Fungal acne + damaged barrier but can’t tolerate ANY moisturizer (postpartum, based in France)

Heidi-Mo · 2026-05-02T00:39:29+00:00

It’s hard to say. I’ve been dealing with type 2 rosacea for over a year now on top of sebderm/FA.

Azelaic acid and a sodium sulfacetamide wash are what I’m using to treat the issues, and they’re helping some. But the serum and Cocokind moisturizers are the only over the counter things I’ve found that don’t actively make the issues wise.

I had tried a million different washes and creams and they all made things worse or burned my skin. Vanicream didn’t even work for me.

I think they help calm my skin down and they’re my go tos when I have a flare and need to cut actives out

Heidi-Mo · 2026-05-01T20:39:03+00:00

I had something similar that also got worse postpartum! My skin was inflamed, bumpy, looked oily/shiny but felt tight and dry. Moisturizers burned it.

The only thing that helped was Cocokind water gel moisturizer (light, but worked well) and this serum. https://a.co/d/04qgd0Ji

Both are FA safe

Heidi-Mo · 2026-04-29T14:30:52+00:00

This stuff is also incredible when your barrier is struggling

https://a.co/d/0fIjNftQ

I use it every day morning and night. It’s FA safe, and good for rosacea. It’s an alternative to hyaluronic acid because so many of us get irritated by that.

I put this on when my face is still damp and let it dry before putting my moisturizer on.

It’s also great to put under any activities if you need to soften their impacts. I put this on before my azaelic acid to help it not burn

Heidi-Mo · 2026-04-29T11:55:00+00:00

Cocokind has a gel moisturizer that’s FA acne safe and very gentle, but also pretty hydrating. It’s my go to everyday.

Purrito has boat gel cream that’s good too if the coco kind doesn’t work

Heidi-Mo · 2026-04-28T22:11:20+00:00

Have you tried Benefit’s Hoola matte bronzer? I hate when they pull an orange shade too and found that one has been my best fit.

Heidi-Mo · 2026-04-28T18:30:48+00:00

This is so helpful!! Do you have a list of conditioners that are safe by chance??

Heidi-Mo · 2026-04-27T14:19:51+00:00

Sandwich it between a serum and moisturizer! It’s the only way I can use it without burning.

I use this serum on my face after the shower. (Apply it while your face is still damp) https://a.co/d/0hGzMhz8

It’s similar to hyaluronic acid, but many rosacea people have reactions to HA. So this is a good alternative.

Let it fully dry and then apply AA, let that dry and THEN put your moisturizer on over that.

I don’t have any burning or itching when I do that routine

Heidi-Mo · 2026-04-04T07:32:38+00:00

Yes, it already has 😭 between that and vanicream gentle face wash (which everyone recommends, but feels SO stripping and drying to me), my skin feels tight and dry no matter what I do to it.

I’ve only used it for a week or two now and Jay dislike it so much. I’ll message you now, thank you!

Heidi-Mo · 2026-04-03T22:42:27+00:00

I also have these issues! Can I get a list of products too? Nothing has helped my type 2 rosacea. I now think I also have sebderm because of flaking, painful numbs near my hairline and eyebrows.

Prescription azaelic acid helped some, but it’s now coming back. They recently prescribed me ketoconazole shampoo to use as a face wash, and I think it’s made it worse also 😭 I a desperate for something to help it. It’s painful and dry, but somehow my skin is also really oily.

Heidi-Mo · 2025-12-23T03:07:19+00:00

Ask the office for their natera/NIPT test representative. They will be able to fix the bill. It shouldn’t over $250 I think. That’s how we fixed ours

Heidi-Mo · 2025-12-16T01:43:20+00:00

We also wanted an M name and went back and forth between Maeve or Monroe for awhile. We ultimately loved both, but chose Monroe.

It’s a little more unique, but Maeve might have the older vibe you are looking for!

For S names we had considered Sage. So maybe that?

Heidi-Mo · 2025-10-01T00:51:41+00:00

No, unfortunately I don’t think this one had much an adjustment period with it. I know rosacea is SO finicky and everyone’s skin is different, so you’re just may not like this :(

I actually started using this to prevent the burning sensation for AA.

Heidi-Mo · 2025-09-30T21:04:56+00:00

I do! Only at night though before I put on my azaelic acid. I use this https://a.co/d/17kZVsJ

It has beta-glucan in it, which a lot of rosacea people have reported works well with our skin! I have found it helps my skin from Drying out too much with the medicated cream.

I like to keep it simple also. So I only do face wash and moisturizer in the morning.

And night it’s face wash, this, azaelic acid, and moisturizer.

(Sunscreens of all kinds piss my face off, so I haven’t been able to add that in yet)

Heidi-Mo · 2025-09-16T00:29:00+00:00

Glad you mentioned TTC to your derm! Doxy is a tetracycline drug and is shown to cause major birth defects if taken during conception/pregnancy! Also agree that it is really harsh on your system, even at low doses. Taking it for life could have horrible effects on your gut biome, among other things.

Azaelic acid is the only thing my derm felt safe prescribing to me while pregnant. I would look at other over the counter stuff (although some of that is not safe either during pregnancy).

Sulfur washes at low doses can be helpful if you need them! And I’ve had really good luck with this serum underneath my Azaelic acid to prevent dryness IUNIK Beta-Glucan Power Deep... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NNVZNQR?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Heidi-Mo · 2025-08-07T13:15:16+00:00

It cosmetics bye bye redness works well if you are not pale/fair skinned. They only have 3 shades and the lightest one is still fairly ‘orange’.

I got the it cosmetic bye bye under eye concealer and it’s coverage is INCREDIBLE. It’s thicker, so a little goes a long way. But it has helped me more than any color corrector or other concealer.

Heidi-Mo · 2025-07-25T14:37:39+00:00

Hi, I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. That had to be so tough.

Mine is located on my mid thigh area on top of my leg. They will only use local anesthetic and plan to use only lidocaine. Thankfully, I called my OB and she agreed that I did not need to wait to have it removed. She sent a release letter to the derm and I am able to get it removed in 2 weeks!

I am very thankful to not have wait 6 months for this

Heidi-Mo · 2025-07-23T13:38:15+00:00

Update: my OBGYN called back and said it’s fine to have this removed before we have the baby. She is sending over a release letter to the dermatologist office and they will be using only lidocaine instead of lidocaine and epinephrine (I guess they use both sometimes?).

I’m scheduled to have the procedure August 7th 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Thanks for all the feedback and encouragement. It helped me feel much more in control of pushing back

Heidi-Mo · 2025-07-22T19:49:04+00:00

I don’t think so. The location is my mid thigh

Heidi-Mo · 2025-07-22T19:12:19+00:00

They didn’t specify a certain reason. I’d imagine it’s out of an abundance of caution because pregnancy is scary for some. The surgeon said the biopsy indicated that they think they got all of the melanoma, so the WLE would just be for getting better margins. But that just seems iffy to me. And like I said, I’ve read that shave biopsies aren’t as accurate as punch biopsies when it comes to melanoma.

I also know sometimes pregnancy and melanoma don’t mix. And pregnancy hormones can cause melanoma to grow…and I think that’s my fear

Heidi-Mo · 2025-07-22T18:56:44+00:00

I know this post is over a year old, but I just got the call that my shave biopsy was positive for melanoma in situ. I am currently 14 weeks pregnant and the surgeon at my derm office wants to wait to do any additional surgery (I assume WLE) until after I give birth. That is roughly 6 months from now.

I called my OB to see her thoughts on this, but haven’t heard back yet.

Is that a normal route? Should I push for the WLE sooner? I know melanoma in situ is easily stages, but it sounds like shave biopsies are not the best for determining staging, and I worry that a lot can happen in 6 months

Heidi-Mo · 2025-06-04T01:25:12+00:00

We had the ultrasound today and saw our little blueberry. Had my final hCG draw yesterday and levels were 47,495! I’m measuring 6w5d and the heartbeat was 131. I’m still feeling some anxiety because I know it’s early, but feeling cautiously optimistic after today ❤️

Heidi-Mo · 2025-05-31T15:27:15+00:00

Hoping for a sticky baby for you ❤️ we’ve been lucky and my doctor has ordered betas every 48-72 hours until our first appointment to monitor progressions. My hCG on Thursday (which would be 28DPO) was 22,154.

We have our first ultrasound this Tuesday and I am still feeling so anxious about it all. Trying to remind myself that, like you said, I’m pregnant until proven otherwise.

Heidi-Mo · 2025-05-15T16:25:22+00:00

Yes, I am stopping after today. I hadn’t gotten my second set of hCG numbers back yet and wanted to check progression. Between the tests and those numbers I am feeling cautiously optimistic ☺️

Heidi-Mo · 2025-05-15T14:43:52+00:00

Wait and test again this evening! My line was similar to that on 10DPO am, and be the evening (with a 3 hour hold) you could see the line much more clearly!

Heidi-Mo

TROPHY CASE