Sensitive skin is the one which has reduced tolerance to cosmetic products and also to weather and environment. People with sensitive skin, have a history of burning and itching. The symptoms vary from mild to severe. To begin with, it would be mild discomfort and extreme burning, stinging, swelling, and redness. Most of us may feel skin irritations but a person with sensitive skin perpetually has burning and rashes on the face even on just splashing water on the face.
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What are the causes of sensitive skin?
Sensitive skin can result from a combination of factors, which often interplay to produce the symptoms of irritation, burning, and redness. Here are the primary causes:
- Overreactive Immune System: Individuals with an overreactive immune system tend to have heightened responses to various stimuli, including cosmetics and environmental factors. This hyperactivity can lead to allergic reactions or sensitivities, causing discomfort and skin irritation.
- Hyperactive Nerve Endings: Sensitive skin often has hyperactive nerve endings that respond intensely to external stimuli such as wind, air conditioning, extreme temperatures, and sunlight. This heightened sensitivity results in a burning sensation even with minimal irritation.
- Hypersensitive Blood Capillaries: The small blood vessels in sensitive skin can be overly reactive, leading to prolonged redness or flushing. This hypersensitivity can make the skin appear red and inflamed, often exacerbated by environmental factors or physical irritation.
- Compromised Skin Barrier: The skin’s natural defense barrier, which prevents the entry of harmful substances and retains moisture, can be compromised in sensitive skin. This weakened barrier allows irritants, allergens, and pollutants to penetrate the skin more easily, leading to increased irritation and moisture loss.
- Genetic Predisposition: Genetics play a significant role in skin sensitivity. Individuals with a personal or family history of allergies, eczema, or other atopic conditions are more likely to have sensitive or hyper-irritable skin. Genetic factors can influence the skin’s barrier function, immune response, and overall sensitivity.
Together, these factors contribute to the symptoms experienced by those with sensitive skin, making it crucial to identify and manage triggers to minimize discomfort and maintain skin health.
Predisposing or Aggravating factors of sensitive skin
Sensitive skin can be exacerbated by various predisposing and aggravating factors. Here are some common ones:
- Expired or Long-Opened Cosmetic Products: Using cosmetic products that have been open for more than 2-3 months, even if they are within their expiry dates, can lead to irritation. Exposure to air and contaminants over time can degrade the product’s quality.
- Introduction of New Cosmetic Products: Symptoms often appear or worsen when a new cosmetic product is introduced. The skin may react to new ingredients, leading to increased sensitivity.
- Irritating Substances: Ingredients like retinol, AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids), BHAs (Beta Hydroxy Acids), or harsh scrubs can irritate sensitive skin. These substances can cause redness, burning, and peeling, especially if the skin is already prone to sensitivity.
- Overzealous Washing and Product Use: Excessive washing or using too many products without understanding their ingredients can harm the skin. This applies to everyone, but sensitive skin is particularly vulnerable. Over-cleansing can strip the skin of its natural oils, further compromising its barrier function.
- Environmental Factors: Excessive exposure to sun, pollution, or extreme weather conditions (winter or summer) can aggravate sensitive skin. Sudden changes in temperature, such as moving from an air-conditioned environment to the outdoors, can also trigger reactions.
- Lifestyle Factors: Alcohol and smoking can exacerbate skin sensitivity. These habits can impair the skin’s natural defenses and contribute to overall skin irritation.
- Dietary Factors: Consuming spicy foods can trigger or worsen skin sensitivity in some individuals. These foods can cause flushing and increased sensitivity.
Understanding these factors can help individuals with sensitive skin avoid triggers and manage their symptoms more effectively.
Signs and Symptoms
Sensitive skin manifests through a variety of signs and symptoms, which can be categorized into subjective and objective indicators:
Subjective Signs (What the person feels)
- Burning: A sensation of heat and discomfort on the skin.
- Tingling and Stinging: Sharp, prickly sensations that can be quite irritating.
- Itching: A persistent urge to scratch the skin.
- Dryness: A feeling of tightness and lack of moisture in the skin.
Objective Signs (Visible symptoms)
- Redness: Areas of the skin become red and inflamed.
- Scaling: Flaky or scaly patches on the skin surface.
- Peeling: The skin may shed or peel off in layers.
- Papules or Red Patches: Small, red bumps or larger areas of red, inflamed skin.
These signs and symptoms indicate that the skin is reacting adversely to various triggers and requires gentle care and avoidance of known irritants.
Skincare for Sensitive Skin
- Gentle Cleansing: Cleansing is essential, use gentle cleansers, which are pH-balanced, non-foaming, fragrance-free, paraben-free, and alcohol-free.
- Moisturiser: Moisturiser is essential for all skin types, to repair. Use moisturisers meant for sensitive skin as they have silicone which protects the skin from environmental hazards.
- Sunscreen: Go for physical sunscreens which are gel-based, in place of chemical sunscreens. Sunscreen should be fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, and free of paragons. Mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide and titanium oxide is the sunscreen of choice.
- Cosmetics: Use gentle but effective cosmetics. Avoid aggressive treatments like peels, scrubbing, etc. Avoid products with AHA, BHA, and retinoids, choose products that are alcohol-free, fragrance-free, and paraben-free. Use thermal spring water or micellar water to keep the skin calm. You can go for laser facials or laser toning under the supervision of a competent dermatologist.
Precautions for sensitive skin
How to take care if you have bad skin days, like constant redness, burning, or irritation. Follow the steps below.
- Take a product holiday, and stop all cosmetics. Then with doctors’ advice introduce one product at a time.
- Use minimal and essential products.
- Use hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic products.
- Avoid waterproof cosmetics.
- Discard old cosmetics, even if within the expiry date.
- Maybe you would need a few anti-allergic medications to soothe and calm the skin.
- Be vigilant, if you feel a particular product is causing the problem, stop it immediately.
- The environment could also irritate the skin, so avoid extreme temperatures and sudden changes in temperatures(from an air-conditioned room to outside or from hot outdoors to an air-conditioned room).
- Avoid outdoor activities in the flowering or pollen season, when it’s dusty or harvesting season.
- Avoid hot water for washing, instead use tepid water.
- Avoid alcohol, smoking, caffeine, and spicy food.
- Avoid all triggers and aggravating factors that you know, don’t test your skin.
- Always apply a test dose behind the ears or the elbow for a few days, before applying on the face. However, a negative testing application is no guarantee that it may not irritate the skin.
- Be mindful that you can develop a hypersensitivity to any product at any time, even if you have been using it for a long time. If you notice any redness or irritation after a particular cosmetic product, stop it immediately.
- Even hair care products like shampoo/conditioners, hair colors, hair packs/hair oils, or any hair styling product can irritate the facial skin.
Conclusion
Sensitive skin is a condition marked by a reduced tolerance to cosmetics and environmental factors, leading to symptoms like burning, itching, and redness. It can result from an overreactive immune system, hyperactive nerve endings, hypersensitive blood capillaries, a compromised skin barrier, and genetic predisposition. Various factors can exacerbate the condition, including the use of expired or long-opened cosmetic products, introducing new products, irritating substances, over-washing, environmental changes, lifestyle habits like alcohol and smoking, and certain dietary choices.
Signs and symptoms of sensitive skin include both subjective sensations such as burning, tingling, itching, and dryness, and objective symptoms like redness, scaling, peeling, and papules. Effective skincare for sensitive skin involves using gentle, pH-balanced, and non-irritating products, maintaining a minimal routine, and avoiding known triggers.
By understanding the causes, aggravating factors, and proper care methods, individuals with sensitive skin can manage their condition better, reduce discomfort, and maintain healthier skin.
