Its sensitivity is not a whim, but a cry for help! Because sensitive skin needs attention and very special treatment. And it needs it in every respect. It’s not her fault that she is like this – as it turns out, we often contribute to sensitivity and even hypersensitivity ourselves by misreading warning signals or through improper, too intensive care, or worse, lack of it. And it won’t defend itself. Anyway, as it turns out, sensitivity is not quite a skin type as we used to think of it. More recently, dermatologists have classified it as a separate disease entity in the form of sensitive skin syndrome. This is actually good news, because it means that with proper care and treatments it can be brought out of trouble.
One thing is certain – there is no chance that skin sensitivity will go unnoticed. It manifests itself with redness, is tightened, often with visible dilated capillaries, sometimes it peels. It is extremely reactive, and at peak times its threshold of tolerance to external factors is close to zero. On top of that, it doesn’t like… pretty much everything – it is harmed by dry air, too high and too low temperatures, the sun, air conditioning, too intensive skin care treatments and cosmetic experiments. As statistics show, it affects a growing group, more often women than men. One would like to say that it is “fashionable,” but those who suffer from it certainly don’t treat their ailments that way. Sometimes it arises secondarily, so to speak, and accompanies other skin problems, such as acne, seborrhea or atopic dermatitis. We often turn a blind eye to it, and, developing quietly, it can take a more severe form.
Although sensitivity is difficult to overlook, it can be mistakenly taken for allergy. Symptoms are sometimes similar: itching, burning or even swelling, but in the long run the skin reacts differently – an allergy to a specific ingredient will affect a select group of people with such a predisposition and is likely to be permanent. On the other hand, irritation caused by an overly potent substance, such as retinol (when the skin is not accustomed to it) can occur regardless of skin type, but tolerance to active ingredients can be built up – of course, only after the skin has been calmed down and the hypersensitivity “extinguished”.
It’s all due to the skin’s leaky hydrolipid barrier – by being damaged, it loses water and nutrients and building blocks more easily, which prevents it from performing its protective function. On top of that, it absorbs pollutants from the environment much more easily – when the lipid layer that binds the cells together is loose, it lets them pass inside like a sieve. If everything were fine, the particles of pollution would settle on the epidermis and allow themselves to be removed with gentle cleansing without posing much of a threat. It’s not just the environment, by the way – such skin will also take many substances contained in cosmetics as intruders – in addition to active substances (recommended for healthy skin), it will be irritated primarily by preservatives, dyes and fragrance.
Sensitivity can also have a genetic basis, but there is another very important factor. Sensitive skin secretes certain neurotransmitters in excess, which is the cause of subjectively felt discomfort. And, as it turns out, it may be related to… sensitivity in general, that is, a specific mental construct. It has been proven that inherently sensitive people have more specific receptors in epidermal cells and neurons. These are stimulated not only by external factors, i.e. pollution, among others, but also from within – for example, when the nervous system is overloaded by stress. This theory is also supported by the fact that people with sensitive skin, in addition to objective symptoms, also feel those unnoticeable to others, such as pinching, burning, tingling, most often boiling down to the statement that “something is wrong” with their skin.
Well, what about skin care in such a situation? It should be much more attentive and sensitive than if we came to struggle “only” with wrinkles or imperfections. What will such skin like, or rather, what will it accept without rebellion? Certainly to soap without soap, or syndet – it will not dry out like a classic bar. Or a very mild gel. Light as a cloud NON-DRYING Face Wash Foam for Sensitive Skin additionally contains extracts of horse chestnut and green algae, which seal blood vessels, and its natural composition was developed in such a way that it does not violate the skin’s protective barrier, but supports its reconstruction. For makeup removal, a micellar liquid will work well, and drying the face after washing should be done without rubbing. In creams, on the other hand, it’s worth looking for lipids to seal the lipid barrier, and ceramides and cholesterol to build into the intercellular cement of the epidermis. For this cream dedicated to sensitive skin, such as: IDEAL Strengthening Cream for Vascular and Sensitive Skin
It should be equipped with an SPF filter, and if, in addition, it has in its composition a strongly soothing and calming ectoin like UPLIFT ME Lifting and Soothing Night and Day Face Cream, which protects against oxidative stress, stimulates collagen production and prevents the escape of water from the epidermis (and, on top of that, miraculously polishes) – we can rest assured.
It is worth considering not only what we wash our face with or what we apply to it, but also hand wash, washing powder and …shampoo, which, after all, also comes into contact with the facial skin and can adversely affect it.
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