Give me a break! A sincare routine for “overworked” skin

When your muscles hurt, that pain is a signal that you may have overdone it. You are likely to take a couple of days off, check that your shoes are OK, and have some ibuprofen.

What makes some women do exactly the opposite when their skin hurts? Don’t know, but they shouldn’t.

Skin that hurts, stings, itches, is inflamed or is red is a sign that you must stop and think. There is no way that your skin will “get used” to mistreatment. It will simply get worse, develop hyperpigmentation, or even scarring.

What to do? STOP and think.

Before you do anything else, stop whatever you are doing.

The influencer’s recommended regime was likely developed by the advertising agency paying the influencer. The post on that forum was probably written by somebody who may be naive or not, but he never tested it before posting.

Do you think I am a cynic? Not at all, as my mother taught me, I still believe the best of everybody… until otherwise demonstrated, and this happens often.

What do you do after you stop?
Two things: give your skin a break and look at the products (all of them!) you have been using.

Have a look at my posts about how to read an ingredient list. List all the ingredients and check for allergenicity. In bold, marl ingredients like lavender essential oil, tea tree oil, Balsam of Peru, anything containing fragrance. Mark in red glycolic acid, ascorbic acid, etc. Mark in orange ethanol, denatured alcohol, etc.


What about the break for your skin? Your skin needs a break from whatever was hurting you. In the meantime, you can use a couple of products from Skin Actives that will start repairing your skin barrier and let the nerves reaching your skin stop sending alarm signals.

What do I suggest? What I use when my skin hurts or itches: I am looking at the bottle of nourishing skin serum with CBD that I keep on my desk. I use it for tight, uncomfortable scars and for itchy skin. In my case, it’s not a matter of present mistreatment but of past stress, mostly damage by UV and laboratory reagents (when I still believed that my skin was that of a superhero).

You can also clean your skin with an oily cleanser (no fragrances, please!).

Give your skin a few days’ rest and while you do that, work out a new routine dedicated to preserving health rather than trying to “Photoshop” your skin with acids and abrasives!