Is Your Skin Sensitive or Sensitized? Here's How To Know and How To Deal

Introduction

If your face feels like it’s on fire, looks like a volcano, or appears to be in the midst of an invasion by the red army, you’re probably experiencing some form of skin sensitivity that may be affecting your complexion. In fact, research shows that 45% of consumers report having sensitive or sensitized skin. But before applying any sort of balm or salve to your poor skin (or scouring the internet for do-it-yourself remedies), it’s important to understand what type of sensitivity you’re dealing with—and how best to relieve it. So, if you’ve been battling flaky and inflamed skin for more than six weeks and need help getting back on track, here are our top tips for identifying the source of your skin sensitivity and soothing its effects…

Sensitive skin is a skin type, while sensitized skin is a condition.

Sensitive skin is a skin type, while sensitized skin is a condition. While some people may be born with sensitive or sensitized skin, others can develop it over time (more on that in the next section).

Sensitized skin can be caused by a number of different factors.

Sensitized skin can be caused by a number of different factors. Some of the most common causes include:

Allergies: If you have sensitive or sensitized skin, you’re likely allergic to something in your environment. This can cause redness and inflammation on your skin that may look similar to rosacea (a type of chronic inflammation). If your symptoms are worse when the weather is warmer and you live in an area with more pollen or dust mites, then it’s possible that exposure to irritants like these is causing your condition.
Environmental irritants: Exposure to environmental irritants like dry air, cigarette smoke and pollution can also lead to irritated sensitive or sensitized skin. This happens because these things cause tiny tears in the protective layer of moisture that covers our face, creating an opportunity for bacteria or other microorganisms to enter our pores and cause damage over time—which may result in visible signs on top as well as internal changes below!

Factors that can cause sensitized skin include lifestyle choices and environmental irritants.

There are a number of factors that can cause your skin to become sensitized. These include lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking and sun exposure. Environmental irritants like harsh cleansers, chemicals and environmental pollutants can also contribute to sensitized skin conditions.

In addition to these factors, medications you may be on can be the culprit behind your sensitive skin. This includes birth control pills, acne medication, antihistamines and other prescription medications. Hormonal changes such as puberty or menopause have been known to trigger a reoccurring case of sensitive skin in some women as well.

Identifying the source of your sensitized skin may help you better manage it.

Sensitized skin can be a frustrating problem, but knowing how to identify and treat it can help you make the most of your skincare routine.

Sensitive Skin vs Sensitized Skin: What’s the Difference?

Sensitive skin is when you experience dryness, redness, inflammation or itching after using something on your face (like soap). Sensitized skin refers specifically to an allergic reaction that causes symptoms like redness and irritation (as opposed to sensitivity which is just uncomfortable).

Not all makeup is created equal, so read the ingredients and opt for products that are gentle and non-irritating.

Your skin is sensitive if you have a reaction to something that most people don’t have a problem with. This could be an ingredient in your makeup, like fragrance or alcohol, or it could be something in the environment that triggers breakouts on your face.

For example, if you know that your skin gets irritated when you wear foundation containing alcohol and fragrance, it might be worth switching to a hypoallergenic formula. These products are often more expensive than other brands but worth investing in if they make all the difference between sensitive and non-sensitive skin!

If you’re prone to redness or irritation, steer clear of fragrances and harsh alcohols in your makeup products.

If you’re prone to redness or irritation, steer clear of fragrances and harsh alcohols in your makeup products. Fragrances aren’t always required for a product to function well. Alcohol is also drying and can irritate sensitive skin more than help it.

If you have mild skin sensitivity, you might be able to use these ingredients sparingly without any adverse effects on your skin’s health or appearance. However, if you’ve been diagnosed with an allergy or have experienced negative reactions while using these ingredients in the past, it’s best to avoid them completely so that your skin doesn’t become irritated again later on down the road!

When trying a new product, launch into a patch test first then wait 24 hours to see if irritation occurs before applying it to your entire face.

To conduct the test:

Take one coin-sized amount of product and apply it on an area with no blemishes or scars (such as the back of your hand). Make sure you don’t use too much product or use your finger tips – when you’re doing this initial test, you don’t want to risk having too much contact with the skin.
Leave the product on for at least 8 hours but no longer than 16 hours. You can wash off any residue from this time period at any point in time after that initial 8/16 hour window has passed; however, try not to touch or rub that small patch of skin again until after those initial 24 hours have elapsed so that we can get our best idea about whether there are any reactions occurring in reaction with what might be an ingredient inside our new favorite serum/moisturizer!

If you have had flaky or inflamed skin for more than six weeks, seek advice from your dermatologist or licensed medical provider.

If you have had flaky or inflamed skin for more than six weeks, seek advice from your dermatologist or licensed medical provider. These conditions can be a sign of a deeper underlying problem such as an allergy to a product you are using or even an infection. It is important that your doctor has all the information they need to make an accurate diagnosis. If you suspect that your skin condition may be due to a cosmetic product:

Stop using any new products you have recently added to your routine
Write down all other products and ingredients currently in use on your face, body and hands (including sunscreens) so that the doctor can review it with you
Take photos before going in for an appointment (you don’t want them thinking it was caused by dirt!)

Your skin will thank you for taking care of it!

Your skin will thank you for taking care of it! Make sure your skin care products are gentle on your sensitive skin. This means less harsh chemicals and more natural ingredients. You might have to experiment a little to find out what works best for you, but it’s worth it. If you have sensitive skin, make sure your moisturizer doesn’t contain alcohol or fragrance (the most common irritants) and that the cleanser is pH-balanced.

Conclusion

Sensitive skin is a type of skin, whereas sensitized skin is a condition. Some people are born with sensitive skin and some develop it due to external factors later in life. Sensitized skin can be caused by many things such as UV exposure, pollution, smoking, stress and even the products we use on our face every day. The best way to take care of your sensitized skin is to identify the cause of this irritation and manage it accordingly. Patch test all new products before using them in whole and seek advice from your dermatologist or licensed medical provider if you’re experiencing redness or flakiness for more than six weeks.