What to Do If You Have a reaction on skin?
Beauty products - everything from shampoo to makeup to cologne -- can help you feel on top of your game. They can also cause irritated skin or an allergic reaction. A dermatology study published in 2010 found that more than a third of over 900 study participants had at least one allergic reaction to cosmetic ingredients.
Problems can range from simple rashes to full-blown allergic reactions. Symptoms can start right after you use something new - or after years of using a product with no problems.
Help! Cream Reaction on Skin - What to Do and How to Treat It
How do I know if my skin is just adjusting to a new product or if there is a problem?
Many have experienced the excitement of getting new skin care products that they can’t wait to use, only to have a week or two pass before the excitement fades and their skin looks worse than it did before. Sometimes testing out a new, unfamiliar product on your skin can result in acne breakouts, redness, flaky or dry skin. This phenomenon is not new to the cosmetic industry. Here are a few steps to help you identify whether what you’re experiencing is simply your skin adjusting to something new, or if there is a greater issue.
1. What are the products designed to do?
There are many products out there that are designed to increase cell turnover. These include ingredients like Alpha Hydroxy Acids (ex. Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, etc), Retinols, and other chemical exfoliators. Young, healthy skin renews every 28-35 days. But as we age, this renewal process slows down to beyond 50 days, causing the top layers of skin not to shed. This can leave the skin looking dull and sullen. It can also cause clogged pores, which can lead to acne breakouts. When you use a product that contains these chemical exfoliators, or if you use physical exfoliators (ex. scrubs), these ingredients can accelerate this exfoliation process and more quickly bring to the surface any blemish that may have been brewing. This is why it may appear that you are breaking out with more pimples or blemishes than normal. While it may take your skin a few weeks to bounce back from this apparent “break out,” rest assured that this is a normal process. This is also true when using a new acne regimen, so don’t give up if your skin looks a little bit worse for the first few weeks. The acne regimen may simply be doing its job.
2. Are you using the right products for your skin type?
Using the wrong product for your skin type can have negative effects on the overall appearance of your skin. For example, people who already have drier skin and use products that accelerate the exfoliation process may find that their skin is red, flaky and irritated, making their skin even more dry. Those who tend to have oiler skin and use products that include occlusives, like silicones, may find their skin looking oilier. These types of ingredients can form a layer on the skin that traps the natural oils in the pores, which can lead to breakouts. This is also true for acne prone skin. For those who have easily irritated skin or who seem to react negatively to products, it is possible they may be using too many active ingredients or too many products at once.
3. Are there ingredients in the products that are not compatible with your skin?
Because everyone’s skin is unique, a product that works well for one may not work for a friend, parent, or sibling. Individuals know their skin better than anyone else, and will begin to identify which products work most effectively for them. They may have discovered this through trial and error, or may have a known allergy. Some choose to use products that don’t include fragrances because they know fragrance (whether natural or synthetic) irritates their skin, eyes or other senses, while others don’t have to worry about fragrance. As mentioned above, skin type may play a key role in some of the ingredients that may not be compatible with your skin.
4. Are you using too many potent ingredients at once?
Many believe that the more products they use, the better and more rapid their results will be. The truth is that using too many products or using higher concentrations of ingredients is not always better. There are some excellent ingredients out there that, if used in high concentrations, can do more harm than good. For example, using more than one chemical exfoliator or using chemical and physical exfoliators at the same time may increase the chances of itching, stinging, burning, and redness; while using just one at the right amount may leave your skin with a healthy-looking glow.
Symptoms, skin types, and resolutions
If you have started to use new products and your skin is not where you want it to be, you may be experiencing an increase in blemishes, dry skin, oily skin, etc. So how do you know if what you are experiencing is just a normal adjustment period or if it is something else? Any time you experience a negative reaction to new products, we always recommend to stop using the product and allow your skin enough to heal before re-introducing the product into your skin care regimen.
Break outs or blemishes
Where your blemishes are forming will provide an idea of whether this reaction is normal or abnormal skin behavior. If your skin is just expressing what was already brewing under the surface, then the blemishes would occur where you normally break out or have issues. If they are occurring in areas that you don’t normally experience blemishes, then a single ingredient or combination of ingredients may be irritating your skin.
If the combination of ingredients used are not compatible with your skin, you may need to determine which product or ingredient is causing the issue. It is recommended that you stop using the products to allow your skin time to return to its normal state, and then slowly add them back into your regimen, maybe using them once a day instead of twice. If you are using a new system, adding one product per week may help pinpoint which product may be causing the issue. If it is a specific ingredient, then looking at the ingredient list for the product is the first step. Try to identify any ingredients that you may have used in the past that your skin might not like. This can be tricky because even though your skin might not like an ingredient, this doesn’t mean that it’s a “bad” ingredient. In fact, it may be the concentration or the combination of ingredients that is the skin concern. Using trusted sites like cosmeticsinfo.org or personalcareproductcounsil.org can provide great insights on the ingredients in the new products you may be trying.
Red, flaky skin
Most of the time if you are experiencing red, flaky skin it is because you have drier skin. This reaction means that if you are using products that help exfoliate the skin, you will likely need to add a heavy moisturizer to your routine. Ceasing to use the product causes the irritation and then adding it back in slowly can give your skin time needed to adjust to its ingredients. If the redness, dry and flaky skin continues, that product may not be compatible with your skin. Once again, you may have to look at ingredient listings to make sure that there are no ingredients in the product that are not compatible with your skin. This advice holds true for individuals who have oilier skin and are experiencing dry, flaking, and red irritated skin.
Greasy, shiny, oily skin
Those who have oilier skin tend to enjoy product systems that have lotions compared to creams. If you are using a new system of products and notice that your skin seems oilier, you may want to change what moisturizers you are using. Additionally, check what type of ingredients are used in the product. You may be using products that contain higher amounts of occlusives, which help keep the oil you naturally produce on the skin.
Normal skin
If you are experiencing a reaction to new product use and you have normal skin, you may need to adjust how you are using the products. For example, use heavier creams or more moisturizers on areas of the skin that are dry and do the opposite on areas, like the t-zone, that tend to be oilier. Again, once you have made these changes, slowly add the products back in to give your skin time to adjust to new products/ingredients.
What to Do If a New Beauty Product Makes reaction on skin
How to Get Rid of Hives
If you get hives, you're likely dealing with an allergic reaction to something in the product formula.
"Hives occur because of either ingestion of a medication/food/supplement that causes this reaction, or because the skin comes in contact with an allergen that elicits a similar response," explains board-certified dermatologist, cosmetic surgeon, and medical director of Art of Skin MD, Dr. Melanie Palm. "Typically, if it is due to a product, the hives are limited to the area of application or near to it."
In extreme cases, you could deal with anaphylaxis, which could cause extreme swelling or shortness of breath.
So what to do? First, you want to get that product off your face.
New York City-based dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner recommends removing it with room temperature water, while Dr. Palm says you can use a bland gentle moisturizer. But be mindful not to scrub vigorously or use hot water, and don't try to camouflage the area with other cosmetics.
Next, you could take an over-the-counter oral antihistamine like Zyrtec or Benadryl. "These antihistamines stop the release of histamine from the inflammatory cells within hives and calm swelling, redness, and itching related to the rash," says Dr. Palm.
But most importantly, if you're experiencing serious side effects like shortness of breath, throat or tongue swelling, or generalized swelling, you should call 911.
How to Calm Skin Redness
You've just removed your face mask and now you have red skin that looks like you got a horrible sunburn. Eeeek. But interestingly enough, there are a few things that could be to blame.
"Any one of several different ingredients could cause a reaction on the face from a mask," says Dr. Zeichner. "Fragrances and preservatives are common culprits, as well as acne ingredients such as salicylic acid or retinol. The skin may be more likely to develop a reaction if you are using anti-aging or exfoliating products already," he adds.
If your face was well hydrated or just cleansed, Dr. Palm said that it could have absorbed more of the perpetrating ingredient into the skin or sealed it in.
Your next plan of action is to remove it immediately, she says, and do several rinses with water to make sure it's completely washed off.
In addition, Dr. David Colbert of the New York Dermatology Group says you could use hydrocortisone cream, or products like Aquaphor or Vaseline to soothe the situation if irritation persists.
How to Get Rid of Acne
What's the main reason you use a cleanser? To keep your skin clear and clean, right? Those are some of the many benefits of using a daily moisturizer, too. However, although less serious than hives — but likely just as annoying — sometimes these two staples cause zits to pop up out of nowhere.
Dr. Palm says that you could have used a non-comedogenic product, meaning it hasn't gone under testing that it won't cause breakouts. However, it could simply be a reaction to a product that your skin didn't like and we don't always react to products the same way. One person could react to this cleanser or moisturizer with hives or redness, while you got a pimple.
If you're acne-prone, it could be because the formula was oil-based, explains Dr. Palm. It could also be because you haven't exfoliated well or the product has expired and you're now dealing with bacteria.
Whatever you do, don't pick or try to pop it. This will cause the spot to become even more inflamed, and in the worst scenario, you could cause scarring.
To clear up the blemish, Dr. Colbert suggests using a product like the COLBERT MD Tone Control Disc and either applying a benzoyl peroxide gel or a topical antibiotic and cleansing with a salicylic acid cleanser.
While these remedies can help minimize reactions like hives, redness, and acne, it's always a good idea to contact your dermatologist to prevent any long-term skin damage.
How to Avoid reaction on skin to Beauty Products
Look for products with the fewest ingredients. This will lower your chance of a reaction.
Do a patch test before using any product. Place a small amount on the inside of your elbow and wait 48 hours to 72 hours. If you have redness, swelling, itching, or burning, don't use that product.
Always apply fragrance to your clothes, not your skin. This can help reduce the risk of reaction to the fragrance. It can also reduce the risk of the fragrance interacting with ingredients in other products and causing a skin reaction.
Just because a label says something is "hypoallergenic," "dermatologist tested," "sensitivity tested," or "non-irritating," that's no guarantee that the products will be kind to your skin. Some companies do the testing, others don't. There are no rules about how these terms can be used on a label.
