What Causes Sensitive Skin & How To Care For It

People have experienced varying degrees of skin inflammation, irritation, and discolouration for years. And sadly, this will continue until more people understand the causes of the skin sensitivity that causes these issues for them. That was a sad but true segue to our discussion in this article about skin sensitivity; a skin condition that is often confused as a skin type (‘sensitive skin’). 

What Is Sensitive Skin?

Skin sensitivity (sensitive skin) is a skin condition that can happen to people of every skin colour and type; from dry to oily. It is a common condition that makes your skin more prone to reactions such as redness, inflammation, discolouration, irritation and itching. People who have sensitive skin often notice occasional or frequent itching, burning, and stinging on patches of skin that may require a visit to the dermatologist.

There are many ways to ease the irritation and symptoms of sensitive skin. But depending on what triggered the sensitivity in the first place, you may get relief from simple at-home care, need to apply prescription creams or completely change your skincare routine.

What Sensitive Skin Looks Like

Skin sensitivity can look a couple of different ways so it’s usually safer to visit a dermatologist for accurate diagnosis before you start treating it. When your dermatologist is examining your skin and asking you questions, they’re looking for both objective and subjective symptoms of skin sensitivity.

Objective symptoms are physical issues that they can see, such as redness, swelling, or sores. These are easier to detect compared to the subjective symptoms which are sensations like itching, burning, and pain that can only be felt or observed by you. So when you visit your dermatologist, tell them everything you see and feel about your skin issue so that they can arrive at an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan for you.

Causes Of Sensitive Skin

Skin sensitivity happens when your skin’s protective barrier starts to break down. This can be caused by the environment, allergic reactions to certain products, dehydration, or an underlying medical condition. Unfortunately, there are a small number of people who are born with a gene (or mutation) that makes their skin naturally sensitive to a lot of things. Despite this, some common causes of skin sensitivity include:

• Ageing: This natural occurrence results in your skin losing moisture and becoming dry & cracked.
• Medications: Certain medications, especially the ones that treat hypertension, cause dehydration & sensitivity.
• Hormonal changes: Changes such as those that occur during the menstrual cycle can affect the skin’s barrier.
• Cancer treatment: These treatments can cause patches of dry, itchy skin that lead to sensitivity.
• Smoking: This speeds up skin ageing and can lead to premature wrinkles, irritation & sensitivity.
• Pollution: This is a very common skin irritant.
• Certain medical conditions: Medical issues such as skin cancer, kidney disease, liver disease, shingles, multiple sclerosis, and HIV can cause skin issues that lead to sensitivity.
• Contact dermatitis: This is a type of eczema that causes inflammation in your skin when it is exposed to an irritant.
• Allergy: When your skin has an allergic response, it means your immune system is in overdrive as your body tries to protect itself when your skin touches an allergen such as pollen, This process can lead to redness and itching.
• Rosacea: Healthcare providers do not know what causes rosacea yet but sunlight can trigger it, causing redness, acne and swelling in the face and neck.

How To Treat Sensitive Skin

The key to treating skin sensitivity typically involves finding and eliminating the things that trigger the sensitivity, as well as using home remedies or prescription medications to treat the symptoms.

Medical treatments depend on the cause of the sensitivity and the accompanying symptoms. In this case, your dermatologist may prescribe a few different medications like steroid creams (don’t use them on the face), analgesic creams (to numb the area and make you less likely to scratch or irritate the area), antihistamines (to relieve some allergic reactions), and protective sunscreen (to protect sensitive skin from the sun’s UV rays).

In cases where your skin sensitivity is not extreme, you can use home remedies like:

• Hypoallergenic moisturising products that can reduce dryness without irritating sensitive skin. For this, look for products that contain some simple oils, such as shea butter or coconut oil, like the Kanda Body Balms.
• Cleansing products that contain oatmeal, especially colloidal oatmeal, may be especially helpful for people with sensitive skin. The Kanda Baby soap is a great option as it contains deeply nourishing cocoa butter, colloidal oatmeal (which soothes skin conditions), moisturising olive oil, deep-cleansing coconut oil (which also adds a rich lather), castor oil (helps draw moisture to the skin, so it stays smooth), and honey (helps the skin lock in its natural moisture). It was originally formulated for babies but it’s gentle enough for adults with sensitive skin issues.

Skincare Routine For Sensitive Skin

Generally, a good skincare routine for people with sensitive skin should include a gentle cleansing product, a lightweight moisturising product and a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30+. Pair that routine with a skincare habit that can be as simple as taking short showers daily and reapplying your moisturiser twice a day and you’ve got a winner. That’s all that your skin needs to deal with sensitivity.

• Step 1: Gentle cleanser that includes colloidal oatmeal and simple oils.
• Step 2: Any recommended treatment products from your dermatologist.
• Step 3: Moisturiser that is hypoallergenic to reduce the itching and inflammation.
• Step 4: Sunscreen, especially a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. 

That said, you should avoid anything that contains retinol or exfoliating acids and scrubs unless a doctor expressly prescribes it. Why? Because those types of products are formulated to help speed up skin cell turnover and can be extremely irritating and damaging to your already fragile skin barrier. The consensus from most dermatologists is to use gentle, skin-barrier-loving ingredients like ceramides, glycerin, and sunscreen.

Additional Tips For Managing Sensitive Skin

Some additional tips that can help people with sensitive skin to be able to minimise the symptoms include:

• Taking shorter showers and baths that last less than 10 minutes,
• Avoiding using very hot water for bathing and washing the hands,
• Avoiding harsh fragrances, detergents, or other chemicals,
• Using fragrance-free, hypoallergenic products, such as soaps, deodorants, and detergents,
• Testing new products on a small area of skin before applying them to more extensive areas,
• Avoiding harsh chemical cleaners, and
• Patting down after a bath/shower rather than rubbing the body dry.

If you find that you usually suffer from some symptoms of skin sensitivity, You should try keeping a journal of the products that you use each day to help you identify any possible triggers of symptoms on your skin. If you find a product you believe is causing a reaction, you should stop using it immediately and take it to a dermatologist to undergo testing for allergies.