Sensitive skin is something you have, but sensitized skin is something you’ve done.
Sensitive skin is a genetic condition that makes you more susceptible to irritation, but it’s possible to make things worse by over-exfoliating or using harsh products.
- Sensitive skin is something you have, but sensitized skin is something you’ve done.
- Your dermatologist can tell if your skin is sensitive or sensitized based on the symptoms it exhibits and the past damage that has occurred to it.
With sensitive skin, you’re more likely to have a rosacea-like flush of the skin
The first thing you should know about sensitive skin is that it’s genetic. For example, my mother has sensitive skin and I inherited it from her. This means that your genes are the primary cause of having a rosacea-like flush of the skin.
If you have sensitive skin, you’re more likely to experience problems with rosacea because environmental factors like temperature changes can trigger outbreaks and make them worse.
Sensitive skin feels itchy and irritated by a lot of things, but sensitized skin only feels irritated by certain things.
Sensitive skin is a common condition for which there are many causes. It can be hereditary, or it can be caused by environmental factors like stress, sunlight, and pollution. Sensitive skin will react to many things, including allergens in the air that you inhale or come into contact with on your body.
This article will help you tell sensitive and sensitized skin apart so you know how best to care for your face or body when a reaction occurs!
People with sensitive skin might experience a mild burn or tingling sensation when they try on new makeup.
If you feel any irritation, stop using the product immediately. If it’s only mild discomfort, you may be able to tolerate the product and continue using it. If your skin does not react at all, then there is a good chance that this makeup is safe for your sensitive or sensitized skin.
If you have very sensitive skin and wish to avoid makeup altogether, there are some steps you can take:
- Apply foundation gently with your fingertips instead of a brush or sponge.
- Use an oil-free moisturizer before applying foundation (this will help prevent redness).
- Don’t blend multiple shades together; instead apply one shade at a time and set with powder after each application so they won’t combine on top of each other (this can lead to irritation).
Sensitive-skinned people often have thin skin with blood vessels beneath that are especially visible.
Sensitive skin can be genetically determined, which means it’s something you’re born with. If this is the case for you, then congratulations—you’ve been blessed with a wondrous gift.
But if your sensitive skin is not genetic and is instead caused by factors such as weather or products that irritate your complexion, well then: welcome to the club! Sensitivity isn’t just limited to one type of person; it affects many different types of people from all walks of life.
Sensitive-skinned people often have thin skin with blood vessels beneath that are especially visible (and may even be visible through make-up). Triggers like cold temperature changes, harsh soaps and cleansers, even some moisturizers can cause redness and inflammation in sensitive areas like cheeks and eyelids when they come into contact with them directly over time.
Sensitive-skinned people are highly reactive to what touches their face.
Sensitive skin is highly reactive to what touches it. It’s not just about the environment or products you use, but also about how your body reacts to certain foods and ingredients in those products, stress, emotions, weather changes and sleep deprivation.
For example: if your skin is sensitive to temperature changes (cold air or hot water), then washing it with a product that has irritants in it could cause an even greater allergic reaction than normal. Another example would be if your body produces more oil when stressed out—then using a cleanser full of drying alcohol may cause even more irritation than usual!
Sensitized skin can start out feeling like sensitive skin.
You might think that sensitive skin is just a fancy term for dry skin, but in reality, it’s more than that. Sensitive skin can be:
- red and irritated-looking
- tight, dry and flaky
- itchy and inflamed
- hot to the touch (and even burning)
Sensitive-skinned people may feel their skin is thin, fragile and easy to break; sensitized-skin people will feel their skin is inflamed and tight.
In order to determine which type of skin you have, first you’ll need to look at the condition of your skin. Sensitive-skinned people may feel their skin is thin, fragile and easy to break; sensitized-skin people will feel their skin is inflamed and tight. Sensitive skins get irritation from cold or hot water, but don’t necessarily react badly in response to topical products such as makeup or sunscreen. Instead of redness or pinkishness from irritation on sensitive skins, it’s more likely for them to appear dull or grayish in hue because they aren’t getting enough oxygen flow (and therefore nutrients).
Sensitized skin gets inflamed and tight when exposed to irritants like soaps or cosmetics — not just physical ones but also chemical ones (like perfumes). Unlike sensitive skins that can be irritated by both hot/cold water and topical products containing alcohols like glycerin; sensitized types will only react negatively with these kinds of substances — often resulting in bumps full of pus called whiteheads.
These are the things that often cause our sensitive skin to get sensitized: over-cleansing, over-exfoliating and over-zealous use of retinoids.
The one thing that most people with sensitive skin have in common is the fact that they’re over-cleansing. “Over-cleansing can lead to sensitization in two ways,” explains Dr. Imber. “First, if you are washing your face too much and stripping it of its natural oils, you may be causing an increase in oil production at a higher rate than normal—and this can cause irritation and inflammation. In addition to that, if you are using products with alcohols or surfactants (cleaning agents) that are harsh on the skin barrier and irritate it further, you will also be damaging its natural barrier function, which leads to increased sensitivity.”
If you think about it logically: How many times a day do we wash our hands? Once? Five times? Ten times? Twenty times? Thirty times?! If we washed our hands as many times as we wash our faces every day—and often without even realizing we did so—they would get very irritated from being rubbed against each other all day long! You don’t want your face feeling like those hands after doing this for years on end!
Overcleansing causes sensitization in two ways.
First, overcleansing can strip the skin of its natural protective oils. This causes the skin to overcompensate and produce too much oil, which is why you might notice that your face feels greasy after a thorough cleansing.
Secondly, overcleansing can cause skin to become dry and irritated. The more you scrub away at your pores with harsh cleansers and aggressive exfoliators (yes, those are different things), the more likely it is that your skin will react by producing extra oil in an effort to heal itself.
Over-exfoliating can lead to sensitization in multiple ways. It can overload the barrier function with too many exfoliants at once.
Exfoliating too often, using products that are too strong, or using a product that’s too abrasive can all lead to sensitization. Exfoliation is important for keeping skin healthy and smooth, but if you’re continually overdoing it with harsh and abrasive exfoliants or applying too many different products at once, your skin may become sensitive or hypersensitive.
It’s also possible to sensitize yourself by using the wrong product for your skin type: products formulated for oily or acne-prone skin will be much more irritating than those made for dry or sensitive skin types because they contain ingredients like synthetic fragrances and alcohols that can break down the barrier function of your skin.