Beauty Experts Tell You What to Do When Your Skin is Acting Out!

While most of us have utilised the lockdown to amp up our beauty and skincare regimes, things may not always turn out as you expect them too. Case in point, the sudden acne or dry patches on your skin despite all your TLC.

So, you may want to start looking into your zealous quarantine-skincare routine. Turns out, many ingredients in your DIY beauty treatments can cause serious damage if used incorrectly.

'Excess rubbing or scrubbing your face daily with ubtans needs to stop! This causes dryness and worsens the strength of the epidermal barrier that protects against infection and allergens. I would also advise going easy on using lemon on your face because it causes rashes and avoiding oiling your hair if you already have dandruff,' says celebrity dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi.

So, here are her tips on what to do if you find yourself battling the following issues:

Acne/sudden breakouts

'I totally recommend applying Vaseline on top of the zit twice a day - once in the morning and then the evening. You can even mix it with a touch of Cureac Skin Lotion once a day. Remember not to overdo it or you will end up irritating your skin.'

Dark circles

'Late nights and too much screen time can lead to dark circles. You can try giving your sensitive eye area some pampering by placing cold tea bags. Just place them on your eyes for about 10 minutes to soothe them. A gentle gua sha massage on the under eye and brow area with a little rosehip oil for natural retinol is another great way to tackle this issue.'

Dryness

'To prevent dryness you must avoid over-using face packs and alcohol-based toners. Instead, use an intense moisturiser such as Venusia Cream, Reequil Ceramide Cream or Cetaphil Cream. You can also try masking with Vaseline jelly once or twice a week. No, it won't cause zits! Natural barrier oil such as grapeseed oil on top of your moisturiser and then a jade roller massage can also help infuse moisturisation.'

Redness/increased sensitivity

'Wash your face only with cold water and stop using foaming cleansers. Just cleanse with water or milk or oil cleansers. Use a moisturiser like Sensibio Cream or Sensidiane AR for sensitive skin. Apply a hydrating mask without parabens or fragrance like FCL Hydrating Mask Avoid makeup, any products you were using before and any home remedies. Avoid alcohol, spicy foods, or excess heat. A great hack is to give yourself an ice cube facial. Just rub green tea frozen into ice cubes all over the face for 5 minutes once a day. You can do twice a day if the skin doesn't feel irritated.'