Ask a room full of women whether they have sensitive skin and most of the hands will go up. Surveys across Europe, Asia and the Americas have found that somewhere between half and two thirds of women describe their skin that way, to some degree. That is a remarkable number for something we treat as a personal misfortune. It suggests that sensitive skin is less a type you are born with and more a state your skin has been pushed into, which is rather good news, because states can change.
What is happening when skin protests
The outer layer of your skin is held together by a thin mortar of fats: ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids, laid down in careful proportion between the flattened cells. When that mortar is plentiful, water stays in and irritants stay out. When it is thin, the opposite happens. Moisture leaves faster than it should, and every product, every gust of wind and every hot shower can reach nerve endings that would otherwise be well insulated. The stinging, the tightness and the redness that follow are your skin's way of telling you its defences are short-staffed.
The usual culprits
Over-cleansing. Foaming cleansers and soaps with a high pH are very good at removing grime and very good at removing your skin's own lipids along with it. Research on cleansers has shown how readily harsh surfactants disrupt both the barrier fats and the proteins of the outer skin, which is why squeaky clean so often turns into tight and uncomfortable an hour later.
Fragrance. Fragrance is one of the most common causes of contact allergy in the world, and it hides in a surprising number of products marketed as gentle. Essential oils count too, however natural they sound.
Too many products. Every new serum, acid and active is another thing for a stretched barrier to cope with. Skin that feels sensitive is very often skin that has been asked to do too much.
The Australian climate. Wind, salt, sun and air conditioning all pull water from the skin, and the seasons here can swing from humid to bone dry in a matter of weeks.
Bringing it some calm
The approach that works is almost disappointingly simple, which is probably why it is so often overlooked.
- Cleanse gently, and not too often. An oil cleanser lifts sunscreen and makeup without stripping, and water alone is plenty some mornings.
- Strip the routine back. One cleanser and one moisturiser for a few weeks. Let your skin settle before you introduce anything new, and introduce things one at a time.
- Moisturise onto damp skin. Pressing a balm onto skin that is still slightly damp helps hold that water in place.
- Turn the shower down. Very hot water dissolves skin lipids beautifully, which is precisely the problem.
- Look after the inside too. The gut and the immune system have more say in how reactive your skin feels than most people expect. I've written about that in the gut-skin connection.
What I'd reach for
For skin that reacts to almost everything, I'd start with the Scent-Free Tallow Balm. It is Australian grass-fed tallow with nothing added for scent and no essential oils, a fat your skin recognises and very little else to argue with. The Honey Oil Cleanser pairs well with it for a gentle clean. Patch test first, on the inside of your arm, and give it a couple of days before you go further.
If you'd like help working out where to start, email me at contact@daear.com.au and tell me a little about your skin. I read every one.
Ayla, holistic health coach and founder of DAEAR
This article is general information only and is not medical advice. If your skin is persistently red, painful, broken, or you think you may have a skin condition, please see your GP or a dermatologist.
Research referred to
- Farage MA. The prevalence of sensitive skin. Frontiers in Medicine. 2019;6:98.
- Feingold KR, Elias PM. Role of lipids in the formation and maintenance of the cutaneous permeability barrier. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. 2014;1841(3):280-294.
- Ananthapadmanabhan KP et al. Cleansing without compromise: the impact of cleansers on the skin barrier and the technology of mild cleansing. Dermatologic Therapy. 2004;17(Suppl 1):16-25.
- de Groot AC, Frosch PJ. Adverse reactions to fragrances: a clinical review. Contact Dermatitis. 1997;36(2):57-86.
- Purnamawati S et al. The role of moisturizers in addressing various kinds of dermatitis: a review. Clinical Medicine & Research. 2017;15(3-4):75-87.