This isolation around people’s skins have been acting out, and begging, PLEADING for help.

When it comes to issues arising during these times of isolation, we’ve noticed some themes.

The first common concern we’ve been speaking to clients about is Perioral Dermatitis, or inflammation of the skin surrounding the mouth.

Now due to the mandatory facial mask rule that has been introduced to Melbourne this week, you may be thinking, well this inflammation would surely be caused due to wearing these bits of fabric over the mouth most of the day?

Answer is, yes and no.

Our resident Dermatologist Guru Dr Alice Rudd actually suggests that dermatitis surrounding the mouth is more likely to be caused by stress.

Hmm that’s weird, what could possibly be causing us stress in the year 2020?

I guess we’ll never know..

While stress may be the trigger, the use of a facial mask certainly does not help. When the inflammation is already present, the skin’s hypersensitivity won’t agree with the other factors the mask is bringing on, like micro abrasion, heat from breathing and allergic reactions.

How to treat POD? We’re glad you asked.

When treating this type of inflammation we need to think about what we were using on the area before the sensitivity appeared. Figuring out what the catalyst may have been to the inflammation will help us understand what the heck is going on.

In the meantime, you’ll need to cater to the sensitivity and fragility of the skin by avoiding actives, exfoliants and heavy vitamins all together for a while (2 to 4 weeks).

You wouldn’t exercise on an injury, so please don’t aggravate touchy skin with irritants.

Medical intervention may be required for oral or topical antibiotics, but when it comes to skincare please pair it back.

It’s all about hydration, calming and supportive ingredients. For those required to wear a mask while sorting out POD, consider a barrier balm like the two below.

Also heavily related to stress and ALSO an inflammatory condition of the skin, our dear old friend say Acne and Congestion has been resurfacing hard-core this year.

Similar to POD, the necessary approach is to treat the affected skin as though it’s has changed, because well, it has.

Please refrain from going nuts on exfoliation or actives to zap your blemish or congested area. Chances are this will impair your barrier which may result in dermatitis *rips hair out*, or other inflammatory issues and more break outs.

When treating acne with skincare, we need to be sensitive to changes. An approach may need to be a ramp up or pair back but it always needs to be with the goal of reregulating and rebalancing the skins system.

Products required have got to be antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial.

Targeting the acne at the source will not only reduce the chances of more appearing, but also reduce the aftereffects that blemishes will leave you with, i.e. post inflammatory hyperpigmentation and scarring.

When it comes to acne, we would always prefer having a chat to you to determine the triggers and take the treatment plan from there. If you’re curious about the acne products we rely on and love, have a browse here.

Last but not least, the third very common skin concern in iso has certainly been Hypersensitivity or Barrier Impairment.

In the short amount of time we were able to open our doors in between isolation 1 and 2, we saw a lot of clients dealing with sensitivity of the skin.

We can chalk it down to either of the below scenarios;

1. Client had more time to invest in their skin and so was going gung-ho on active ingredients their skin may not have been prepared for.

~or~

• Environmental factors associated with being in isolation that aggravate the skin, i.e. indoor heating, stress, change in diet.

Hypersensitive skin presents as irritated, red or flaking, with an uncomfortable inflammation.

Treating angry skins is similar to treating POD. We need to pair back, refrain from irritants and really get back to basics to help regulate the system.

While a simple routine of a cleanser, hydrating serum, moisturiser and SPF may not sound sexy, it’s necessary to start rebuilding your skin’s health.
We can’t go ahead to treat some of your other concerns such as fine lines, wrinkles or melasma until your skin is in good enough shape to handle the products necessary to help.

A skeleton skincare regime is rule of thumb, as well as products helping to calm the inflammation.

We love the these ones.

While iso skin is certainly a thing, we can help tackle these issues head on with a fabulous plan.

We can’t touch your face at the moment, but our skincare certainly can.

Book in for a complimentary consult where we’ll be able to diagnose the issues, determine the triggers and get your skin back to its glory days.