Whenever I show up on Instagram Stories bare faced these days I am inundated with questions about my skincare routine and pretty specifically what I did to handle my redness. I’ve dealt with redness for pretty much all of my life, it’s never officially been diagnosed as rosacea but if we’re self-diagnosing around here it probably is. The redness was present all of the time and is worse when I’m in the sun, working out, or drinking wine. It puts me in the sensitive skin category. Yay for random sensitivities, am I right? (insert the eye roll emoji here) You know, because having crazy dry skin wasn’t enough.
Like I said, I have dealt with this problem forever. It’s made me self-conscious for a lot of years. The redness made it so that I never wanted to leave the house without at least some kind of coverage on. Even out to exercise, I was slathering foundation on my face to cover up. I have tried probably 75-100 products that all claimed to be the holy grail redness reliever that would be life-changing and fix all of my issues. Most of these products would work while they were on my face, relieving the redness enough so that it wouldn’t show through my makeup but never enough that I felt even remotely comfortable going bare-faced. And some? Some just didn’t work at all. It was frustrating and annoying.
I am super pale and always have been, and I remember having to buy a shade darker in foundation just to cut the redness and then having to work overtime to bring that foundation all the way down my neck and chest so that everything matched. Not fun. Not fun at all.
SO, WHAT’S MY SECRET?
Back in January, I was introduced to a new to me skincare brand, PCA SKIN. PCA SKIN was founded in 1990 by an aesthetician and developed by a dermatologist, so they’ve been in the game for awhile, especially in the professional circuit. They have been the leader in skin health education for over 25 years. Teaching clinicians globally in the physiology of the skin and the safe and effective application of chemical peels. I went on a trip where I was lucky enough to sit down with PCA SKIN and learn so many things. I mean it, the knowledge they brought to the table was unlike any brand I had ever spoken to.
That said, when they told me they could not only relieve my redness but eliminate and prevent it I 100% did not believe them (yet). I had been down this road. I had been promised this by no less than 6 dermatologists and 50+ products. Nothing worked. And in my truly stubborn brain, I thought, “uh huh sure” as they discussed chemical peels and products. But there was something about the way they talked about it, I could immediately tell they weren’t trying to be quick fix company, they were invested in their client’s skin as much as the client. It was refreshing and I was intrigued. Let’s give this product a shot, I thought.
HOW TO CORRECT & PREVENT REDNESS & SENSITIVITY
Redness and sensitivity, for me, and if you’re reading this for you too is one of the most challenging things to effectively treat. It can be caused by any number of factors and is probably one of the main reasons most products don’t actually work for longer than the time you’re wearing them.
PCA SKIN has me introduce a product, the Dual Action Redness Relief, that starts treating immediately on contact with the skin. YES, treating not just relieving. I wanted to share some claims direct from PCA SKIN with you below.
CORRECT
- Instant Relief from redness and sensitivity
- Works to repair the skin’s natural barrier function
- Hydrates and soothes dry or irritated skin
- Calms the skin during and after professional treatments
PREVENT
- Inhibits the skin’s inflammatory response with powerful ingredient combinations
- Lipid restoration for a stronger skin barrier
- Dramatic reduction in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) for long-term hydration
- OmniSome delivery technology carries ingredients deeper into the skin
DUAL ACTION REDNESS RELIEF
The Dual Action Redness Relief is the first of it’s kind. It targets two concerns, immediate relief, and long-term relief. And I saw results almost immediately. I have some pictures that I’m gonna toss up here, they’re real life in the moment selfies that have not been altered so you can get an idea of how effective this product has been for me before we get into more facts. It’s not only given me the confidence I was missing for so long to go barefaced but it actually does what it says it does. If you want another view of how drastically my redness has changed in the last almost 12 weeks… head over to Instagram and check out my story highlights, I share the entire journey.
I feel like the photos speak for themselves, no? The last photo is the most recent and if you compare that to the first, it’s like two different faces. My redness isn’t completely gone. I still struggle with some spots on the apples of my cheeks and my jawline but I have seen a significant difference so I’m excited that with continued use of the Dual Action Redness Relief paired with a few more PCA SKIN chemical peels at a local spot (more on chemical peels, in another post soon!) I will be redness free. I’ve seen enough of a difference though that I am often going barefaced or with minimal makeup these days and embracing what’s left of my redness as a natural flushed look 😉
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Dual Action Redness Relief is double the breakthrough! Some more facts from PCA below because I couldn’t explain the science behind it if I tried:
REDUCE REDNESS
- Dimethyl sulfone and silymarin work together to reduce redness, improve hydration and soothe skin
- Niacinamide reduces redness
- Bisabolol helps reduce inflammation and calms the skin
- Inflacin reduces irritation from topical ingredients
IMPROVE BARRIER FUNCTION
- Ceramide NP supports the renewal of the skin’s natural protective layer and protects against moisture loss
- Niacinamide improves barrier function and reduces transepidermal water loss
- Panthenol hydrates and works alongside niacinamide to improve skin barrier
- Inflacin reduces transepidermal water loss and has been shown to reduce barrier damage
If you’re suffering from redness and sensitivity, give the Dual Action Redness Relief a try. It’s truly a holy grail product that sits on the top shelf of my skincare cabinet. I use it as part of my day and night routine.
