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Sensitive skin
Have you despaired of your skin ever looking normal without the constant pimples and bumps that have become sort of your trademark? Have you ever wondered why your skin is always getting every kind of infection? Well, if these two scenarios are things that you are very accustomed to, then it can only mean one thing. You have a sensitive skin.
What is a sensitive skin?
A sensitive skin is a type of skin that easily reacts to a lot of things in the environment. It is characterized by skin breakouts and redness of the skin. It is caused when the natural barriers that protect the skin from irritants is destroyed bringing the sensitive skin in contact with any irritant around which could range from skin products to environmental irritants.
Characteristics of the Sensitive skin
Sensitive skins are usually recognized by the following symptoms
- Sensitive skins have a reddish look about them almost like they are being irritated every time.
- The skin burns and itches as a result of the irritations.
- The skin is almost always rough, scaly and sometimes swollen.
- The sensitive skin almost always looks stretched and as a result of that, it feels prickly.
How to identify a sensitive skin.
Sensitive skins are very easy to identify. They always look splotchy and swollen. Their surface is usually rough with any number of skin irritations such as acne, blackhead, etc.
How to know if you have a sensitive skin.
There is no time that a person with sensitive skin would not be aware of their condition. The constant stinging and outbreak of skin irritations is enough to let them know but on the off chance that they don’t actually know, then the fact that their skin gets irritated and itchy after they apply anything on it is enough to clue them in.
However, there are a few exercises that should let you know if you have sensitive skin or not. Some of these exercises are.
The Brush test
For this test, you are required to brush your hand across your skin without adding a lot pressure. If the skin turns a red colour, then it is definitely a sensitive skin.
The product test
This test simply let’s you know if your skin is sensitive by applying a couple of cosmetic products on your skin. If your skin gets itchy and uncomfortable than it is sensitive.
Other signs that show that you have sensitive skin include.
- Your skin is not even and is dry most of the time
- Your skin easily gets flushed from the weather.
- Your skin has a lot of reddish colored parts that may or may not go away.
- It even feels very sensitive and prickly when you touch it.
- During the dry season, the skin needs a bigger amount of water than before.
Causes of Sensitive Skin.
The sensitive skin is caused when the outer horny layer of the skin is removed leaving the inner sensitive skin open to the atmosphere. The inner skin with its nerve endings easily gets irritated even over the smallest things and causes the owner itching and prickling. Other causes of the Sensitive skin include extreme dry skin, skin diseases like eczema, and other factors like irritant content dermatitis, hormonal changes, stress, poor nutrition and allergies. Constant cold and exposure to ultraviolet rays are also causes of skin sensitivity.
Activities that increase the skin sensitivity
Certain activities we engage in do a lot to increase the sensitivity of our skin and some of them include ;
1. Wrong skin care routines
Some skin care routines do more harm than good and one of these is the washing of the face with hot water. Too much of this practice can actually contribute significantly to the loss of the horny layer of the skin thereby exposing the vulnerable nerve filled second layer.
- Use of chemicals and grainy exfoliates
The act of exfoliating to remove dead cells and expose the newer and fresher skin underneath is a practice that is quickly gaining ground in the beauty market. However, excess use of the grainy exfoliates can have the unpleasant side effect of slowly scraping away the horny layer of the skin leaving the sensitive layer. Also some of the chemicals used on the skin in a bid to have a fresher skin could also be slowly removing the upper protective layer of the skin.
Care for sensitive skin.
The Sensitive skin can be cared for to improve its sensitivity to external stimuli. However, this has to be carefully done so as not to irritate it further. Because of its sensitivity to most skin care products, the sensitive skin may not be able to accept all types of products.
- Include more antioxidant vitamins to your meal
One of the first actions to be taken for a sensitive skin is to change the diet. The person’s diet should include a lot of antioxidants vitamins like Vitamin A, and E.
- Try as much as possible to protect your skin from the direct rays of the sun.
This can be done by the skillful application of a sunscreen to your skin and the conscientious avoidance of very bright sunlight.
Other ways of making sure that your skin loses its extra sensitivity include learning to avoid certain skin care products and making use of only approved and safe skin care products on your skin.
Conclusion
The sensitive skin is the worst type of skin to have but with dedication to the solutions given in this article, your skin should look better in time.
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