Sensitive skin has two main causes. First, its surface barrier is weakened, allowing external irritants to penetrate more deeply. Second, the nerve endings in the skin are hypersensitive, firing off pain signals in response to harmless stimuli. To soothe sensitive skin, make sure you cleanse gently with a micellar water, followed by a thermal water mist and an moisturizer.
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If you experience unpleasant sensations - pulling, prickling, burning or stinging - in response to factors such as temperature changes, wind, UV, hard water or harsh products, in the absence of a visible rash, you probably have sensitive skin. If you have redness or rashes, you are more likely to have reactive or allergic skin. Consider seeing a dermatologist for a definitive diagnosis.
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If your skin experiences discomfort when you simply touch it, you may have very sensitive skin. In sensitive skin, the nerve endings are hypersensitive, firing off pain signals in response to harmless stimuli. However, if your skin is sensitive due to being red and inflamed, you should see a doctor to make sure there is no infection or other medical issue to explain it.
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If you have sensitive skin, you need a moisturizer formulated for this skin type free of common “nasties” such as fragrance, colorant, lanolin and alcohol, and with soothing ingredients such as Neurosensine and La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water. Finally, it should also contain prebiotic ingredients to rebalance your skin’s microbiome, aka. its friendly bacteria.
Learn moreSo, how is sensitive skin identified? It is essentially a “diagnosis of exclusion” meaning the dermatologist diagnoses sensitive skin after ruling out other skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, based on the patient’s complaints of unpleasant signs in everyday situations. It is also possible to test for sensitive skin by applying a dilute acid solution to skin and seeing whether this reproduces the same symptoms.
The dermatological causes of sensitive skin are an impaired surface barrier function plus hypersensitive nerve endings in the skin. Sensitive skin may also have an unbalanced “microbiome” - the population of friendly and less friendly bacteria that live on its surface.
"To prevent sensitive skin manifestations, your approach should be three-fold: - restore skin’s protective barrier - intensely soothe skin, and - rebalance the microbiome (don’t worry, we’ll tell you how)."
In this subsection, you’ll find in-depth information on the internal and external causes of sensitive skin, ranging from too-hot showers to the wrong cosmetics choices to spicy food and stress.
We also offer lifestyle tips on how to minimise sensitive reactions plus suitable skincare routines to reduce skin’s sensitivity day by day.
You’ll also learn how sensitive skin can truly impact wellbeing (and how to take action), and how sensitive skin varies at different times of life, by season and even the time of day.
Safety standards beyond international cosmetics regulations.
