Sensitive or sensitized skin?

How do I know if I have sensitive or sensitized skin?

If you have dry skin and the discomfort, redness, tightness, tingling, reactions to temperature changes, you know by heart ... If you've been prone to these little inconveniences of skin since (almost) always, it is certainly that you have the sensitive skin. On the other hand, if you are reading this article because your skin has been uncomfortable for only a few days, you have redness in areas you think are unusual, you do not recognize the texture of your skin, it seems so irritated that it is difficult to take care of it without having the impression of inflaming it, that certain parts of your face peel and that you definitely do not understand what could have happened… It is surely that you are experiencing a skin condition and your skin has been sensitized.

If you are not sure where you fall in these two descriptions, you can take the following test: make your skincare routine as light as possible by putting aside powerful ingredients (or even “strippers”) such as vitamin C, retinol, BHAs and AHAs among others. After about 20 days, see if your skin seems to have rebalanced itself or if the irritation, redness and dryness persist. If the skin appears to have returned to normal, it is sensitized. If she is in pain after this break, it is because you naturally have sensitive skin.

Understanding the causes of sensitized skin

Sensitized skin can happen at several times in a lifetime and for few reasons

A hormonal change (at the onset of menopause, for example)

• Psychological reasons (stress can cause disturbances in your skin conditions)

• Too brutal a change in your beauty routine. Too eager to test the 5 samples you received? You've completely turned your beauty routine upside down for these new little treasures. Sometimes a new product or a change in quantity upon application can be enough to trigger a tidal wave on your face.

The symptoms are more or less the same as those of sensitive skin: irritation, your skin peels, you notice unusual redness.

Take care of your sensitized skin

Double cleaning, very gentle

As usual, let's avoid micellar water and prefer double cleansing. Choose a milk texture or an oil for your makeup removal. Follow with a gentle cleanser. Avoid rinsing your face with too hot water which will attack your hydrolipidic film and make it "bare" without protection. Prefer lukewarm water and especially gentle movements when cleaning or treating your skin.

A peel, good or bad idea?

If your skin is flaking or has a very unusually irregular texture, you may well be able to do a peel mask. Be careful, however, if your skin seems “raw” to you! In any case, prefer a gentle exfoliant with fruit enzymes, for example, rather than a grain scrub. These have a mechanical action on the skin and can aggravate irritation, redness and damage to the hydrolipidic film.

Repair the hydrolipidic film of your skin

By providing it with its two constituent elements: water (hydro-) and fat (-lipidic). What active ingredients to look for for these two things: Water: hyaluronic acid, acid, aloe vera, squalane, ... fat: shea, oils, ... Choose in particular soothing active ingredients: arnica montana, honey, shea ...