A lot of us have skin that is sensitive or sensitized. Sensitive skin is the kind that reacts to the slightest touch or changes in temperature, while sensitized skin is more susceptible to bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms.
Treating your skin condition properly early can prevent further complications from happening. It’s also important to protect your skin from additional harm and irritation by avoiding certain products and/or routines.
Here are some ways you can tell whether your skin is sensitive or sensitized:
– Dullness on the surface of the skin.
– Redness and bumps.
– Skin that feels hot to the touch.
– When you apply makeup, it may take longer for the product to absorb, leaving a whitish film on the surface of your face and neck area.
– Skin tightness and itchy feeling, usually after you have applied a new skincare product or when you’re about to apply makeup (immediately after cleansing).
When it comes to sensitive skin, there are a lot of myths out there. I’m here to demystify the topic and help you find relief without hurting your pocketbook or your skin.
I have sensitive skin, but I don’t have sensitive skin anymore. How is that possible? I’ll tell you.
I used to be just like you — my face was red and blotchy, I was breaking out with acne all over, and my eczema flared up at the drop of a hat.
Thing is, I couldn’t figure out what was causing my skin to flare up… and no one could tell me either. It wasn’t until much later that I figured it out for myself.
Since then, I’ve been able to keep my skin under control by changing everything about my skincare routine: from what products I use to how many times a day I wash my face and even how often I exfoliate!
Some of the most common skin problems are sensitization reactions. If you have sensitive skin, this is something you need to know about.
Sensitization reactions occur when an ingredient in a product causes irritation. However, unlike irritation caused by a surfactant or an ingredient that causes a negative reaction to the skin, sensitization reactions cause the body to produce more histamine, an inflammatory chemical that results in even more irritation and inflammation.
Treatments vary from avoiding products containing the sensitizing ingredients to using anti-histamines on your skin. This can be a nuisance if you want to use lots of products on your skin and cannot find ones that don’t contain sensitizing ingredients or if you have a severe case of sensitization where anti-histamines won’t help at all.
There are a lot of skin care products that claim to be for sensitive skin. But what does sensitive skin even mean?
Sensitive skin is a skin type that is prone to irritation and allergies. It usually occurs when you have a weak barrier function.
The delicate, thin and slightly acidic pH 5.5 or 6 of the outermost layer of skin makes it less able to withstand harsh external factors such as pollution and weather changes.
There are a lot of products that claim to be suitable for sensitive skin. However, most of them contain ingredients which are not actually good for your skin and, in fact, could damage it further.
Premature aging – Perhaps the most obvious effect is premature aging. What do I mean by this? Simple, when your skin becomes dry it begins to wrinkle more quickly as well. The prevention of wrinkles is a very important part of anti-aging. Many people don’t realize that dry skin can cause wrinkles. The drying out of the skin causes the collagen fibers beneath the surface to become hard and brittle. The harder these fibers become the more likely they are to stretch and break. As such, if you have sensitive skin you will want to avoid anything which will cause your skin to dry out any further. In fact, you want to make an effort to moisturize at least once every day or two.*
Hormonal imbalances – One of the most common side effects that many people suffer from as they get older is hormonal imbalance. This is a problem which some people simply cannot afford to ignore as it can lead to all kinds of problems including extreme anxiety, depression, even mood swings and other related issues.*
Infections – Skin infections are also