You have your skin care regimen, you’re actually doing it this time and it works. Everything is coming along nicely and your skin is fab-u. But you can’t leave well enough alone can you? You had to go and do something to your skin that was going to make it even better than an airbrushed magazine picture. Or so you thought. A peel that promised the skin of a baby’s bottom with one application. The newest celeb skin care products you watched on TV at 4am. Or you begged your derm to give you a topical Rx to make your skin flawless but instead you now have toast. Or the best one that we all know and love- you have a cystic pimple that is lingering forever so you decide to go medieval on it and now you have a raw patch that make up wont stick to or you have a scab the size of a quarter and Murphy’s Law -- to top it off you have a date, event, or photo shoot in 3 days! Ah if I had a dollar for every time this happened to me I could retire.
What to do now? Over the years the wonderful people I work with have become so familiar with our products that we’ve figured out that some of our products that sound like they may not be for your skin type actually do wonders in a skin emergency situation like ones I described above. Of course we highly encourage you to call us when something terrible happens (or you do something terrible to yourself) so we can decide the course of action you need to take. Here are some perfect examples of what we may recommend, even though they may sound ridiculous!
KERATOPLAST CREAM SOAP and KERATOPLAST CLEANSING LOTION: Outside of their normal use for dry, sensitive skin or rosacea, this is also the perfect combination for product-toasted skin, regardless of being oily, dry, sensitive, or anything in between. Whether you overdid the acne products by using them too often and incorrectly OR after using Retin A and your skin is flaking and dry OR you went to town and squeezed and picked your face when you shouldn’t have and need relief. (We do not condone this behavior.) These two items will clean and tone your skin thoroughly and make it look and feel a lot better so that you can smile instead of cry when you look in the mirror. If you are the classic product over-doer and we know you exist, you need to have these things on hand for emergencies. When things go back to normal you can switch back to your normal cleanser and toner after you’ve (hopefully) learned your lesson.
ROSE HIP NOURISHING OIL: The word “oil” in Rose Hips Nourishing Oil is the reason you are scared of it. We understand this. It is hardly oil. It is a thin, watery liquid that is a healing treat for your flaky, scabby skin. It so soothing and hydrating and has Vitamin C in it- great for healing. You must have this product if you have flaky skin around your nose or brow. You must have this product if you are experiencing side effects from topical Rx that cause your skin to peel. If you are sensitive and dry, you must have this product!
DRYING CREAM and SPECIAL HEALING POWDER: Another combination of products not likely to be recommended to be used together except for this way. You’ve made a mess by picking. You won’t leave it alone and you keep peeling off the scab. It’s raw and oozy (gross) and you have no idea what to do now. The only thing you can do is before bed or while in your house, dab a bit of Drying Cream on the erupted skin and layer Special Healing Powder right over it so it sticks. It will scab up very quickly and begin to dry out and heal. DO NOT PULL OFF THE SCAB. If you do this a few times during the day, depending on the size of the affected area, it will heal up pretty fast.
HEALING CREAM / DRYING MASK : For oily skin troubled by rosacea flair ups, this works like a charm. Apply a layer of the Drying Mask. After 20 minutes rinse and reapply the cream. You will be calm and smooth and ready for make-up. What you won’t be is oily and greasy.
ALL PURPOSE MOIST CREAM SPF 15: Thick and protective, we find that customers that suffer with eczema on the face find great relief from this cream above our others. Provides a barrier to the skin without being gooey like an ointment. The sunscreen is a plus too!
BUFFERING LOTION and SPECIAL HEALING POWDER: This is one combination we would never recommend to you before asking you about a million questions and making sure you know exactly what to do with them. Here is one example of how they can be best friends when they are normally mortal enemies when side by side. You feel a pimple being born. It’s that slight itch that seconds later turns into a little bump. You know this is leading to a massive zit unless you take action. That action should not be squeezing it either. What do you do? Take a smidge of buffering lotion on your fingertip (it’s a thin liquid so don’t overdo it) and rub it right on the zit. Take a tiny bit of Special Healing Powder and dab over the Buffering Lotion. Just enough that you can see it but not enough that you see a giant yellow spot on your face. Do this a few times throughout the day. Magic happens within 1-2 days and the zit subsides rather than explodes! Try it. You can hold on to these products for emergencies. Do not use these products at the same time in the same place for any other reason unless directed by a Mario Badescu Skin Specialist.
ROLLING CREAM PEEL WITH AHA: It’s not just for the face! Makes a great “spa pedicure” for your feet. After the shower or bath apply a thin layer of cream to the feet and let it dry for a minute and rub it off. Rinse and apply your thickest cream. Your feet will be so soft. Same goes for the hands or any skin on your arms or legs that needs good exfoliation.
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We love helping you fix your skin so please give us a shout if something is amiss.
We’re waiting for the next skin care challenge!