There are many different skin types, but there is one that needs special care. What do you think it might be? If you guessed sensitive skin, then congratulations! You’re right. Unlike other skin types, sensitive skin can react to a variety of things in the environment and on your body which makes it harder to take care of because you don’t know what will happen! In this article we’ll go over what sensitive skin means biologically and chemically as well as some common problems associated with having sensitive skin. Finally, I’ll give some natural treatments for sensitive skin types.
Know your skin type: how to know if you have sensitive skin
The first thing you need to know when talking about sensitive skin is how to recognize what type of skin do you have. There are many different sensitive skin types depending on how reactive it is to certain triggers. Amongst them some common skin types are dry skin, oily skin and combination skin.
In this case we will talk about how to identify if your skin is sensitive so that you can follow through with the necessary natural treatments.
How to identify sensitive skin
When talking about sensitive skin types you need to know that «sensitive skin» is not a type but more of an adjective describing how reactive your skin is when in contact with certain triggers. It is important to note if you have sensitive skin it doesn’t mean you will have sensitive skin forever, but that at the moment it is more responsive. You can recognize if your skin is sensitive at moment if:
- It becomes easily irritated by certain topical products or factors in the environment, like pollen.
- It is sensitive to the sun.
- When exposed to certain temperatures you have a stinging sensation on your skin or redness in some areas.
- You experience reactions to certain foods or drinks that include itching, burning and redness on the face, lips, eyes, scalp or neck.
- It is sensitive to the touch of certain materials like wool fabric or rough surfaces.
If you are experiencing any of the above you probably have sensitive skin, but there are other factors that can be important to know if this is your case.
What is sensitive skin and what causes it
Know that we’ve identified if you have a sensitive skin, let’s move on to what sensitive skin is.
Sensitive skin is an epidermal trait that presents itself as a heightened response to triggers in the environment and on your body, like certain chemicals found in soaps or perfumes. Sensitive skin types also responds more intensely than others when exposed to oral medicines or topical creams.
Of course sensitive skin can be caused by more than just chemicals, some people have sensitive skin for genetic reasons or due to certain diseases like rosacea, so we will talk about what are the main factors for sensitive skin and how they affect your body.
What are the causes of sensitive skin
Among the different factors that causes sensitive skin there are environmental and biological factors.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors are elements in your surroundings that can cause irritation on the skin, like environmental pollution or high temperatures. Among environmental factors that can cause problems to the skin are:
Pollution and environmental toxins. The environmental pollution that we are exposed to on a daily basis can also cause irritation in sensitive skin types as well as environmental toxins. These environmental pollutants are found in the air, water and food we eat every day.
The sun. The ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun is one of the main environmental triggers that can cause reactions on the skin. In sensitive skin types, this radiation causes redness, burning and irritation to your face or other parts of your body.
Extreme temperatures. When exposed to extreme temperatures, a sensitive skin type will experience stinging and redness.
Biological Factors
The biological factors that can affect your skin are usually systemic diseases or conditions that you have been diagnosed with. In these cases, your skin is more reactive because of the disease and not environmental factors. Among them some common diseases that are hereditary and acquired medical conditions like rosacea, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis can cause sensitive skin types as a symptom of the condition.
- Atopic dermatitis: this skin disease appears as a reaction to environmental triggers that include: dust mites, pollen and mold spores. It is characterized by dry scaly patches on the skin that can cause itching, redness and swelling.
- Rosacea: this is a chronic skin condition that appears as facial flushing and redness. It causes skin sensitivity and can be triggered by environmental triggers like sunlight, heat or spicy foods.
- Psoriasis: this is a skin condition that causes patches of raised and red skin with silvery scales. Psoriasis is also triggered by environmental factors like stress, sun exposure and trauma to the skin.
Among the genetic conditions that can affect your skin, there are some conditions that cause photosensitivity or an abnormal response to sunlight. In these cases, environmental factors like the sun can be a trigger for these conditions:
- Lupus erythematosus: this is an autoimmune disease that affects the skin and joints.
- Erythropoietic protoporphyria: this is a genetic condition that causes photosensitivity.
- Tuberous sclerosis complex: this is a condition that causes benign tumors all over the body.
What is sensitive skin and what causes it
Now that we know symptoms and causes, let’s see some of the possible skin reaction that may derive from this skin type:
Contact dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is the most common skin condition that derives from sensitive types of skin. It may result in redness, stinging, burning and itchiness. It is caused by a topical contact with a substance that the body rejects in some point, causing irritation.
This irritation occurs because the immune system doesn’t like an absorbed chemical, and reacts for removing or neutralizing the substance in question, causing inflammation. Contact dermatitis can be divided into «irritant» contact dermatitis or «allergic» contact dermatitis.
Irritant contact dermatitis: this is a type of contact dermatitis that is caused by contact with harsh chemicals and strong products. It causes dryness, scaling and redness on your skin that can be mistaken for acne breakouts and usually appears immediately after the contact with the skin irritant occurs which makes you can easily identify irritants that may cause this condition. When a skin irritant is identified, you don’t need to stop the use for ever, but reduce it or use it sporadically.
Allergic contact dermatitis: this is a contact dermatitis type that is caused by your immune system. It also appears as redness, itching and swelling on your skin however in this case it is caused by an allergic reaction. In allergic contact dermatitis, your immune system identifies contact with a substance called allergen as a threat thus, causing a defense reaction that involves inflammation and redness.
Once your immune system has identified an ingredient as allergic, you should no longer use it anymore, as this could lead to a chronic inflammation causing ongoing problems in your skin barrier.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin condition that people with sensitive skin tend to suffer. It is caused by the immune system attacking healthy skin cells, which results in patches of raised and red skin with silvery scales on them. It is important to note that it appears on the skin as an autoimmune reaction, therefore contact dermatitis and psoriasis are two conditions which share similar symptoms.
Rosacea
Rosacea is a skin condition that also appears as facial flushing and redness. It has been shown to be caused by an overactive immune system, which can result in inflammation of the face. People with sensitive skin are more prone to suffering this condition since their skin is more vulnerable to immune system reactions.
Take proper care of your skin
If you have skin sensitivity, you should be more careful with what products and treatments you add to your skin care routine, as some products can cause an allergic reaction, also some beauty products can contain skin irritants that can trigger redness and itchy skin.
To keep skin sensitivity in check:
In your day to day life
- Use sunscreen that have an spf 30 or higher. Sun exposure is one of the main causes that can exacerbate symptoms
- Chose the right skincare routine for you. We will discuss this in detail later.
- Avoid using hot water as this can dry out and irritate skin. It’s better that you lower the temperature of your showers and try using warm or cold water instead.
- Avoid the sun exposure or wear protective clothing
- Avoid extreme temperatures or use appropriate protection when you are exposed to these
- Avoid direct contact with home cleaning products are these can dry out and irritate your skin. Always use gloves.
- Keep your body and skin hydrated.
In your Skincare Routine
Beauty products are those that may contribute significantly both in relieving symptoms or exacerbate them. It is important to chose carefully anything you put on your skin. Below your guide:
- Cleansers. Avoid cleaning with soaps or harsh water based cleaners. These can irritate your skin. Chose oil based cleanser instead
- Hydrating and Moisturizing Agents. Avoid creams. These contain emulsifiers that helps mixing water and oil, but can disrupt your skin barrier. It is better to use water based hydrating serum for day and night and close your night routine with an oil based serum.
- Avoid products with alcohol or fragrance. These can be irritants for your skin and other parts of the body.
- Avoid mechanical exfoliation. This can be too abrasive. For anti-age products is better to use soft chemical exfoliation like pumpkin puree.
- Avoid preservatives in your skin care products. These are used for water based products and can be irritating for your skin. As you can’t completely exclude these from your routine, try to use oil based products as these doesn’t need to be preserved.
What products should I use if my skin is sensitive?
Oil based skin care products are my favorites. There are many different kinds available, but it’s important to know which ones will work best with your specific needs and concerns before you make any purchases because not all fatty acids behave similarly.
Below some oils for which I have analyzed their characteristics like fatty acid profiles, allergenic potentials and benefits for skin:
- Baobab Oil
- Blackberry Seed Oil
- Fractionated coconut oil (Capric/Caprlyc Triglicerides)
- Cranberry seed oil
- Evening Primorose Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Hemp Seed Oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Rosehip oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Watermelon Seed Oil
Sensitive skin is hard to deal with, but thankfully there are some things you can do for it. If you’ve ever had sensitive skin or if your child has this condition, then hopefully these tips will help! If you’ve been struggling with sensitive skin, hopefully this blog post has given you some ideas about what to try. If you liked this blog, check out my other blogs on natural skin care or subscribe to receive posts in your inbox.
Subscribe to Our Blog!
About Me
Beatriz Morales
There are many different skin types, but there is one that needs special care. What do you think it might be? If you guessed sensitive skin, then congratulations! You’re right. Unlike other skin types, sensitive skin can react to a variety of things in the environment and on your body which makes it harder to take care of because you don’t know what will happen! In this article we’ll go over what sensitive skin means biologically and chemically as well as some common problems associated with having sensitive skin. Finally, I’ll give some natural treatments for sensitive skin types.
Know your skin type: how to know if you have sensitive skin
The first thing you need to know when talking about sensitive skin is how to recognize what type of skin do you have. There are many different sensitive skin types depending on how reactive it is to certain triggers. Amongst them some common skin types are dry skin, oily skin and combination skin.
In this case we will talk about how to identify if your skin is sensitive so that you can follow through with the necessary natural treatments.
How to identify sensitive skin
When talking about sensitive skin types you need to know that «sensitive skin» is not a type but more of an adjective describing how reactive your skin is when in contact with certain triggers. It is important to note if you have sensitive skin it doesn’t mean you will have sensitive skin forever, but that at the moment it is more responsive. You can recognize if your skin is sensitive at moment if:
- It becomes easily irritated by certain topical products or factors in the environment, like pollen.
- It is sensitive to the sun.
- When exposed to certain temperatures you have a stinging sensation on your skin or redness in some areas.
- You experience reactions to certain foods or drinks that include itching, burning and redness on the face, lips, eyes, scalp or neck.
- It is sensitive to the touch of certain materials like wool fabric or rough surfaces.
If you are experiencing any of the above you probably have sensitive skin, but there are other factors that can be important to know if this is your case.
What is sensitive skin and what causes it
Know that we’ve identified if you have a sensitive skin, let’s move on to what sensitive skin is.
Sensitive skin is an epidermal trait that presents itself as a heightened response to triggers in the environment and on your body, like certain chemicals found in soaps or perfumes. Sensitive skin types also responds more intensely than others when exposed to oral medicines or topical creams.
Of course sensitive skin can be caused by more than just chemicals, some people have sensitive skin for genetic reasons or due to certain diseases like rosacea, so we will talk about what are the main factors for sensitive skin and how they affect your body.
What are the causes of sensitive skin
Among the different factors that causes sensitive skin there are environmental and biological factors.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors are elements in your surroundings that can cause irritation on the skin, like environmental pollution or high temperatures. Among environmental factors that can cause problems to the skin are:
Pollution and environmental toxins. The environmental pollution that we are exposed to on a daily basis can also cause irritation in sensitive skin types as well as environmental toxins. These environmental pollutants are found in the air, water and food we eat every day.
The sun. The ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun is one of the main environmental triggers that can cause reactions on the skin. In sensitive skin types, this radiation causes redness, burning and irritation to your face or other parts of your body.
Extreme temperatures. When exposed to extreme temperatures, a sensitive skin type will experience stinging and redness.
Environmental Factors
The biological factors that can affect your skin are usually systemic diseases or conditions that you have been diagnosed with. In these cases, your skin is more reactive because of the disease and not environmental factors. Among them some common diseases that are hereditary and acquired medical conditions like rosacea, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis can cause sensitive skin types as a symptom of the condition.
- Atopic dermatitis: this skin disease appears as a reaction to environmental triggers that include: dust mites, pollen and mold spores. It is characterized by dry scaly patches on the skin that can cause itching, redness and swelling.
- Rosacea: this is a chronic skin condition that appears as facial flushing and redness. It causes skin sensitivity and can be triggered by environmental triggers like sunlight, heat or spicy foods.
- Psoriasis: this is a skin condition that causes patches of raised and red skin with silvery scales. Psoriasis is also triggered by environmental factors like stress, sun exposure and trauma to the skin.
Among the genetic conditions that can affect your skin, there are some conditions that cause photosensitivity or an abnormal response to sunlight. In these cases, environmental factors like the sun can be a trigger for these conditions:
- Lupus erythematosus: this is an autoimmune disease that affects the skin and joints.
- Erythropoietic protoporphyria: this is a genetic condition that causes photosensitivity.
- Tuberous sclerosis complex: this is a condition that causes benign tumors all over the body.
What is sensitive skin and what causes it
Now that we know symptoms and causes, let’s see some of the possible skin reaction that may derive from this skin type:
Contact dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is the most common skin condition that derives from sensitive types of skin. It may result in redness, stinging, burning and itchiness. It is caused by a topical contact with a substance that the body rejects in some point, causing irritation.
This irritation occurs because the immune system doesn’t like an absorbed chemical, and reacts for removing or neutralizing the substance in question, causing inflammation. Contact dermatitis can be divided into «irritant» contact dermatitis or «allergic» contact dermatitis.
Irritant contact dermatitis: this is a type of contact dermatitis that is caused by contact with harsh chemicals and strong products. It causes dryness, scaling and redness on your skin that can be mistaken for acne breakouts and usually appears immediately after the contact with the skin irritant occurs which makes you can easily identify irritants that may cause this condition. When a skin irritant is identified, you don’t need to stop the use for ever, but reduce it or use it sporadically.
Allergic contact dermatitis: this is a contact dermatitis type that is caused by your immune system. It also appears as redness, itching and swelling on your skin however in this case it is caused by an allergic reaction. In allergic contact dermatitis, your immune system identifies contact with a substance called allergen as a threat thus, causing a defense reaction that involves inflammation and redness.
Once your immune system has identified an ingredient as allergic, you should no longer use it anymore, as this could lead to a chronic inflammation causing ongoing problems in your skin barrier.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin condition that people with sensitive skin tend to suffer. It is caused by the immune system attacking healthy skin cells, which results in patches of raised and red skin with silvery scales on them. It is important to note that it appears on the skin as an autoimmune reaction, therefore contact dermatitis and psoriasis are two conditions which share similar symptoms.
Rosacea
Rosacea is a skin condition that also appears as facial flushing and redness. It has been shown to be caused by an overactive immune system, which can result in inflammation of the face. People with sensitive skin are more prone to suffering this condition since their skin is more vulnerable to immune system reactions.
Take proper care of your skin
If you have skin sensitivity, you should be more careful with what products and treatments you add to your skin care routine, as some products can cause an allergic reaction, also some beauty products can contain skin irritants that can trigger redness and itchy skin.
To keep skin sensitivity in check:
In your day to day life
- Use sunscreen that have an spf 30 or higher. Sun exposure is one of the main causes that can exacerbate symptoms
- Chose the right skincare routine for you. We will discuss this in detail later.
- Avoid using hot water as this can dry out and irritate skin. It’s better that you lower the temperature of your showers and try using warm or cold water instead.
- Avoid the sun exposure or wear protective clothing
- Avoid extreme temperatures or use appropriate protection when you are exposed to these
- Avoid direct contact with home cleaning products are these can dry out and irritate your skin. Always use gloves.
- Keep your body and skin hydrated.
In your Skincare Routine
Beauty products are those that may contribute significantly both in relieving symptoms or exacerbate them. It is important to chose carefully anything you put on your skin. Below your guide:
- Cleansers. Avoid cleaning with soaps or harsh water based cleaners. These can irritate your skin. Chose oil based cleanser instead
- Hydrating and Moisturizing Agents. Avoid creams. These contain emulsifiers that helps mixing water and oil, but can disrupt your skin barrier. It is better to use water based hydrating serum for day and night and close your night routine with an oil based serum.
- Avoid products with alcohol or fragrance. These can be irritants for your skin and other parts of the body.
- Avoid mechanical exfoliation. This can be too abrasive. For anti-age products is better to use soft chemical exfoliation like pumpkin puree.
- Avoid preservatives in your skin care products. These are used for water based products and can be irritating for your skin. As you can’t completely exclude these from your routine, try to use oil based products as these doesn’t need to be preserved.
What products should I use if my skin is sensitive?
Oil based skin care products are my favorites. There are many different kinds available, but it’s important to know which ones will work best with your specific needs and concerns before you make any purchases because not all fatty acids behave similarly.
Below some oils for which I have analyzed their characteristics like fatty acid profiles, allergenic potentials and benefits for skin:
- Baobab Oil
- Blackberry Seed Oil
- Fractionated coconut oil (Capric/Caprlyc Triglicerides)
- Cranberry seed oil
- Evening Primorose Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Hemp Seed Oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Rosehip oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Watermelon Seed Oil
Sensitive skin is hard to deal with, but thankfully there are some things you can do for it. If you’ve ever had sensitive skin or if your child has this condition, then hopefully these tips will help! If you’ve been struggling with sensitive skin, hopefully this blog post has given you some ideas about what to try. If you liked this blog, check out my other blogs on natural skin care or subscribe to receive posts in your inbox.
Subscribe to Our Blog!
About Me
