs a good moisturizing cleanser for the face.Scrubbing will also make it worse. If she is on meds, that can cause a change in the skin. Not enough "good" fats in the body. Hot water. Wrong type of moisturizer for her skin type. Change in diet meaning eating something that she might not have been eating before. And as always with us female folk, hormonal changes can play a big part in changes in the skin. It might not be Lubriderm, it might be her body that is changing. I would suggest having a facial treatment with a licensed aesthetician. Ask friends, family, who they have gone to and enjoyed, the same as you would about a doctor or dentist. If she is flaking, it may be the beginning signs of psoriasis or exzema. In that case, she needs to see a physician. I would say a holistic physician since I have been told by some of my clients that the drugs given out by the regular physicians don't do well. There are many more reasons but that is a start."

Her answer is much as I suspected - she's been doing this for a VERY LONG time, so I'm used to her responses. If you don't understand something, or have more questions, let me know.

I think you need to see a dermatologist to make sure there isn't some underlying problem. For example, I have icthyosis and need lactic acid, so my dermatologist recommended AmLactin.

He also recommended Cetaphil and washing with lukewarm, not hot water.

I have never had any luck with Oil of Olay - it always makes me break out no matter which product I use. I like Avon Anew Triple Lifting moisturizer.

Thanks gneegirl and everyone else. I'm pretty sure it's not psoriasis or something of the sort, but if I can't fix it with some of these suggestions, I just may see a dermatologist. I usually never have this problem and am pretty sure it's just the cold weather, but I'll be keeping my eye on it.

I have very dry skin on my face and found that Pond's dry skin cream has worked well for me and I've tried numerous different type lotions and creams.

jenn, I think it's much more than the cold weather. I get dry flakey skin in the winter too, but nothing like what I see on you. Mine is mostly the lower part of my legs too. I know what psoriasis looks like (2 sisters have it, and my nephew on DH's side has the worst case of it I've ever seen) and your dry skin looks nothing like that. My children have eczema and while it doesn't look like what they have, I would bet money that it's a form of it. I wish you had posted this even just 4 weeks ago. I made a dozen lotion bars and gave them to my daughter (all perfumed). I could have made an unscented one and sent it to you. If I have enough butters left, I may still be able to do so, if you're interested. I'll have to check in the morning to see what I have left.

jasdip--yes, I use vaseline just like a moisturizer: spread a thin film over my face and neck. I massage it in a bit, and it really feels great. Yes, it leaves you a bit more greasy than a regular (thinner) moisturizer (I wouldn't wear it during the day!) but I swear by it. I'm 52 and in Minnesota with notoriously dry and cold winters, and I hardly have any wrinkles at all. Of course, that's partly due to genes, but I notice a huge difference in my skin's softness and looks when I use the vaseline versus not using it. Really, unless you have acne or some other break-out condition, there's little to no difference in mosturizers and there's no need to buy expensive ones. I think the book called something like What you Need to Know Before you Buy Cosmetics, or Read This Before You Buy Makeup (can't remember exactly) really helps put this is perspective and shows you what you really need and what is just a lot of filler, perfume, and a waste of money. Hope this helps a bit.

The one thing I haven't seen mentioned here is your age. I'm 50 and my skins sounds just like yours---never before a problem like this year. My dryness is worse between my eyes and over my eyes in the eyebrow region, although it is sometimes pretty bad in other spots, too.

While mine could just be the weather, I'm starting to think it is hormones.

Debby, I think you're confusing me with someone else, I haven't posted any pics. You might be confusing me with angelaid, who just posted pics of her extremely dry hands. My face isn't anywhere near that bad.

I'm 29, okwriter.

Marita40, I used to use vaseline also, after reading a tip on here (maybe you wrote the tip). I was thinking it was great, but then someone mentioned that it couldn't be moisturizing because petroleum couldn't penetrate into your skin, therefore also not allowing your skin to "breathe". Well, I think I'll try it again, because I've heard from many people that it has kept their skin hydrated and looking young.

I tried the olive oil last night and my face seemed dryer than normal this morning, but that was only one night, so I haven't given up on it yet.