In the past, everyone was trapped in the trap of thinking that "skin care products" are a necessity for the skin, so they continue to use them every day. But after I came into contact with more and more patients with sensitive skin or rosacea, I began to wonder if "skin care products" might be a potential "drug".
I now ask every first-time patient, no matter what their skin problem is, to take a photo first, keep a record of the treatment, and then take a photo to track the changes in the course of the disease with each treatment. From the clinical experience of skin monitoring, it has been found that the chemicals that enter the skin will produce immune reactions and other interactive results with the skin tissue, which are manifested through particles or tissue fluid, and there are at least three possibilities under the dermatoscope and Wood lamp: fluorescent white, fluorescent yellow and cherry blossom purple.
Fluorescent white
The skin is relatively very dry, and the skin is reddish or even cracked under the naked eye. If metabolized properly, initial remission can occur in about 2 weeks.
Fluorescent yellow
The skin is very dry, but not as dry as fluorescent white, reddish under the naked eye, and less cracked. It is usually accompanied by a sharp itching sensation, followed by acne. It can also be relieved in 2~3 weeks.
Fluorescent violet
The skin is plump and moist, even oozing, red and swollen, with slight to moderate erosions. The skin under the naked eye is dark red to bright red and may be cracked. It lasts for a long time, and the disease lingers and spreads.
All three of the above patients presented with the main symptoms of facial redness and swelling; Each also has different side symptoms of granularity and peeling. Judging by the naked eye, it is all blushing, and at most there are different degrees of thickness and thin peeling, and the traditional method of dermatologists may be to diagnose seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, or contact eczema according to the different distribution areas. However, the patient's question will not be so simple, they will inevitably continue to ask: why is this happening, is this serious, what will happen after that, and how long will it take to get better?
I have always believed that the doctor's job is to try to answer all the doubts and concerns of the patient, not only the name of the disease, but also the severity of the symptoms, the prognosis of the disease, and the response to treatment.
If you put it under the dermatoscope and Wood's lamp, you will find that the cause and degree of skin injury is indeed different for each person. Based on the accumulation of skin monitoring and clinical experience, we can preliminarily infer that the first white fluorescent reaction will be accompanied by dry skin. The second violet fluorescence experience is mostly related to hormone use, and the symptoms and treatment are similar to those of hormone withdrawal. The pale yellow fluorescence in the third place is mostly related to oil control and antibiotic ingredients, and is often accompanied by a sharp itching sensation and a rebound of pimples afterwards.
It can be seen that the causes of skin damage are different, and the cells have different tissue responses, and the recovery period is also different. Skin monitoring requires more observation and judgment than traditional diagnostic methods.
Once these initial experiences are mastered, the patient's question can be answered: in the case of the white fluorescent reaction, the skin will gradually metabolize the fluorescent reaction and become extremely dry, which may last for 2 weeks, after which it will get better, but there is no guarantee that it will happen again. However, it is certain that even if it occurs for the second time, the symptoms, fluorescence area, and fluorescence intensity will decrease significantly, which is consistent with the inference that the residual fluorescent substance is really decreasing.
As for the exclusion of suspected hormonal drug history, the skin is usually wet and sticky, and the tissue fluid exudes, which usually lasts for more than 8 weeks. In terms of experience, the third place is probably the most difficult, first it is a sharp itch, which lasts for 2~3 weeks, and then it is accompanied by acne and even inflamed pimples.
Do not wash your face for 14 days to get rid of toxins in your skin
After seeing cosmetics and medicines and skin residue on the face, how can you tell if the skincare products you are using now are necessities or drugs? I usually advise patients to stop using all topical products, medicines, and other ingredients starting with "14 days without washing their face", and only wash their face with water, hands, and no towels. The purpose of this is to stop all external interventions, including skin care products, makeup products, medicines and other interference factors, and even do not use towels to rub to avoid physical damage such as roughness and friction, and to observe the progress of the skin.
Before performing "14 days without washing your face", it is necessary to confirm the true meaning of "14 days without washing your face", not "14 days", nor "not washing your face", but "not interfering with the skin's ability to repair itself". You have to stretch the timeline to see it. In clinical experience, we have found that the following processes occur:
Day 1~3
When we stop "giving poison", the cells will gradually wake up, which is the beginning of "detoxification", but they will still be in a "relatively drowsy state", so there will be no major reaction.
Day 3~8
After stopping using drugs for a while, the cells finally "woke up". Awake and relatively energetic cells begin to excrete "things they don't like". Many patients respond to conditions such as scaling, itching, redness, stinging, hot pain, small particles, acne, acne, etc., and even dry and cracked skin. Because during this time, it is only a simple washing of the face, and water alone cannot quickly remove such a large amount of waste, and the result of the accumulation of dirt will cause the feeling of "worsening symptoms".
Day 16
The initial enthusiastic exclusion is over. Because the rate of waste removal is gradually slowing down, even a simple face wash can gradually remove waste. The symptoms begin to lessen gradually, that is, the deteriorating curve begins to stop falling and rebound.
Day 24 (or more)
The initial surface waste is about to be removed, and the symptoms are eliminated by 3~5%.
The undulating phenomenon of muscle detoxification
In the past few years of skin monitoring, we were surprised to find a general rule: friends who have undergone "14 days without product to wash their face" at home have similar reactions, and their skin will experience many ups and downs, like the relief of wave structure = > redness and swelling = > remission of continuous cycle changes, which is the undulating phenomenon of muscle detoxification. Therefore, before you decide to detoxify on your own, you must be familiar with and understand the inevitable occurrence of wave phenomena.
At the same time, skin monitoring observes the influence of changes in solar terms such as spring and Mid-Autumn Festival every year, and sensitive, rosacea-skinned friends often have obvious tissue fluid outflow and even skin damage when performing self-muscle detoxification.
In addition to redness, swelling, heat, and pain, bacterial infection may also cause generalized fever and local suppuration. Unless assisted by a professional, it is difficult for friends who are detoxifying at home to distinguish aseptic inflammation and redness, so as long as there is a slight concern, or the slightest risk of bacterial infection, we recommend seeking the help of a dermatologist as soon as possible.