My Skincare Collection
Summertime heat, certain medications and conditions, and pressure sores are commonly associated with skin irritation and issues. These can not only be annoying but painful - worse case scenario, dermatitis! I'm very pale, have mobility issues, and recently had to take a lot of antibiotics, so I'm no stranger to rashes, sunburns, sores, and a whole bunch of skin problems.
Over the years, I've tried many products and have found a few that I always keep around and use often as well as some that I use when I'm having a particularly rough time.
Here's my collection of products and what I use them for:
Triad
This might as well be gold!
I was having a lot of skin irritation surrounding my PEG tube after having a doctor who really didn't seem to know what he was doing and ended up going to a wound care specialist. I had tried various zinc oxide based creams with minimal success - often the skin would be slightly wet and the ointment wouldn't stay on it. The wound care specialist immediately recommended Triad, which is hydrophilic ("water loving") and zinc oxide based.
Because of its affinity to water, it remained directly on the affected skin, which allowed it to finally begin healing! I applied it three times a day and replaced the gauze around it after slathering it with Triad. After about 6 weeks, I was ringing the Treatment Completion Bell!
Neutrogena Hydroboost Gel with Hylauronic Acid
I've used several of this brand's products and have had a lot of success with them. One of their newest lines is Neutrogena Hydroboost; these feature gel moisturizers with hylauronic acid, which is an amazing moisturizing compound common in dermatologist-grade products.
One of the products in the line
I'm not exaggerating when I say that this gel cream is the best moisturizer that I have ever used! It absorbs into the skin fast and doesn't leave me feeling sticky or greasy. It's highly effective and has helped clear up some of my flakey dry patches of skin that I unfortunately get during flares. I try to apply the face cream nightly and it keeps my face smooth and soft!
Now I just need to make it an automatic habit and not forget about it when I'm half asleep…
Burt's Bees Lip Balms
This one has been a staple for me since junior high school when I first discovered it.
A lot of lip balms irritate my lips and do more harm than good or the scent is overpowering. Burt's Bees has a large selection of scents and none of them have irritated my skin or been overwhelmingly fragrant: all of them were awesome!
Burt's Bees products are made with ~95% natural ingredients, namely beeswax, and are not tested on animals. The percentage of natural ingredients used in each product is given on the box with a "natural bar".
Though I aim for all vegan cosmetics, I make an exception for Burt's Bees as they are easy to purchase in my area, contain a high percentage of natural ingredients, are cruelty free, and help with bee and pollinator conservation efforts.
Eucerin Hand Cream
My mom has always kept a jar of the thick "industrial strength" Eucerin cream for as long as I can remember.
She is prone to dry skin on her hands, and during her flares, she'll slather it on and put gloves on before going to bed. Any time that I had dry hands as a child, she would have me do that as well. It works so well that I've continued it into adulthood and my skin thanks me for it!
The "advanced repair" creams are typically what we buy, but there are several other options from dry skin to itchy skin to eczema relief. Each formulation is slightly different, but all contain high quality moisturizing compounds such as urea and ceramides.
TJ Coconut Body Butter
An ex-boyfriend's mother introduced me to Trader Joe's. Unfortunately, there isn't one nearby, but I had the chance to go to one when I went to Houston for a concert. I highly recommend a lot of their foods, but I also discovered this gem:
Thankfully, it's available online through Amazon. Similar to Eucerin, it's very thick. It doesn't have a greasy feel, but a creamy feeling - which goes away fairly quickly.
For a while, I would use it as a facial moisturizer when I had very dry skin or had used a soap or toner that removed a lot of oil. I'm not sure if dermatologists would approve of that, but it worked for me! Mostly I would use it all over my body after showering and then put clean pajamas and socks on and go to sleep.
JD is obsessed with everything coconut: flakes, oil, anything that he can get his paws on! This body butter has coconut oil, shea butter, and smells like a coconut dessert, so he would try to lick it off my skin - putting socks and pajamas on was a crucial step to avoid him trying to lick my legs and feet!
He can't hold his licker
Because of the smell and coconut based ingredients, I recommend putting it on when you will be home a while to avoid unintentionally causing an allergic reaction in someone with a tree nut allergy.
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
I was first introduced to coconut oil for skincare by a pelvic floor physical therapist that mentioned it can be used to moisturize skin, even in sensitive areas such as the groin and intralabial folds.
Since then, I've found a lot of uses for it; I primarily use it as a moisturizer for any part of my body that is dry or irritated. The most common way that I use it is as a moisturizer after I've pooped in order to prevent skin problems where I definitely don't want them! I've had a few colonoscopies and I could notice a huge difference between when I did and didn't use it after the numerous bathroom trips. Same with IBS flares!
Both are already unpleasant experiences, but it's easier to manage if you don't feel like you broke your butthole.
Menthol Lotion or Peppermint Lotion
Since 2016, I've battled with a lot of severe peripheral neuropathy. I have nerve pain all over my body, but it's more common in my hands and feet or at least it begins there. The first sign of it is usually hot burning feet.
When it begins, I put menthol lotion on my feet, which has a cooling effect and seems to calm down the nerves. Ice does help it as well, but it can be difficult to keep the ice packs in the right place and they sometimes leak. I don't have to worry about that with the lotion nor do I feel too cold with it.
If I can get it stopped or alleviated when it's just in my feet, it usually won't spread to other places, but if it does, it's often mild.
Antifungal Spray
With the summer heat and amount of antibiotics that I had to take, it's very easy for me to get yeast and fungal infections on my skin.
Most people associate "yeast infections" with vaginal yeast infections; though those are common, you can get a yeast infection on any part of your body - even your tongue and in your bladder!
Most yeast infection treatments are marketed as either a vaginal yeast infection or jock itch treatment, but they can be used on a lot of different parts of the body. I've found that the ones marketed as "jock itch" treatment are the best and come in different variations with larger amounts and lower prices. Of these, the powder sprays have been the best and most effective while dealing with a lot of sweat from the heat.
Any brand of the powder spray will work as long as it's miconazole nitrate.
GranuLotion
Thankfully, I haven't needed this one for a while.
When you have a feeding tube, occasionally you may get this puffy red tissue surrounding the tube called granulation tissue. This is very annoying: itchy, sore, and may easily bleed. It's part of the healing process, but sometimes it seems to get stuck in this stage and becomes a problem.
There are a few ways to remove it, notably, silver nitrate, which essentially burns it off. I've been told that it feels as pleasant as it sounds. So when I had granulation tissue that got stuck in the "puffy red stage" for extended periods of time, I searched for alternatives and eventually found this.
It was very effective and removed the tissues within a week - and without a lot of pain! It slightly stings when you first apply it, but that quickly goes away. After the first application, I could already see improvements and with a few more days, it was completely gone and the wound healed up.
Herbal Essence Tea Tree Oil Clarifying Shampoo & Conditioner
I've had oily hair for as long as I can remember and dandruff off and on for many years. Finding a hair care routine that doesn't seem to amplify the oiliness and flare up the dandruff has always been a struggle.
I was recommended clarifying shampoo by a hairdresser and tea tree oil shampoo by a friend, so I combined the two and searched for a tea tree oil clarifying shampoo. I also read about the benefits of using a scalp massager and decided that I would try that simultaneously. It's now my regular haircare routine.
Since starting this, I haven't noticed any dandruff and my hair has been very thick and shiny! I had begun having some of the flaky patches on my scalp that almost resembled cradle cap, and that has cleared up as well!
Native Products
This one is a recent find, but an instant favorite!
One of my favorite scents so far
I have sensitive skin and have difficulty with strong fragrances and I'm often allergic to them. After several failed deodorants, I came across Native's natural deodorants. I'm a Sweaty Betty, so I was skeptical about a natural deodorant, but gave it a shot!
To my surprise, it worked better than any of the deodorants I've tried, including some prescription strength ones! It worked for over 24 hours without irritating my skin. Even better, I was able to enjoy the scents without having any sort of allergic reaction!
It's probably going to be the only deodorant that I'll use now and I look forward to trying more of their products and scents!
Skintegrity Wound Cleanser
This is a definite staple in my skincare routine!
Because of my former doctor's incompetence with feeding tubs, I went through a long period of my PEG site leaking a lot more than it should be. Leaking from that area is particularly worrisome because it is a leak of stomach acid and other stomach contents - often constantly. This is a recipe for disaster and infection! I've had many infections because of this!
Though the biggest improvement was getting a competent gastroenterologist, in order to help prevent my skin as it healed, I needed something to help prevent infections. I remember a wound care specialist cleaning the stoma with a wound cleaner spray and searched for the same one she used.
I wipe the area of any leftover ointment and drainage, then spray it with this wound cleanser and make sure that the entire area is clean before applying Triad and putting a gauze pad on. This routine seems to have cut down on the amount of
Calazime
This thick orange paste probably soothes the skin the fastest!
I was first introduced to this at one of the nursing homes that I went to for rehabilitation. It instantly is soothing and cooling on irritated skin. Many of the residents had incontinence and irritated, burning skin as a result. The CNAs swore by this for many of the patients and also noticed that it stuck to the skin really well, which helped prevent any more irritation.
In addition to those uses, it's great for bug bites and any kind of itchy rash. I discovered by accident that if you applied coconut oil to the same area a few minutes later, it amplified the cooling effect! Any time that I have itching that is wild and out of control, this is my go-to!
Though it is somewhat of a long list, these have helped me a lot and help keep my skin in the best condition I can. If you have recurring or serious skin problems, see your doctor or a dermatologist for guidance and to make sure you're not missing something! But if you're like me and have mild, annoying skin problems that have been cleared by your doctor, then I hope these products will help you as well.
