Sensitive skin can be beautiful, almost translucent at its best, but it’s likely to suffer at the slightest puff of the wind. It easily develops redness, small surface veins and allergic reactions to some products.
Sensitive skin is an inherited condition, mostly affecting people with hayfever, asthma or other allergies. People with sensitive skin have usually had it since childhood.
But it’s also quite common for people to develop sensitive skin temporarily – this is known as sensitised skin. Stress, fatigue, hormonal imbalance, cosmetic allergies, overexfoliation, environmental factors and pollution are just some of the things that can cause sensitised skin.
Is it sensitive?
If you answer yes to most of these questions, you have sensitive skin.
- Can your skin sometimes look thin or transparent in texture?
- Does your skin redden or sunburn easily?
- Does your skin show irritation, especially in cold weather?
- Is your skin allergy prone?
Looking after it
If you have sensitive skin it’s especially important that you look after it properly. Letting your skin get irritated regularly can actually cause permanent cellular damage – leading to premature ageing.
Taking care of your sensitive skin involves two basic steps:
- Avoiding your main trigger factors
- Using the right skincare products