Settling Down Sensitive Skin
How to balance and calm down sensitive skin
Sensitive skin is something that most people think they have, when actually they probably don’t. What do you think of when I say “sensitive skin”? Redness? Dry patches? A rash on the face? Having sensations to products that you shouldn’t, like moisturizer burns a little? Whereas most of those are true, sensitive skin has a genetic factor, but sensitized skin can be caused by multiple things like using too harsh of product or over exfoliation, is not genetic and can be resolved with the right changes. Let’s unlock what sensitive skin really is and how to know what’s going on with your skin.
Sensitive skin can be defined as a range of skin issues (i.e. eczema, dermatitis, rosacea) that has a genetic component and is persistent throughout life, it can also be due to your undertones which will be pink or red all the time. In other words, you are born with it and it’s not going away. The best thing to do is keep your skin balanced and stay away from triggers that can cause flair ups. Most clients I have who are genetically sensitive know what triggers their redness: foods, drinking or even stress. For all of those skin ailments I listed before though, you will need to consult your doctor and maybe even a dermatologist to treat it as that is outside of the scope of estheticians (at least in California it is).
No harsh soaps allowed!
Balancing skin is always the same no matter what the concern is: you need to have a happy medium of oil and water in the skin, a healthy acid mantle and proper desquamation (naturally occurring exfoliation). If you have sensitive skin and are experiencing dry patches, then you might need more oil and water which you can get with serums and facial oils. Sensitive skin with an oil issue? Resist the urge to use scrubs and drying masks as those can irritate your sensitive skin and might not be the answer. Instead, try to use soothing masks with kaolin clay or mud to gently draw out oil.
Harsh exfoliants and soaps are the last thing you want to use if redness is ever a concern for your skin. In acne prone skin they can spread the bacteria, creating more breakout. In dry skin they can overly dry the surface resulting in skin either freaking out and going to the oily side or flaking and having dry patches. Being aggressive is never the route to take when trying to balance skin, you want to be cool and cautious. I am not saying don’t exfoliate! Papaya and Coconut are amazing enzyme exfoliants that work beautifully even on sensitive skin, Coconut being especially helpful with lipids and hydrators. There are also many product lines out there that create segments only for sensitive skin, just always read your label and stay away from any poor ingredient choices ( I see you mineral oil).
You definitely want to have a skincare routine and products that support the changes you want to see in your skin, it won’t be Cetaphil though as that is so benign it couldn’t affect your skin no matter what you do. There are certain ingredients to keep your eyes peeled for that are great for sensitive skin:
Chamomile
We all know that Chamomile Tea is the best when you need to wind down and go to sleep, the same is true for your skin! Chamomiles anti-inflammatory properties aid in soothing skin as does it’s antioxidants. It can help to relieve skin irritants and rashes. Topically it can be used in a skincare formulation or you can soak some teabags and use the cooled water as a cool compress.
Oatmeal
Found this gem online to share with you! Try it out!
Remember when I mentioned that you can have oily skin and sensitive skin going on? Here is your ingredient for that! Oatmeal is not only soothing to the skin, it can also help soak up excess oil. It can be found in exfoliants, masks and even some moisturizers, and you can also do some DIY and create your own oatmeal skin care. There are some great, quick masks on Pinterest to make that include honey and yogurt which are also beneficial to angry skin.
Yogurt
“When topically applied to the skin, a velvety yogurt face mask will help moisturize, fight acne, prevent premature aging, relieve sunburn, and reduce discoloration. It’s an all-around beauty multi-tasker.”
Surprisingly, this ingredient is in here as an exfoliant! Yogurt naturally contains lactic acid, which is an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA), used to gently exfoliate and brighten skin. Recommended to use as an exfoliating and hydrating mask, this ingredient can aid in more than just treating redness! In some cases, Rosacea can have irritating acne component with it, this ingredient when used correctly can help with both the redness and the acne. Having multi-purpose ingredients and products will help make your routine shorter and more enjoyable.
Hyaluronic Acid
This one I feel like I mention for every single skin issue. Hyaluronic Acid is amazing, “To give you a fuller idea of its capabilities, one gram of HA holds approximately six liters of water” according to Skin Inc. Magazine in a recent article on HA (hyaluronic acid) and we are putting more than one gram on our skin! Making sure you have a serum with this in it will boost your skin’s hydration levels and support your acid mantle. If you have no idea what an acid mantle is, check out my latest blog The Epidermis Explained
Ceramides
Every time I see this ingredient I think “cereal” and probably for good reason. Ceramides are lipids or oil that help lubricate the skin’s surface as well as the cells themselves, picture hydrating a crispy corn flake and that is basically what this ingredient does! What does this mean for sensitive skin though? Well, without the proper balance of ceramides in the skin the outmost layer won’t function correctly causing dryness, irritation and redness. You definitely want these in your skincare products! Commonly found in moisturizers and hydrating serums, you won’t have to work to hard to incorporate this in.
I have mentioned this before and I will say it again: sensitive skin is genetic and your life and skincare will be about keeping it balanced. Sensitized skin is different, this means that something external (may be caused by you or by the environment you’re in) is causing your skin to react. The above chart really explains the differences between the two, learn where you fall on this list so that you know how to treat it. If your skin is sensitive, then incorporating those ingredients I mentioned above will help balance it out, but you will always have sensitive skin and may even retain the undertone of red/pink.
Going back to sensitized skin, the reactions listed may help you figure out the why, but the underlying cause of what’s going on might be something you’re doing or using. Using product incorrectly is a major factor and something I see all too often in the treatment room. Buying expensive product is one thing, but not knowing how to use it or if you are even meant to use it is a whole other beast.
Itchy skin is a sign of a reaction, whether its an allergy or a topical caustic agent
When investing in your skincare, ask lots of questions and take notes, not just mental notes but real written down ones, or have your skin therapist write down notes. Make “understanding” what you are putting on your skin an important part of the buying process. You are investing in yourself, you should probably know what your getting into and what you should be getting out of it! As a skincare professional, it is my job to know all the what for’s and why’s for all skin types and conditions, but also to educate my clients so they know it for themselves too. You don’t have to know everything about every product or every skin type, but you do need to know about your skin, it’s needs and what you are using on it.
The other two bullet points I wanted to address on the above picture are “frequent skin treatments” and “makeup with high chemical content” as these are two questions I get the most. How often should you have a skin treatment and what makeup is best for skin? The first part of that question is very person-specific and varies not just from person to person but from season to season. The general answer is you get a skin treatment at the time of cell turnover, which is around 28-30 days, depending on age. If you go in every 4-6 weeks, you are on a pretty good schedule to keep skin in balance. The only time you would want to come in every week or every other week is when you are in a skincare series, like a chemical peel or microdermabrasion series, where we are hitting the skin hard to treat a specific condition. Exfoliating too much can thin the skin and cause it to become sensitized, which is never the goal in a facial! It is important for your skin to be exfoliated regularly, but like all things, in moderation and in accord with what your skin needs, which might not be every day.
Makeup can also cause problems if the ingredients are heavy in chemicals or comedogenic (causing blackheads). There are so many options out there for you in the makeup world, how do you know what you should and should not use? Read the ingredient list, is it a whole lot of words you cannot pronounce? Do you see “fragrance” on the list? Mineral oil? These are things to look for as they are signs that there are chemicals that can irritate skin present. More times than not I will come across blackheads that are due to improper cleaning of makeup brushes, pore-clogging makeup, poor ingredient choice and not washing off all makeup. It is super important to thoroughly wash off your makeup, then wash your skin and finish with your evening products. Applying high powered products to a face with makeup and debris still on it is doing no one any good., and can lead to sensitized skin or reactions.
As you can see, there is a lot to sensitive skin! Firstly in understanding if you have genetically sensitive skin, or sensitized skin . Knowing your skin type and the many conditions that can appear will help you get a better grasp on what products you need, become a skin detective and unlock all the mysteries that us Estheticians learned in school! If you want to know more about sensitive skin, or think that you might be in need of product overhaul, reach out to your esthetician or email me here if you don’t have an esthetician and I will be more than happy to help in any way.
Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri