Dry skin, lines

April 27, 2002

Thanks to all who responded to this topic. Now I'm wondering just what you did

to

improve the dryness/lines. I currently wash with Dermo Cleanser by Toleriane

and

moisturize with Complex 14. I use Fallene Total Block 60 as a sunscreen/makeup.

I am also on doxycycline, 100 mg. I seem to be intolerant of the antibiotic

topicals.

Majorie or anyone with a medical background: I was wondering if there are other

medical conditions which could cause severely dry skin. I know I have rosacea

but

I rarely get papules and pustules and although my face is pinkish/red some of

the

time, I do not get severe flushes (just mild ones when I wash my face, shower,

etc.) I thought of hypothyroidism and Cushings Disease. Don't these cause dry

skin? Are there other medical conditions which could do the same? My skin is

so

dry that it is beginning to have a mask-like look.

a

April 28, 2002

> Marjorie-

> I am in the same boat as a. Did this product actually improve

> your skin? And if not, may I ask why you stopped using it?

, at the time I was unknowingly using skin products that were

irritating my face, so my face was terribly dry, lines were very

obvious, in addition to lots of papules, pustules, redness, itching

and burning pain.

It did nothing with the rosacea symptoms but it did " plump up " my

face so the dryness and lines weren't nearly as noticeable.

Theoretically it should help create a good protective barrier, and so

if used as part of a good skin program it should be helpful.

I stopped using it because my skin improved dramatically once I cut

out *all* the products and tried minimal care, as I and others have

described (the Less is More approach). I don't use it now because my

skin is normal, not even T-zone dryness. Incredibly, I do fine with

just a touch of lotion moisturizer.

I noticed that a Begoun wrote up Clinique's new Moisture Surge

Plus on her Web site, under This Month's Best and Worst. The regular

Moisture Surge does not have aloe or caffeine, but it does have

coloring agents and Vitamin E. Note that she's incorrect in referring

to it as a moisturizer -- it is not designed to moisturize the skin

alone, it's designed to be applied over a moisturizer:

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/bestof.htm

THE BEST

$$$ Clinique Moisture Surge Extra ($31 for 1.7 ounces) is a very

good, silicone-based moisturizer for normal to dry skin. This is

supposedly " brimming with active aloe, " and although aloe vera gel is

indeed a good anti-irritant for skin, its active components are all

but lost when it is mixed into a cosmetic. If active aloe vera gel is

what you're after (though I'm not sure what inactive aloe vera would

be), experiment with the juice from a freshly cut aloe leaf under any

moisturizer you're now using. This moisturizer is fragrance free. It

does contain coloring agents and a small amount of caffeine, though

that's likely to be too tiny to be a problem for the skin. It also

contains silicones, several water-binding agents, and vitamin E.

Marjorie

Marjorie Lazoff, MD

April 28, 2002

Unfortunately, I have to raise my hand to be included in the final count.

Though my skin is not that dry overall (I am typical combo - oily T-zone and

normal to dry rest of the face), I do have premature lines. I also have to

say that I see a very strong resemblence to my father and some of my lines

are a true copy of his, so I am not quite sure if rosacea alone is the

suspect. I think genetics is a major factor in my case. At the age of 42, my

worst lines are two vertical ones just above my nose, between the eyebrows.

I have had these for quite a few years and they were also very prominent in

my father's face.

Why does one always inherit the bad features? I wish I took more after

my mom (not only appearance wise, but also character wise). At the advanced

age of 76, she has very few wrinkles and people generally think she is 15

years younger.

Alena

April 28, 2002