DO I HAVE SENSITIVE SKIN?
SYMPTOMS, CAUSES & PREVENTION

If you landed in this section, you are probably wondering if you are among the 1 in 2 people that have sensitive skin at some time in their lives. Sensitive skin can be tricky to diagnose, primarily because it is defined by what people feel rather than what the physician sees in the clinic. From the person’s perspective, sensitive skin can be a distressing daily reality. Skin feels tight, prickles or tingles, sometimes constantly. While from the dermatologist’s perspective, sensitive skin can look a little red or dry, but its appearance is essentially normal.

YOUR QUESTIONS
OUR ANSWERS

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How can I repair damaged skin?

If your skin has been burned or subject to cuts and grazes, speed up the skin barrier recovery process with a protective repairing balm such as CICAPLAST Baume B5. If you have a surgical wound with stitches, massage your scar with CICAPLAST Gel B5 to optimise skin barrier function repair. This product can also be used after a chemical peel or laser treatment.

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What can I do about sensitive skin when I’m sick?

When you have a cold or the flu, your facial skin can become more sensitive due to repeated nose blowing. To soothe sore skin, mist the area with La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water and apply  CICAPLAST Baume B5 on red and raw areas. You can leave it on as a mask overnight to help the skin recover.  To reinforce your skin barrier use Toleriane Ultra on a daily basis.

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How can I repair sun damaged skin?

The first step to help repair sun damaged skin is to prevent further damage with daily facial sunscreen with retinol molecule, which is known to speed up cell turnover at the skin’s surface for brighter skin, while replenishing collagen and elastin in-depth to repair wrinkles. REDERMIC R UV SPF 30 combines sun filters with retinol suitable for sensitive skin.

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How can I get rid of sunburn?

Once you have developed sunburn, the damage has already been done and all you can do is let it heal. Religiously protect the burn from the sun to prevent it from getting any worse, as well as applying a soothing aftersun gel with antioxidants and make sure you stay hydrated. If your skin has blisters, use a skin healing cream from the pharmacy until the burn has fully healed.

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TRUE
OR FALSE

True-or-false-visual-1

SPICY FOOD CAN
TRIGGER SKIN SENSITIVTY. .

TRUE TRUE-ANSWER

If the walls of your blood vessels have become fragile, certain external factors like eating spices, drinking alcohol, hot baths, or too much central heating can trigger flushing and skin sensitivity
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True-or-false-visual-2

NATURAL HOME REMEDIES MAKE
GOOD TREATMENTS FOR SENSITIVE SKIN.

FALSE WRONG-ANSWER

Though tasty, the contents of your fridge or kitchen cupboards are actually more likely to harm yoursensitive skin. “Natural” or DIY home remedies such as honey, oatmeal, avocadoand chocolate masks are best avoided as they could contain potential allergens and irritants. Instead, look out for expert skincare and solutions.
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True-or-false-visual-3

HOW I FEEL IN MYSELF
CAN AFFECT MY SENSITIVE SKIN.

TRUE TRUE-ANSWER

Stress and intenseemotion cause blood vessels in the skin to dilate, triggering flushing andsensations of discomfort. Many people find mindfulness or similar relaxationtechniques a valuable ally to keep their sensitive skin in the Zen zone. This approach works best when combined with expert sensitive skincare such as the TOLERIANE range.
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True-or-false-visual-1

SENSITIVE SKIN NECESSARILY
LOOKS DIFFERENT.

FALSE WRONG-ANSWER

One of the frustrating things about sensitive skin is that however annoying your symptoms may be, doctors will often say the skin is “normal” since it shows no visible signs. But clued-in dermatologists will recognise the features of sensitive skin and recommend specific treatments for sensitized or hypersensitive skin.
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DIAGNOSING 
SENSITIVE SKIN

So, how is sensitive skin identified? It is essentially a “diagnosis of exclusion” meaning the dermatologist diagnoses sensitive skin after ruling out other skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, based on the patient’s complaints of unpleasant signs in everyday situations. It is also possible to test for sensitive skin by applying a dilute acid solution to skin and seeing whether this reproduces the same symptoms.

HOW TO PREVENT 
SENSITIVE SKIN

The dermatological causes of sensitive skin are an impaired surface barrier function plus hypersensitive nerve endings in the skin. Sensitive skin may also have an unbalanced “microbiome” - the population of friendly and less friendly bacteria that live on its surface.

"To prevent sensitive skin manifestations, your approach should be three-fold:  - restore skin’s protective barrier - intensely soothe skin, and  - rebalance the microbiome (don’t worry, we’ll tell you how)."

In this subsection, you’ll find in-depth information on the internal and external causes of sensitive skin, ranging from too-hot showers to the wrong cosmetics choices to spicy food and stress.

We also offer lifestyle tips on how to minimise sensitive reactions plus suitable skincare routines to reduce skin’s sensitivity day by day.

You’ll also learn how sensitive skin can truly impact wellbeing (and how to take action), and how sensitive skin varies at different times of life, by season and even the time of day.

WHICH COSMETIC PRODUCTS SHOULD PEOPLE
WITH SENSITIVE SKIN AVOID?

Find out wich cosmetic products you should stay away from when you have an allergy-prone or sensitive skin.

Patients with sensitive skin do not always find it easy to choose the right cosmetic product. This is where a dermatologist can help by offering advice. They will recommend products which are formulated for adapted to and tested on sensitive skin i.e. products containing few preservatives which are surfactant-free, and alcohol-free and have a simple formula. We also know - and the dermatologist should explain this - that people with sensitive skin should avoid aggressive active ingredients such as the fruit acids which are used to treat acne or are found in anti-ageing preparations. Retinol also should be avoided because it will cause irritation. Unless prescribed specifically in a formulation suitable for sensitive skin. Finally, treatments suitable for sensitive skin types will combine a simple –and therefore irritant-free –dermatologically-tested formulation with the latest active ingredients such as neurosensine, which calm inflammation burning sensations and skin irritation.

OUR SAFETY
COMMITMENTS

Safety standards beyond international cosmetics regulations.

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100% PRODUCTS
ALLERGY TESTED

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One Prerequisite = Zero Allergic reactions
If we detect a single case, we go back to the labs and reformulate
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FORMULA PROTECTION
OVER TIME

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We select the most protective packaging associated with only the necessary preservatives, to guarantee intact tolerance and efficacy over time.
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JUST THE ESSENTIAL,
AT THE RIGHT ACTIVE DOSE

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Developed in collaboration with dermatologist and toxicologist, our products contain only the necessary ingredients, at the right active dose.
laroche posay safety commitment sensitive skin model baby

TESTED
ON VERY SENSITIVE
 SKIN

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Our products' tolerance is verified on the most sensitive skin: reactive, allergic, acne-prone, atopic, damaged or weakened by cancer treatments.

DEAR
READERS

The information displayed here is intended for general educational purposes only and should not in any case be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any medical question.