When I was taking Roaccutane, I experienced the usual side effects of extremely sensitive dry skin; So, I thought I would blog about the products that I used and were to become my saviours. These products would also be great for hyper sensitive skin types too.
Lets start with Carmex. This medicated lip balm was my hero, it didn't get rid of the dryness or the cracks or the bleeding... but it did take away the pain and a hella lot better than other lip products on the market. Post Roaccutane side effects, it makes my lips plump, shiny and no cracks. (p.s. when I was on the medication, it was five whole months of extreme dry lip hell!)
And to moisturisers. I was prescribed a lot of eczema type creams to relieve the dryness, not only for my face but the rest of the body too, things like dermal and other super yucky lard creams. The only one that benefited me, was Doublebase. It's a gel cream type consistency and although sat on the skin, when used overnight, in the morning my skin would absorb it and would feel more comfortable. I remember it occasionally stung but not as bad as the other creams I was given. I recommended my dad who has eczema to give it ago, he too said this cream was a lot better than the other prescriptions. Although I was prescribed this product, you can also buy it over the counter in pharmacies. Neutrogena deep comfort balm was the body moisturiser I used on my skin during the day because it absorbed well. Doublebase was too gloopy to use under clothes, so I opted for this one instead. It soaked in quite well however because it's scented it did have a slight burning feel initially.
The creams that were prescribed to me, were also recommended as face and body washes - yuck! For me, I used Avene cream soap, this soap was great, gentle, no stinging, creamy and moisturising. It's not cheap about £6 for a small bar, which goes very quickly!
I used Garnier sensitive toner to cleanse my face in the morning, as I usually don't shower or use water to wash my face then. This had no stinging! Pro points! and it continues to give relief to my skin when it's dry, I love this stuff. I didn't however, use the moisturiser during my course of Roaccutane but it's a product I recently discovered and it always sits on my shelf. I travel to Durham/Newcastle quite frequently, where the wind whips your face and I find this product soothes my skin, no stinging unlike L'oreal Hydrafesh.
During my course of Roaccutane, I tried many other products, Jergens (stings), Aveeno (Too sticky), Bio oil (did nothing) that wasn't right for me. Oh and also, the medication dried out my skin so much, I didn't really need to wash my hair unless it started to smell. I didn't have any problems with my usual shampoo and conditioner (L'oreal Elvive) but I did have a bottle of sensitive Head and Shoulders to hand, in case when things got really bad. Another point ABSOLUTELY NO HAIR COLOURING.
