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That last one,sensitive skin, is one of those concerns that you hear about all the time.
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Maybe you might even think you have it.
Is sensitive skin something you’re born with, or can it happen to anyone?
Are there different types or degrees of sensitive skin?
Can skin become more or less sensitive over time?
What common skin-care ingredients should someone with sensitive skin attempt to avoid?
To find out the answers to all of these questions, we enlisted a cadre of board-certified dermatologists.
Here, the experts help set the record straight on sensitive skin.
What is sensitive skin, and how can you tell if you have it?
Other potential triggers can include hormones, lack of sleep, and evenair pollution.
Another potential trigger: skin-care products.
Using the wrong ones can result in itchiness, dryness, and reddening.
This is why yourskin-care routineis probably the most telling factor in whether or not you truly have sensitive skin.
Are there different types of sensitivity?
“Then there are some people where most skin-care products and environmental factors bother their skin.”
Could pandemic stress be causing your sensitive skin?
In a word: Yes.
Have you changed your diet?
Have you changed your lifestyle?
Have you had increased stress lately?
Those changes can track in the skin.
Which ingredients should sensitive skin types use?
“[Look for] products that maintain and nourish your skin barrier,” Dr. Cheung says.
OK, then which skin-care ingredients should sensitive skin types avoid?
Since there are varying degrees and causes of sensitive skin, everyone is different.
A dermatologist is your best bet for figuring out your own individual trigger.
Isopropyl alcohol and chemical sunscreens are also common irritants.
Another potential trigger is thewayyou go about your skin-care routine specifically, the cleansing step.
“Do not rub or scrub,” Dr. Lewis says.
“Washing too often will irritate sensitive skin and cause excessive dryness.”
Instead, stick withmild, gentle cleansers, not soaps or scrubs.
“Do not use waterproof cosmetics,” she says.
“You need a special cleanser to remove them.”
One last cosmetics tip: Toss out any and all products that have been sitting around for too long.
The longer they sit in your medicine cabinet, the more likely they can become spoiled or contaminated.
Do I have to give up testing skin-care products?
What itdoesmean is that you may have to be a bit more thoughtful before slathering on your latest purchase.
More guidance on the best products for sensitive skin:
Done reading?