Sensitive skin: how to choose the right care

According to cosmetologists, when asked about skin type, almost all men say that they have sensitive skin, while women more often mention such characteristics as dry or oily. However, it is women, especially fair-haired and blue-eyed women, who most often have sensitive skin in the classical sense of dermatology – when severe irritation, rashes, redness, peeling appear on the face and hands in response to the most common external factors of influence or even to stress and overwork. Such skin requires special attention from the cosmetologist when performing any procedures.

Why is there sensitive skin and what does it depend on

Sensitive skin makes itself felt by very simple signs: it is irritated in response to the most harmless influences, which in normal skin do not cause any reaction at all. So, for example, in response to a sharp cold wind, the skin of the face begins to peel off, itch, become covered with red spots or even a small rash, very annoying with a feeling of strong tightness. Such a reaction in owners of sensitive skin can happen to decorative cosmetics, to a cosmetic procedure, as well as to stress, lack of sleep, too cold or hot water, even to hot food. Often this skin reaction is confused with an allergy or some kind of skin disease, but if the irritation appears abruptly, immediately after exposure, and passes just as quickly, sensitive skin should be assumed.

The reason for the special sensitivity of the skin is that for some reason it was deprived of its protective elements – such as the stratum corneum and lipid layer, pigmentation. The skin is usually protected by three barriers:

• stratum corneum – prevents moisture loss; if it is damaged, the skin becomes dry, easily injured, destroyed by chemicals and infections, reacts to external influences with irritation;
• secretion of sebaceous glands – forms a lipid film that softens the skin, protects against damage and infection; when there is insufficient sebum secretion, the skin becomes dry, and when it is overproduced, some components of sebum (for example, squalene) can provoke irritation;
• the secret of the sweat glands – maintains the acid-base balance of the skin, neutralizes many microbes and chemical irritants on the surface of the skin; when the balance is disturbed towards increased acidity, the epidermis becomes loose and sensitive skin is obtained.

Most often, sensitive skin occurs on the nasolabial triangle and in the area around the eyes – even regardless of the patient's skin type.

Sensitive skin and its main types

Most often, sensitive skin does not require special treatment, since its properties are genetically determined, and adequate care is required for such skin. For thin and delicate skin, lacking sufficient protective pigmentation, naturally dry and weak – Adequate care with nourishing and moisturizing complexes, sunscreens is required. It happens that sensitive skin develops from the fact that too aggressive care was provided to it or poor-quality cosmetics acted on it. In this case, the problem is easily solved by eliminating the cause of skin irritation.

Another type of sensitive skin – one that reacts with sudden hypersensitivity to nervous breakdowns, mental strain, serious illnesses, sometimes to medication. A flare-up of skin irritation may just as suddenly disappear.

Sensitive skin may appear against the background of some internal diseases – for example, the gastrointestinal tract, the endocrine system, immunity failures, manifestations of allergies or exacerbation of the infection.  In this case, as in nervous hypersensitivity, the treatment of sensitive skin is to eliminate the causes that caused this condition.

Thus, sensitive skin requires a very careful attitude on the part of the cosmetologist, a careful choice of procedures that will not become additional irritating factors for the patient, but will help stabilize the skin condition and relieve discomfort.