Q: FalviaDoDo asks “How do I know if I have sensitive skin?”

A: Well, I’ve found through research and experience that there are 4 different types of sensitive skin conditions and reactions. One could have acne, or rosacea, or a burning and stinging of the skin, or contact dermatitis. First let’s talk about contact dermatitis.

Contact Dermatitis basically means that your skin came into contact with something that caused it to react in an irritated or inflamed way.

There is also a term called Irritant Contact Dermatitis (which is what I have sometimes) this means your skin came into contact with a man made substance, such as tooth paste, skin care creams, lipstick, or any kind of chemical product that caused your skin to become inflamed and even blemished. It could also mean your skin reacted to something physical such as seasonal weather conditions.  Spring or humid weather, or even harsh winters may cause your skin to react in a number of ways; inflamed, dry and flaky, red patches, itch or even sting all over or just in some areas of your body and/or face and could even cause blemishes. Opa!

Lastly there is a term called Phototoxic Dermatitis, this means that the sunlight, or UV rays from tanning beds triggered any product you may have had on your skin to cause a reaction in an irritated or inflamed way.

If you relate to the descriptions above maybe you may have some form of Contact Dermatitis. I personally thought I had severe sensitive skin, but I actually had Irritant Contact Dermatitis and actually found a regimen that works well for me that I really want to discuss in a later topic.

So, let’s continue with Acne. Aw, the dreaded and hated skin condition that I’ve found most people ask me about.

My skin is not perfect, I went through a horrible time with acne all though out my 20′s. But with my new regimen and now in my early 30′s my skin is better than it was before and people think I am so much younger than my actual age. I promise we’ll discuss this later. I always seem to go off topic a bit.

Okay, acne is considered to be a skin disorder of the sebaceous glands (oil glands). The scientific term for acne is acne vulgarias which basically means, you have clogged pores and bacteria that is trapped in your oil glands. Acne vulgarias is a hereditary trait (thanks dad ;x) and is also triggered by stress, food, poor fitness, unhealthy habits (smoking, drinking and partying like a rock star), and hormones.

I did not have acne in my teen years, I thought I developed acne in my 20′s, but really through time and experiments with a lot of  different skin care and health care regimens, I found that I did not have acne at all, I had Irritant Contact Dermatitis.

Now let’s talk about Rosacea. Rosacea is a chronic congestion of redness and dilated blood vessels on the cheeks and nose. Some people may even have a severe case of rosacea where you still have the redness and dilated blood vessels, but also have blemishes that either have pus or are hard in texture.

Right now, there aren’t any scientific explanations on what are the causes of rosacea, but there are tips on how to prevent aggravating it. I’ll discuss these tips on a different post. I promise.

Lastly there is something described as a ‘burning and stinging of the skin‘. This is rather new to me, it’s something that I am having a bit of a time researching about and understanding. It is not categorize in most of the Aesthetitian handbooks and skin care guides that I have.

From my research I have not found any published scientific research stating the cause of the burning and stinging of the skin. So, right now, I could say that personally, I have had the burning and stinging sensations after an AHA (alpha hydroxy Acid) peel, before I thought that was normal. Now, well… I am not sure. For it was a really mild sensation that went away after a few seconds. My mother, whom is a 20 year licensed skin care specialist that administered the treatment, warned me that it would sting and burn a bit, but go away within a few minutes. It did. Then I had another treatment done in a spa in Uruguay and the specialist there said the same thing. I had the same reaction. So, I really believe this burning and stinging sensation may be caused by certain products. But, I’ve read a few posts online where some unfortunate people experience this sensation on a much more grave level. Furthermore, these people on various accounts say it arises ‘out of no where’. So, I really hope that there will be some more concrete studies done for people that experience this sensitive skin condition.

Okay, so your question on “How do I know if I have sensitive skin?”, my question to you is do you relate to any of these descriptions? If you do, then you may have a form of sensitive skin.

I hope this  helps Please feel free to send me any email again if you have more questions.

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Odeliza

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