I went to Korea a month after my laser and when I got back, my face turned into a wreck. ಥ_ಥ My cheeks, where I did the laser, were crazy dry to the point that they were painful. And the dryness spread to my lips and even to my eyelids. I looked like I was sunburnt and no matter how many creams and moisturizers I layered on, nothing worked. In fact, my skin started getting clogged. So, I had painful, flaky skin that was breaking out. What a lovely combination (I was really quite upset btw. Just in case you can't tell. )': ).
The doctors told me I had Xerotic Eczema, which is caused by dry weather. I took oral steroids and applied a steroid cream on my cheeks, something which I really didn't want to but desperation won. And of course, steroids immediately calmed everything down. But each time I stopped the steroid cream, my cheeks would break out into red bumps after a few days. I decided to stop all steroids, go to my Chinese Sinseh and that finally ended my skin woes. (▰˘◡˘▰)
According to my Chinese Sinseh, I was actually very 'cold' but because I hadn't been sleeping well, my body would give out 'heat' when I woke up. So basically I had 'false heat' which decided to manifest itself on the most sensitive part of my body, which was my recently laser-ed cheeks. I know many people don't really believe in TCM and all its ying and yang stuff, but I really do. Like when I eat too much chips, I can feel the 'heat' emitting from my body? Haha. Of course, I don't rely on Chinese medicine entirely. There are many illnesses which you have to go to the Western doctors but stuff like skin problems, I really do think TCM is the way to go.
I was doing a lot of googling then and realised that many people's skin actually get wrecked by dry weather. This is probably the only instance when I'm glad for Singapore's humidity. Haha. Anyway, after trying a gazillion products, I thought I share with you the products that worked and are still working for me. Just in case you need them. ◡̈
- Avène Thermal Spring Water
I love facial mists that contain thermal spring water for a quick boost of hydration during the day. For me, there isn't any visible difference across the different brands that are available in Singapore but I read that Avène ones are great for reducing redness so I have been using this. - Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Dermo-Cleanser
Cetaphil was my favourite for ages but then, I came across a few articles saying that it's evil so I decided to get this. This is actually very much like Cetaphil, in terms of texture. Haha. I actually don't really know if this is better, ingredients-wise. But it doesn't irritate my eczema-ridden skin and I'm not sure if it's because I'm washing my face less, but my skin feels a lot more comfortable after each wash (Whether it's with this cleanser or without.). - Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream
THIS has been my holy grail. I got back from Bangkok last week and my cheeks started getting red and irritated. Just one night of this and I could see how much calmer my skin was. I have been using this everyday since and my skin has calmed down so much that I'm brave enough to introduce serums and oils to my skincare routine again. Really love this! *blows kisses* - Cosrx Centella Blemish Cream
As mentioned earlier, my skin was actually getting really clogged from all the layering I was doing. I had a lot of blackheads which I tried to extract on my own, unsuccessfully. They developed into pimples, which I then bury with this cream and poof! They don't disappear immediately, but they are definitely less angry and less red the next day. This is gentle, doesn't irritate my eczema either and I just placed an order for the toner and ampoule this morning. Yay, Cosrx!
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