My skin around the eyes just recently got sensitive from my retinol product. I use emu oil when it was red and itch. This oil is great for rash, insect bites, eczema and as moisturizer. I have a friend who has the skin like yours, she got eczema on her jaw. She told me she used Avene (French line skincare) and then switched to cheaper Australian brand (she lives there). Over there Avene just like EL, Clinique, Lancome, with the counters in dept. stores. In US I think you've to mail order them. She uses creamy cleanser. If you're bored with Cetaphil cleanser (I don't like this, leave a film on my face and don't take off makeup very well), maybe you can try Aveeno Baby Creamy Cleanser or PC cleanser for dry skin (they said it's better than Cetaphil). But if you've no problem with Cetaphil cleanser and lotion/cream, I'd say better stick with them. For your body, try Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash and Lotion, Cottage Shoppe Body Wash and Body Butters (they use high percentage shea butter), Chelmsford Herbal Soap Co. body wash. The other good one is Vaseline Intensive Care lotion for dry and sensitive skin. HTH www.cottageshoppe.net www.csoap.com

I have opposite problem - desert dry skin. BUT, I think first you have to get oil under control. Since you are in US (I am in Toronto) you might want to look at Erno Laszlo products for oily skin - first the cleansers etc. and then the Normalizer "Shake-It". When line was sold in Toronto (one story only so you got to see same people in line) I saw many an oily skinned person - male and female - from teens through middle age buying a lot of these products. The most important thing to do though is to visit a reliable counter and get appropriate "clocked" to determine best products for you - and start with the basics. If you can get your skin oil under control, then it will be easier to find a foundation. Another cleanser that is apparently very good for oily skin - whether you ar 16 or 60 is made by Orlane - it comes in a mint green tube - the President of the Cdn. distributor uses this and she is older than I am and I am 55. I bought a tube as a gift for a young acquaintance and it worked marvellously for her. I caution you against the accompanying toner though as it is harsh for people of a "certain age". I used Orlane for over 20 years before switching to the products (fast diminishing I might ad) for dry skin from Laszlo. Orlane started to reformulate my products with acids and the word "extreme" and my skin is very thin and I have rosacea so acids are not an option. My foundation is very oil based and I can put on 4 layers and it sinks in - so all in all I don't look nearly as dry. I understand your frustration and am sorry to say over the next few years things could get a bit worse due to further hormonal changes. I am very worried about this as I am allergic to most botanicals, algae products, Vitamin C, acids - heck just about everything. Hope you find something that works. The Laszlo products are not cheap, but not nearly as expensive as the Luxury brands and if you keep to the basics - I have simply because I can't use the "new fangled" stuff, you will save a lot of money. Best of luck.

I've had issues with seb. derm on and off since HS. (And I totally know what you mean about fantasizing about shaving your head when it gets bad) The old school coal tar works for me but takes a long time, as does Rx ketoconazole shampoo. Selsun blue and some other dandruff shampoos don't. For me (sample size of 1 ;) ) one of the triggers seems to be any kind of shampoo or product buildup on my scalp. (I have no idea why this would cause yeast or other microorganism overgrowth but the correlation is pretty strong) I barely had any problems for years and then I moved somewhere with very hard water and it got really really bad within a few months. I finally realized that the shampoo I was using wasn't rinsing well. I've figured out that with hard water I have to use a good quality shampoo with sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate. I use it sparingly and only wash my hair every 3 days so the SLS isn't too drying, do a weak ACV or citric acid rinse once or twice a week, and I've only needed to use medicated shampoo once in the past few years.

BB, I want to look like your mom when I grow up. :) Actually it would e great if the photo went there! lol. All but one of my grandparents (granddad) had passed before I was born. My dad was an only child, my mom grew up in an orphanage beginning around age 5. I know absolutely nothing about the three that passed Ida, the thing is, it doesn't take a great deal of makeup to look nice. It just takes a good product (drug store brands do qualify) and how to apply it. I was shocked at all the goop put on those ladie's faces. I'm more concerned with skin tone and of course my eye's looking dead. I don't wear foundation and rarely I wear concealer. In the above pic I did have concealer on under the eyes, and I finally learned how to apply it. What a difference it made! My eyes will always be a crap shoot though. I remembered I had Elf Lip Lock crayon (used to be called pencil but they're the same product) and I used it today for the first time because my upper lip has recently started to feather a bit. They didn't feather at all with the Elf.