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How to care for sensitive skin?
What should I pay attention to if you have sensitive skin?
Even though your skin is usually fine, it can become dry, flaky, and irritated during seasonal changes, due to stress, changes in your living environment, or lifestyle. You might experience itching, redness, and sensitivity, with your skin’s condition fluctuating between good and bad. It becomes more reactive to external stimuli, and it’s often challenging to find suitable skincare products. Sometimes, even the products you were using suddenly no longer suit your skin, leading to struggles in managing your sensitive skin. Japanese sensitive skincare is renowned worldwide, so let’s take a look at how Japan approaches sensitive skin care!
More and more people are troubled by sensitive skin, such as experiencing a stinging sensation during skincare, developing acne or facial redness during seasonal changes, or experiencing itching and swelling after prolonged sun exposure. Now, let’s take a closer look at what sensitive skin really is, which is a common concern.
People with sensitive skin may find that their skin reacts negatively to skincare products, cosmetics, environmental changes, extreme temperatures, pollution, stress, and hormonal fluctuations. This skin type can manifest in various ways, such as persistent redness, stinging, or a tight sensation, which often become more pronounced during seasonal changes or after exposure to irritants like alcohol or fragrance-containing products.
Sensitive skin is not limited to a specific skin type and can affect anyone, whether they have oily, normal, dry, or combination skin. Regardless of your natural skin type, sensitivity may develop due to various internal and external factors, such as environmental changes, exposure to irritants, stress, or even improper skincare routines.
Dry skin is often closely associated with sensitive skin, as a compromised skin barrier is more prone to allowing irritants to penetrate while reducing the skin’s ability to retain moisture. The facial skin, being the most exposed area, is frequently subjected to environmental aggressors such as UV rays, pollution, wind, and extreme temperatures. As a result, it is also the area where symptoms of sensitive skin are most evident, making it particularly susceptible to irritation, redness, and discomfort.
There are many factors that can cause sensitive skin, such as environmental changes, work stress, and life pressure, which can trigger a series of skin issues. So, what are the main factors that cause the skin to become sensitive?
Skin becomes dry when it loses an excessive amount of water and natural oils, leading to a compromised skin barrier. When the skin’s protective barrier is weakened, it not only struggles to retain moisture but also becomes more susceptible to irritation, redness, and sensitivity.
Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic skin condition that compromises your skin’s natural barrier function, making it less effective at protecting you from external irritants. This weakened barrier allows irritants to penetrate the skin more easily, often resulting in redness, itchiness, inflammation, and dryness.
Irritant contact dermatitis is a common skin condition characterized by a red, itchy rash that occurs when the protective outer layer of your skin, also known as the epidermis, is compromised after coming into contact with an irritating substance. The damage weakens the skin’s barrier function, making it more vulnerable to inflammation, dryness, cracking, and discomfort.
Allergic contact dermatitis is a less common but notable form of contact dermatitis that occurs when your immune system overreacts to a specific allergen. Common allergens that can cause allergic contact dermatitis include certain metals like nickel, fragrances found in cosmetics and personal care products, preservatives in skincare items, plants like poison ivy, and even some medications. Unlike irritant contact dermatitis, which results from damage to the skin’s protective barrier, allergic contact dermatitis involves your immune system identifying a harmless substance as a threat and mounting a defense against it.
Contact urticaria, also known as contact hives, is a type of allergic reaction that occurs when the skin comes into direct contact with an irritant or allergen. Treatment options for contact urticaria often include: Antihistamines、 Cold compresses、 Steroid creams、 Avoidance of triggers. etc.
Photodermatoses refer to a group of skin conditions characterized by an abnormal reaction to sunlight, specifically to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Common symptoms include redness, itching, swelling, blistering, or scaly patches on sun-exposed areas such as the face, neck, arms, and hands.
Sensitive skin requires more attention than regular skin. It needs moisturizers and soothing agents in skincare products to help protect and repair the skin barrier. However, sensitive skin often experiences a stinging or uncomfortable sensation when using skincare products, which leads many people with sensitive skin to abandon their skincare routine. This is actually not the right approach. So, how should sensitive skin choose skincare products?
Soap-free cleansers are a gentler alternative to traditional soaps, causing less irritation to the skin and being less likely to disrupt the skin’s natural barrier, making them the preferred choice for sensitive skin. These cleansers use milder cleansing ingredients that help maintain the skin’s natural pH balance, typically between 4.5 and 5.5, making them especially suitable for sensitive, dry, or acne-prone skin. They effectively cleanse without causing excessive dryness or tightness. Many soap-free cleansers are also enriched with moisturizing and soothing ingredients, such as glycerin, ceramides, aloe vera, and hyaluronic acid, which help strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier and provide additional protection against environmental aggressors.
Moisturizing skincare products play a crucial role in maintaining skin hydration by creating a barrier that prevents water loss and keeps the skin soft, smooth, and elastic. In addition to hydration, moisturizing products can also reduce the appearance of dryness, flakiness, and fine lines, helping to improve skin tone and create a healthier, more youthful complexion. They also help soothe irritated or inflamed skin and support the skin’s natural barrier function.
Glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and urea attract moisture from the environment or deeper layers of the skin to the surface, helping to maintain moisture balance. Plant oils (such as jojoba oil or almond oil) and lipids provide a smooth texture and help to soften the skin. Petrolatum, dimethicone, and beeswax form a protective layer over the skin to prevent moisture loss.
Avoid Using Products with Alcohol or Harsh Astringents: Alcohol-based products or those with harsh astringents can strip the skin of its natural oils, leading to dryness, irritation, and an imbalanced skin barrier. These ingredients can be especially harmful to sensitive, dry, or acne-prone skin, as they may exacerbate these conditions. Opt for alcohol-free formulations in toners, cleansers, and moisturizers to maintain the skin’s natural moisture balance and prevent unnecessary irritation.
Don’t Layer Too Many Active Ingredients at Once: Active ingredients such as retinoids, vitamin C, acids (like AHA and BHA), and peptides can provide significant benefits to the skin, but layering too many active ingredients at once can lead to over-exfoliation, irritation, or compromised skin. Each active ingredient works in different ways, and combining them can make the skin more sensitive or cause unwanted reactions.
In recent years, due to various factors, more and more consumers are troubled by sensitive skin. How to provide skincare products suitable for them has become a popular topic of discussion among brands. In addition to daily moisturizing effects, products may also include soothing and anti-inflammatory ingredients to alleviate sensitive skin symptoms and provide comfort during the skincare process. Furthermore, products with no added chemicals are also a growing consumer trend among those with sensitive skin.
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