Soooo Sensitive….

Oh, beauties, our sensitive skin…what is going on here?

 

Does your skin…

*get dry or flakey in patches? 

*get red, inflamed areas?

*get pink, rashy areas?

 *get irritated bumps or pimples in patches? 

*does it ever feel a stinging or burning sensation when you put products on it? 

*does your skin feel itchy? 

*do your eyelids get puffy or pink or flakey (or all three)?

*do these symptoms come and go mysteriously? 

This state of affairs needs attention, pronto, even if our symptoms seem small.   All of these issues are signs that our skin is experiencing inflammation, and if inflammation is left simmering, eventually it can boil over into a full-blown reaction (which is NOT FUN).

(Side note on what is also NOT FUN: Chronic inflammation accelerates aging. This is such a well-known scourge that its garnered the nicknames “inflamaging” and “skinflamation”.  Let’s keep our skin healthy and youthful and nip this chronic inflammation in the bud!)



How Does This Happen?

First, a little helpful background: Skin sensitivities are on the rise. Eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, rosacea, acne rosacea, reactive skin (skin prone to bumps, rashes, breakouts, hives, pink or red patches) and general skin sensitivities (sometimes coupled with acne) are becoming more common.

The reasons are varied and not fully understood, but there is a connection between skin sensitivities and our immune systems for sure. So interestingly, when we experience food sensitivities, it can affect our skin. When we experience seasonal or environmental allergies, it can affect our skin. The rise in air pollution in our world has coincided with a rise in skin sensitivities. (More info on the connection between our immune systems and skin sensitivity here.)  Because of this, if we do suffer from food sensitivities or environmental allergies, caring for these issues (such as visiting a good naturopathic doctor or other qualified healthcare practitioner) can truly help our skin from the inside out. (It also goes without saying that certain medical conditions and medications can cause skin sensitivities, too.)

When we come into contact with topical allergens, it can (more obviously!) affect our skin. Everything from our laundry detergent to household cleaning products to our hair care and skin care products or makeup can affect our skin. (Sometimes our eyelids will get puffy and irritated, and we’ll think it must be caused by a product that touched our eye area, but our eyelids can actually be reacting to a product that touched our skin anywhere.)

If you have a true topical allergy (this is very individual! It could be to a natural substance like lavender, rose, mint, citrus, coconut, all nuts, chamomile, honey, propolis, salicylic acid, alpha hydroxy acids, or the much more processed parabens, glycols, dimethicone, formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasing ingredients, methylchloroisothiazolinone, and on and on and on) avoidance of that ingredient is essential for skin healing. (Doing some allergy testing with your dermatologist or doctor may be in order to figure out if you do have a topical allergy and to what.)

Stress is also a possible instigator of skin issues (as stress can exacerbate any ailment in the body). Our skin can quite literally be a “red flag” when stress gets too high for comfort in our body. (Sometimes receiving acupuncture can be a help to relieve stress and to support re-balancing our whole body, including our skin.)

“Sensitized” skin? In addition to our immune systems getting overwhelmed with environmental, food/digestive, or topical allergens (as well as possibly high stress) as the cause of inflammation in our skin, we can also cause inflammation in our skin by putting things on it that “sensitize” it. This could be skin care products that are badly formulated or are a bad match for our skin (such as being way too overloaded with essential oils, or fragrance, or exfoliating acids that are too strong for our skin, or too many stimulating ingredients that irritate when used together, or the formulation of the product dries out our skin…and on and on.) We can also sensitize our skin by using heavy oils only, and no hydration (meaning we apply no water-rich products), which can leave our skin dehydrated, and this exacerbates sensitivity. A common culprit here is using a cleanser or a toner that leaves our skin feeling tight and dry and then applying a heavy oil as a moisturizer. (Oy vey, our skin suffers with a lack of hydration.) When continually exposed to these kinds of conditions, over time our skin will become increasingly sensitive, and also, increasingly lack-luster. Our skin just can’t look its best when its being subtly irritated day in and day out and its basic needs are not being met. (I hear you, skin.)




So, my sensitive darlings…What to do?

FIRST, it goes without saying to avoid any specific topical allergens your skin has!

SECOND, visit all the health care practitioners that can help (like a dermatologist and a naturopathic doctor) to get a solid diagnosis and support for healing, if needed.  This may include supplementary care (such as stress reduction and whole body care with an acupuncturist).

THIRD, follow this skin care routine for sensitive skin each AM and PM, in this order:

1)      Cleanse. Use a soft, gentle cleanser. Our cleaners should leave our skin clean, but not tight and dry feeling. No harsh loofas or scrub brushes, please. Just your clean hands or a clean, baby-soft cloth are good to cleanse with.  Always rinse well. Use lukewarm to cool water, never piping hot or freezing cold water. Here are some cleanser options:


2)      Exfoliate. If you even need to exfoliate (if your skin is in the midst of a flare up, hold off on exfoliation until your skin has calmed fully down) a good exfoliating product will leave your skin feeling smoother and softer, not irritated or dry. Here are some exfoliating options:

  • Sulphuric Exfoliator (exfoliating mask suitable for most skin types, but not for those sensitive to sulfur or peppermint)

  • Refine Polish (physical scrub suitable for most skin types)

3) Mask. This step is optional, but it can be a big help. A mask that is a good match for your skin will leave your skin calmer and softer (at the very least!) and will likely provide many more benefits as well. Here are some mask options:

  • Blackcurrant Balancing Clay Mask (suitable for most all skin types, but especially nice for oily, clogged or breakout-pone skin)

  • Hush Hydrate Gel (suitable for most all skin types, even most hypersensitive skin types, and may be used as a mask, serum or moisturizer)

  • Probiotic Treatment (suitable for most normal to dry skin types, and may be used as a mask, serum or moisturizer)

 

3)      Hydrate. A good hydrating mist or hydrosol will help to balance both oiliness and dryness, and help to keep our skin calm. (Note: You may not need a separate hydrating mist if your serum offers plentiful hydration.) Here are some hydrating mist options:

  • Ylang Ylang Hydrating Mist (suitable for most oily to normal skin types, but not for those sensitive to essential oils or prone to breakouts)

  • Mist Me (suitable for most all skin types)

  • Emerald Sun Hydrsol (suitable for most all skin types)

  • Neroli Hydrating Mist (suitable for most normal to dry skin types, but not for those sensitive to essential oils or prone to breakouts)

 

4)      Serum. The heart of our skin care routines- for us sensitive skin mavens we need a boost of calm radiance right here. Nothing too exfoliating or too active, and nothing irritating thank you very much! Here are some serum options:

 

5) Moisturize. Keeping our skin moisturized is one of the keys to maintaining healthy skin. We want soft, supple, calm, dewy skin, not clogged pores. Here are some moisturizer options:

 

 6) Sun protection is crucial for sensitive skin- we are so vulnerable to the ravages of ultraviolet light!  We need calming, gentle, sun protection and we need it now. Sun protection should be applied as the final layer each AM. Here are some options:

 

Health Tip: Did you know that when we leave our skin dried out and exposed to ultraviolet light, it can degrade our internal health? Our hearts, lungs and even our brains can suffer from inflammatory markers that get passed along through our bloodstream that originate with inflamed skin. (More info here.)  Keeping our skin soft, supple, moisturized and protected from ultra violet light is so much more than just skin care-  it actually keeps our entire bodies healthier.

In the midst of a skin flare up?

 Last Good to Know Tip: Wondering what to do in the midst of a skin flare up? Often an antihistamine (from the natural options of Ortho Molecular Natural D-Hist or Vital Nutrients Aller-C to good old Benedryl) and/or a hydrocortisone or cortisone cream can give some quick relief in a pinch. (This is an emergency measure though! Not to be relied on in the place of a solid, anti-inflammatory skin care routine and care from your healthcare practitioners.)

Also, some teas have natural antihistamine and anti-inflammatory benefits (rooibos and green tea especially, but also ginger, turmeric, peppermint and licorice), so drinking them regularly can be calming for our skin (and the rest of our bodies) too.

At the end of the day…

No need to stress. With a supportive skin care routine, and support from a good naturopathic doctor and/or dermatologist and/or acupuncturist (if needed), and a little soothing patience, we will all be on our way to calm, happy skin. The end.

 

 

“Your skin deserves love and care, just like you do.” ~unknown






Blog written by Marna Herrington with Rich Earth Organic Skin Care Studio
Blog copy editing and polishing provided by Karen-Eileen Gordon (MsGordonLovesWriting@gmail.com)

This blog is not intended to take the place of in-person consultations with qualified skin care and health care practitioners. This blog is for the purpose of education and fun only. 

All images and text in this blog are under the legal ownership of Rich Earth Organic Skin Care Studio or are unambiguously in the public domain.  Permission is not granted for this text or these images to be copied and used out of the context of this blog, or for commercial purposes. If any part of the text is quoted in an article or other blog for educational purposes, a hyperlink to this page must be included.

Marna Herrington