Hi @viceroy123, just given the timeline that you provided, I’m wondering if mask wearing may have exacerbated the situation, making your skin appear even drier in those areas and causing eczema flare-ups. I know the same thing happened to me except in my case, it gave me “mascne,” which is actually a real thing! A close friend of mine has skin similar to what you described, and she needed to be extra diligent about what she put on the areas of her face that were covered by the mask. You can google “eczema and face masks” or “dry skin and face masks” to find articles, but I do believe keeping that part of your face extra moisturized was key.
As far as good skincare products for dry skin, I recently came off Accutane (Isotretinoin), which really dries out your skin, so I found some great products that hopefully will help you! For moisturizer, I really like (and still use), Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream Plumping & Hydrating Moisturizer 0.34 / 10 . Sephora sells a mini version of this as well to try. #Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream is another great moisturizer for dry skin. I received a deluxe sample of La Mer Mini Crème de la Mer Moisturizer 0.5 oz/ 15 mL and it really does work very well. I linked you to the mini size, which is still super expensive, but you only need a little bit. I also don’t use mine everyday. Face oils are great to put over your moisturizer as a last step at night (I find them to be a bit too much for day wear). Try The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil 1 oz/ 30 mL . It’s such a bargain and it works so well! Also try using a moisturizing serum - I just ordered this one due to the great reviews so I can’t speak to its effectiveness just yet: LANEIGE Glowy Makeup Serum 1.0 oz/ 30 mL. And The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 1 oz/ 30 mL- which is an inexpensive option but works great. Basically, anything with hyaluronic acid should help keep your skin moisturized. To get rid of flaky skin, you may want to try a gentle AHA product: Caudalie Glycolic Peel is a mask that you leave on for 10 minutes and it does not irritate my skin (for anyone else reading, do not use this if you are taking Accutane though). For dark spots, products with Vitamin C and Niacinamide work well. The Ordinary and The Inkey List both have great quality, inexpensive options. Although this isn’t a full-coverage foundation, ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 Skincare Foundation Formosa ST4 has different shades to choose from and will give you more of that “dewy” glow. Two other foundation options: Kosas Tinted Face Oil Comfy Skin Tint Tone 01 also has various shades and Josie Maran Vibrancy Argan Oil Foundation Fluid Fearless RG65. For face wash, you can never go wrong with Cerave cleanser for normal to dry skin. I also like Tatcha The Rice Wash Skin-Softening Cleanser 4.0 oz / 120 mL and KORRES Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser 5.07 oz/ 150 mL. And lastly, if you have a Luna or Clarisonic, try using that once a day with your face wash to help get rid of dry, flaky skin.