How to recognize sensitive skin, and how to treat it?

Tightness, inflammation, redness... A sensitive skin is first a reactive skin. It needs special and appropriate care to be protected from aggressions. Discover the right gestures to adopt to take care of your sensitive skin with delicacy.

Does your skin react instantly and disproportionately to certain products or in certain situations? If the answer is yes, then it may be sensitive...

Sensitive skin often has no particularities that can be detected during a clinical examination. It is the permanent sensation of discomfort, of skin that heats, burns, tingles, reddens or pulls that characterizes skin sensitivity. It must therefore be treated with care that respects its sensitivity and be very gentle so as not to further "damage" it.

Sensitive, hyper-reactive, irritable, or intolerant skin is not a skin type in the same way as oily, combination or dry skin. Conversely to what many people believe, this hyper-does not only characterizes dry skins. Although it is true that skin hypersensitivity affects more women with fair and thin skin, sensitivity is a characteristic that can affect all skin types, at any age, both occasionally and over the long term.

Sensitive skin, how to recognize it?

Skin hypersensitivity can occur when the skin reacts to external factors that should not disturb it. Reactive skin is in fact a skin whose tolerance threshold is much lower than others in the face of environmental or internal factors, than conventional skin. Thus, while it is perfectly normal to have a feeling of tightness after bathing in a highly chlorinated pool or itching after contact with detergent products, it is not insignificant to blush or be irritated after applying cream or even just water, after being upset or exposed to climatic variations.

Sensitive skin, what are the causes?

There are many factors causing reactions in sensitive skin: unsuitable cosmetic products, climatic variations, certain types of food, stress, and even water or the simple rubbing of clothes. The skin barrier being altered, it no longer ensures its protective role against the environment and becomes more permeable to foreign substances which are then experienced as real aggressions by the skin.

In any case, if you believe your might have a sensitive skin, you must avoid overly spicy dishes, alcohol, tobacco, alcoholic lotions, essential oils, foaming products and aggressive skin care products such as peels or abrasive scrubs, scaling creams, etc.

Sensitive skin: which beauty routine?

Sensitive skin requires very high tolerance soothing treatments. They are peculiar and require an adapted formulation with a rigorous selection of components. The aim? Avoid any potential irritation or strong skin reactions. The active ingredients must instantly soothe irritations, intensely nourish the skin, and provide a feeling of comfort. It is recommended to avoid using water to the maximum, especially if it is calcareous.

In the morning, you must remove impurities that have been accumulated on the surface of the skin with micellar water or a very gentle cleansing milk, suitable for sensitive skin. Then, you should moisturize with a hypoallergenic, moisturizing and soothing cream that will protect it throughout the day.

In the evening, you must remove all make-up by using once again an adapted product (micellar water, milk, oil...). One avoids removing the make-up remover by pressing or rubbing the skin with a cotton pad because this gesture risks irritating the skin with each passage. Any ideas? Soak the cotton with thermal water and proceed by circular effleurages.

And one applies a hypoallergenic, hydrating, comforting and softening cream, for a peaceful night.