Some people are born with sensitive skin; other people have it temporarily. It‘s very common due to cold climate, as well as stress, travel, or sleep deprivation.
No matter which camp you fall in—seasonal or year-round sufferer—if your skin is consistently feeling tight, pink, dry, flaky, or inflamed, it’s time to switch things up. From choosing the right formulas to supercharging your complexion, here dermatologists and makeup pros weigh in on how to minimize flare-ups to maintain a remarkably clear glow through spring.
Go Fragrance Free
Fragrance is one of the most common ingredients in cleansers, creams, and lotions that can lead to redness, itching, burning, or excessive dryness in sensitive-skinned individuals. And that‘s just the beginning when it comes to giving a product’s label a close read. You should look for products with ingredients that are soothing and formulated for sensitive skin. A longtime sufferer of rosacea, a chronic skin condition that causes redness, Westman steers clear of fragrance as well as sulfates, which can irritate rosacea-prone skin. Try to pick a product with as few ingredients as possible—the more ingredients [on the label], the more potential for problems. It can get tricky when most products have a list of 30 to 50 ingredients.
Cleanse Gently
It‘s important to remove makeup and environmental toxins, but overcleansing should be avoided, It can strip the skin of its natural barrier and fatty acids, potentially leading to excessive dryness and irritation. For sensitive skin, an ultra-gentle, sulfate-free cleanser or micellar water, which won‘t dry out the skin. Sensitive skin really doesn’t need to be cleansed more than once a day unless makeup needs to be removed at another point during the day.
Exfoliate Regularly, But Don’t Overdo It
Exfoliation is essential for sensitive skin during the winter. It removes dead cells on the surface so that products will penetrate more efficiently. Choosing a very fine-grained physical exfoliant—but with a major prerequisite: Tread lightly. Scrubbing is for pots and pans, not your skin. As for the rest of the body, you can use a chemical exfoliant to treat your physique with a topical treatment that contains an alpha hydroxy acid, such as lactic acid to increase cell turnover while maintaining moisture. This kind of treatment can be especially helpful for those who struggle with keratosis pilaris, whereby individuals affected experience rough bumps, most commonly on the back of the upper arms. People who have KP also tend to have more sensitive skin in general or be more prone to dry, itchy skin conditions such as eczema.
