Advice & SPF moisturizer recommendations for extremely reactive, easily inflamed post-POD skin?
Some background: I have combination skin and used to be able to put literally any product on my face with no issues. I used to love my peptides, vitamin C, chemical exfoliants, and retinol. I have very fair (redhead) skin. I’ve gotten perioral dermatitis (POD) about 3 times in my life, and have always ended up going on antibiotics (4 weeks of doxycycline) to clear it up after trying less intense treatments with no luck. The first 2 times I did this, my skin bounced back to normal after.
The 3rd time I got POD was almost 2 years ago. I tried using calendula cream and a sulfur treatment to clear it up but ended up going on another 4 weeks of antibiotics, which ultimately got rid of the actual POD. However, my skin has not bounced back and has become extremely reactive to products I used to use. During the time that I was finishing up the 4 weeks of antibiotics, I was also trying a new SPF moisturizer with vitamin C (similar to what I’d been using for years, but a different brand), and I was in Mexico, so my skin was exposed to more sun, heat, and saltwater than it was used to. I’m assuming that this combination of circumstances absolutely wrecked my skin barrier?
Now, my skin gets easily inflamed and red, with an uneven bumpy texture and sometimes tons of little whiteheads that appear and then go away quickly if I stop using the product that was irritating it.
For almost 2 years, I’ve completely stripped down my skincare routine, using only Vanicream brand face wash and moisturizers, which my skin tolerates well. I’ve also been able to use hypochlourous acid spray. However, it’s been such a long time and my skin still reacts when I think maybe it’s healed enough to try something new. Anything with niacinimide is an absolute no-go. A few months ago, an angel at Sephora recommended that I try the Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum, and it’s the first product that I’ve tried in so long that seems to be repairing my skin! Lfg!
So my question is - after hearing my skin story, does anyone have any advice for other things that might heal my skin, or is this just my life now? I know fair skin is typically more sensitive, but dang.
Specifically, I’m looking for an SPF moisturizer that will be gentle enough for me. I’ve tolerated the Vanicream SPF moisturizer with zinc well, but the packaging makes it really hard to get the last 3 weeks worth of product out which is a pretty big headache, and I find myself getting sunburnt through it which never happened with chemical SPFs.