Face mask gone wrong: Reaction/burning

This morning I woke up to find my skin as spotty as ever so out came the ingredients to my Acne Treatment mask (find post here). I was busy recording what I was doing for instagram and not paying too much attention to the amount of lemon I was squeezing into the mixture. I slapped it on my face and started to run my bath. Within minutes my face started to tingle and before my bath was half full it was burning. I knew something was wrong because it hadn't felt this way before. I hastily removed the mask and looked at my reflection in the mirror. To my horror this is what I saw ...

 

Good job I didn't have anywhere to be this rainy Sunday. As with a face this red I'd scare little children. It continued to burn after the mask came off. I was a little worried to say the least. I googled for help (no doctors needed these days). I found very little information on the subject to be honest. The one thing that did crop up was to dab some Aloa Vera on the area. So here's my 'How to' if you find yourself in the same situation.

 

What do you need?

 

Aloa Vera - It is a known vulnerary, (meaning it helps heal wounds) and is great for applying topically to burns, abrasions, psoriasis and even to bug bites. Most aftersun products contain this soothing plant extract. I remembered that I had some in my fridge (didn't bother taking it out after the summer).

Anti-histamine tablet - such as Piriton (don't use unless you have used it before and read the instructions before taking). It's used for relieving the symptoms of allergic conditions such as hayfever, nettle rash (urticaria), food allergies and reactions to insect bites or medicines. In my case I have them in my home because I'm allergic to my own cat!

 

What do I do?

 

Remove all traces of what's causing the reaction (in this case a face mask). Take a Piriton at the onset of a reaction. Using gentle circular motions rub an aloa gel product (I used Calypso After Sun) and keep an eye on your skin to make sure it doesn't worsen. In most cases the reactions will die down within 30mins-1hr.

 

Remember prevention is better than cure. Keep an eye on what you put into your face masks and how much. Lemon is acidic and can in some circumstances cause long term problems:

white spots that won't fade
skin peeling
dryness of the skin
sensitivity 

But it also has great Benefits for your skin. Basically just don't overdo the lemon! If you are using it alone to banish acne scarring then dilute it with rose water and avoid sunshine for several hours.

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04/11/2013 UPDATE

It turns out it wasn't the lemon, my honey was out of date! Of all the things you would think I'd check the date on my labels. Safe to say that went straight in the bin. I've been experimenting with other masks so keep your eyes peeled for more posts soon.

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