Sensitive Skin can be just irritated skin

Sensitive Skin can be just irritated skin.

Sometimes we describe our skin as sensitive when in fact our skin is reacting to a range of irritants commonly found in beauty products and cosmetics. Good skincare is about understanding your skin type and protecting this important part of your body. If your skin develops rashes or stings or becomes red inflamed and itchy, these are symptoms of irritation and potentially allergy.

Up to 10% of us experience hypersensitivity to certain products. Here are some common culprits to keep in mind.

Fragrances.

Many household products today are perfumed. They contain fragrances to make them smell appealing. These chemicals may feel pleasant to our nose but sometimes they are not pleasant for our skin. Choose fragrance free products when choosing your skin treatments.

Sodium Laurel Sulphate (SLS)

This chemical is used in washes and shampoos to help create foams and lather. SLS helps remove dirt from skin and clothes but may also irritate those of us with dry skin or eczema. If you suffer from eczema or dry skin always seek skin products that do not contain SLS. Shower gels, body washes and shampoos often contain SLS. Check out the product labelling and avoid SLS containing products if you have dry sensitive skin.

Lanolin

Lanolin is an oily substance used commonly in creams and cosmetics. For most people, it does not cause any issues. However, some people are allergic to Lanolin and exhibit allergic responses and rashes to it. When choosing your cosmetic and skin range, it is best avoided if possible.

Exfoliation

Exfoliants often natural herbs and seeds, are designed to strip away a thin layer of your skin. Applying exfoliants too strongly undermines your skin integrity. So, exfoliate gently and avoid using chemicals and strong soaps after you have exfoliated when your skin is sensitive. 

Parabens

Parabens are a class of preservatives commonly used in cosmetics. They help maintain cream’s freshness and integrity by inhibiting the growth of bacteria in skin care products. For most people parabens are not a problem. Again, for a minority of us, chemicals applied to the skin can result in allergy or rash. If you find yourself reacting to certain skin products, choose different ones to try next time. If you react badly or quickly to any skin application, do not repeat it and see your GP to have an allergy test. Always bring a sample of what you think has caused your reaction so any specific chemicals can be identified for you to avoid in the future.

Alcohol

Alcohol or ethanol is commonly used in toners, moisturisers, face washes and sun cream. It can dissolve the skin’s natural oils and this in turn can lead to dryness and flakiness. As your skin is designed to contain natural oils for lubrication and skin protection, be aware of the types of skin products you choose.

Nickel

Nickel contact allergy is amongst the most common skin allergies. Its estimated up to 10% of us are allergic to nickel. Culprits include cheap jewellery – ear rings, piercings and bangles. Our skin can become red and itchy around the area of the Nickel jewellery. Do yourself a favour and spend a little more for quality surgical grade stainless steel or sterling silver. If you really want to spoil yourself yellow gold and platinum rarely cause contact dermatitis.

Sunshine and tanning.

A beach tan can look good but not if you allow yourself to burn or overdo it. When sunbathing always use high factor sun creams richly applied. To form a barrier sufficient to inhibit the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, the creams must be applied liberally and properly. Remember beaches are dry and sandy. For those of us with eczema and dry skin, keeping our skin moisturised and protected to preserve natural fluids and oils is essential. Use a skin moisturising cream or emollient to protect dry and inflamed skin.

Tanning salons and tanning cream.

With the variety of tanning agents today, we all seem obsessed to have a year-round tan. Tanning salons use an ultraviolet bulb to create ultra violet radiation. This provokes a protective reaction in our deep skin layers to produce melanin as a protective screen to absorb the radiation. It is this brown colour we call tan and it’s a direct response by the skin to protect itself from damage. UV radiation is associated with increased rates of skin cancer. Tanning by UV radiation is not recommended. The easy way to get around the risk of UV tanning is to apply a natural or non-irritating topical tan. You may look more orange but your skin will thank you. 

Finally. If your skin becomes dry, itchy, flaky, red, inflamed or painful, something is wrong. For some of us this is how our skin is and we learn to manage it over time. Pay attention to your clothes, jewellery and your cosmetic range including home detergents, soaps and chemicals in your home. Localised reactions are more likely to be as a result of something you have come into contact with. If you develop a rash more widely across your body or your skin changes appearance in any significant way, always see your doctor. Remember your skin will be with you for life. Take care and be kind to your skin and it will protect you.

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