DO YOU
REALLY HAVE
SENSITIVE SKIN?
By Shari Shallard
M
any people have sensitive skin,
and it’s wise for them to keep that
in mind when choosing products
and formulations. But many people have
normal skin that feels sensitive, and these
blurry lines can lead to a lot of misguided
purchases and very unhappy skin. fragrance-free, and choose lightweight sun-
screens. Pay attention to ingredients, and you’ll
quickly get to know which ones react badly
with your skin.
Understanding the difference between sensitive
skin and normal skin that happens to be going
through something can be the difference
between fixing the problem and indefinitely
chasing the wrong solutions. This is that blurry line we were talking about.
Soreness and irritation might have convinced
you that you have sensitive skin, but sensitive
skin might not be your problem. Let’s talk about
some common factors that might be affecting
your normal skin.
What is sensitive skin?
An intolerant skin type, sensitive skin often
reacts severely to skin care products and ingre-
dients. Sensitive skin may be red, sore, itchy
and uncomfortable, so it is generally trickier to
care for. The potent chemicals and fragrances
in many of today’s most effective products can
feel like an assault on sensitive skin.
How to help your sensitive skin
Choose soothing and calming products formu-
lated specifically for sensitive skin, which
contain gentle ingredients to treat and repair
the damaged skin barrier. Stick with simple and
Why your ‘sensitive skin’
products aren’t helping
Dryness. If your skin is feeling sore and
extremely dried out, chances are you’re using
the wrong products for your skin type. Did you
accidentally choose the normal/oily cleanser
instead of dry/normal one? Try switching to
the dry skin formulation. Are you adequately
moisturising every day, and applying a night
cream every evening? Are you sticking with
gentle exfoliators, rather than harsh ones that
might feel satisfying at first but are simply too
intense for your face? Ease up on those and see
if things improve.
Oily skin. If you consider yourself an oily-skin
person, getting hit with dry, sore skin can be
ISSUE #09 | 2018 | SkinHealthMagazine.com 30