Is Your Skin Sensitive or Sensitized? Here’s How To Know and How To Deal

Is Your Skin Sensitive or Sensitized? Here’s How To Know and How To Deal: a blog around skin sensitivity and how you can improve your skin routine.

Skin sensitivity is a common topic of conversation at the Institute. We often hear about the miseries of sensitive skin, but many times, people aren’t talking about true sensitive skin. Instead, they are describing a sensitized skin condition that can be caused by over-exfoliation, over-using products with harsh ingredients like alcohols, or even by using too many products at once.

What’s the difference between sensitive and sensitized? We talked to Dr. Diana Howard, Director of Scientific Communications for the Institute, about what you need to know about each type of skin condition and how to treat it properly.

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin is something that you are born with. People who have sensitive skin are more prone to redness and inflammation because their skin barrier doesn’t function as well as normal skin does. Their natural defense system isn’t as strong and they don’t handle changes in climate as well. The good news is that it’s not permanent; those with sensitive skin can do a lot to help their symptoms so that they don’t experience any discomfort.

If you have sensitive

Is Your Skin Sensitive or Sensitized? Here’s How To Know and How To Deal

by Eunice Byun, Co-Founder of Curology

Sensitive skin is a real thing. But if you think you have it, you may actually be suffering from something else entirely.

Here’s how to know if your skin is sensitive or sensitized, and what to do about it.

Sensitive vs. sensitized: what’s the difference?

Sensitive skin is a very real condition that affects about 1 in 5 people. It can cause redness, dryness, and general irritation on its own — or make you even more susceptible to flare-ups from things like pollution and harsh products. People with sensitive skin have thinner skin barrier walls than the average person, which allows irritants and allergens to seep in and cause irritation.

In contrast, sensitized skin is not a chronic or genetic condition. Instead, it happens when your skin barrier is damaged by exposure to harsh ingredients (like alcohol), environmental stressors (like pollution), or just everyday wear and tear (like sun exposure). When your barrier becomes weakened like this, it’s much easier for irritants to get through — so even if your skin used to be

Is Your Skin Sensitive or Sensitized? Here’s How To Know and How To Deal

Sensitive skin is a skin type that’s been misdiagnosed for years. Often, the symptoms of sensitive skin are just signs that your normal skin has become sensitized. Which means you can treat it!

What is sensitive skin?

Sensitive skin is often defined as a condition or a trait that causes overly reactive responses to things like skincare products, environmental factors, stress or certain foods. It’s often described as being caused by an overly-reactive immune system, which can lead to low levels of inflammation in the face. That inflammation causes blotchy patches, redness and a tight feeling on your face.

If you look at what people with sensitive skin are reacting to, you’ll find that their symptoms are usually caused by common ingredients in skincare products that aren’t particularly harsh or known irritants (like surfactants).

For example, a lot of people with sensitive skin can’t use moisturizers with any kind of fragrance or essential oil. These ingredients aren’t particularly irritating; they’re just being blamed for sensitizing the skin. The same goes for preservatives and emulsifiers–they don’t cause irritation, but they’re often

What’s the difference between sensitive and sensitized skin?

People often confuse “sensitive skin” with “sensitized skin.” Sensitive skin is an inherited condition, and you are born with it. Some people’s skin is naturally more reactive than others, due to genetic make-up. Sensitive skin can include dryness, flakiness, redness and itching. If you have sensitive skin, it can be easy for your complexion to become sensitized because of environmental factors.

Sensitized skin is a temporary condition that can be caused by environmental factors such as weather, pollution, chemicals in products and lifestyle habits such as smoking. It can also be a side effect from using certain medications. If your skin becomes sensitized, it may react with redness, inflammation or itching when exposed to one or several triggers.

The first step in dealing with your sensitive or sensitized skin is identifying the cause or causes. When you know what’s behind your condition, you’ll then be able to take the right steps to manage it. In some cases, you may need to see a dermatologist for a professional assessment and treatment recommendations.

When your skin becomes sensitized, it’s usually due to external factors like environmental stressors and improper skin care, making your skin more reactive. When you cleanse, moisturize or treat your skin with certain ingredients, they may be doing more harm than good. If you’re experiencing redness, tingling, burning or other irritation every time you use a product, it could be the result of your skin being sensitized. To avoid further aggravation and damage to the skin barrier, it’s best to identify what caused the problem in the first place and how to correct it.

If you’re experiencing redness, tingling, burning or other irritation every time you use a product, it could be the result of your skin being sensitized. To avoid further aggravation and damage to the skin barrier, it’s best to identify what caused the problem in the first place and how to correct it.

If you have sensitive skin — as defined by a predisposition for redness, dryness and/or itching — you’re likely born with this condition due to genetic factors you can’t control. Sensitivity can also be caused by underlying conditions like rosacea or eczema.

Sensitized skin is different because its condition is usually reversible once

You might be wondering what the difference is between sensitive and sensitized skin. Sensitive skin is a skin type like normal and dry, while sensitized skin is a condition that can affect anyone. Sensitive skin is genetic, and it’s not something that you can control or change. Your skin will feel uncomfortable or irritated when using products with harsh ingredients or fragrances, because your skin has a weaker barrier function than others.

Sensitized skin on the other hand, is triggered by external factors that cause damage to your skin. The biggest culprits are environmental stressors like pollution and UV rays, but internal factors like diet, hormones, medications and stress can also cause your skin to react.

When your skin becomes sensitized, it will appear red and flushed with itchiness, stinging sensations and rough patches due to inflammation. You might even experience breakouts but there are ways to identify whether your skin is just sensitive or actually sensitized so that you can treat it accordingly.

We all have skin, right? Well, yes and no. If you think that the only skin you own is the outermost layer of what covers your body – think again. Skin is a complex organ made up of many layers – three to be exact. The epidermis (outermost), dermis (middle) and hypodermis (deepest). That’s just the basics of it. There’s so much more to your skin than meets the eye – literally!

Think of your skin as a suit of armor. A beautiful outfit that protects you from all kinds of things that can cause damage such as UV rays, pollution, dirt, bacteria and more. Your skin is also an organ that regulates your temperature as well as excretes toxins and waste through sweat glands located all over your body. With all these functions, there’s no doubt about it – caring for your skin is essential for living a healthy life.

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