Sensitive, easily irritated skin: how do you care for it?

Sensitive skin that stings or gets irritated often, and skin that dries out from a day in air conditioning, are cared for mainly from the outside, not with food or drink. Wash with lukewarm water and a soap-free, fragrance-free cleanser, apply moisturiser while skin is still damp, stop products that sting, test new products first and keep indoor humidity around 30-50%.

What is sensitive skin, and how does it relate to the skin barrier?

Sensitive skin

DermNet describes sensitive skin as unpleasant sensations, such as stinging, burning, pain, itching or tingling, in response to things that normally should not cause them. The sensations often seem out of proportion to what is visible on the skin, and the face and skin folds are most affected. It is very common: DermNet reports it in roughly 60-70% of women and 50-60% of men worldwide.

The skin barrier

The skin barrier is the outermost layer of skin, the stratum corneum. It depends on lipids, particularly ceramides, packed between its cells, and it holds water in and keeps irritants out. Hydration and comfort both follow from how intact that structure is.

What dry skin feels like

Dry skin feels tight and rough and can look flaky or scaly, sometimes with fine cracks, redness or itching. It occurs when the skin's natural moisturising factors and surface lipids are depleted, so skin cannot hold water at its usual level and water escapes more readily through the surface. This is called transepidermal water loss, or TEWL.

What makes skin irritated so often and weakens the barrier?

Internal factors

Skin produces fewer surface lipids with age, and their composition changes, so it holds water less well.

Common triggers

DermNet groups the triggers of sensitive skin as follows.

Long hot showers, harsh cleansers and scrubbing also remove lipids faster than skin can replace them.

Why does everything I put on my skin sting?

Once the barrier is thinned, ingredients that were previously fine, such as fragrance, acids or active serums, can sting. This can be linked to a weakened barrier, but it can also be a reaction to a specific ingredient. If stinging or redness keeps coming back, see a dermatologist.

Sensitive, easily irritated skin: how should you care for the barrier?

Wash and bathe gently

• Bathe or shower in warm rather than hot water, for five to ten minutes (American Academy of Dermatology, AAD).
• Use a soap-free, fragrance-free cleanser (DermNet).
• Wash your face with your fingertips rather than a washcloth or sponge, do not scrub, and pat dry with a soft towel (AAD).

Moisturise at the right moments

The AAD recommends applying moisturiser while skin is still damp after bathing, after washing your hands and whenever skin feels dry.

Which moisturiser to choose

• Creams and ointments add more moisture than lotions.
• Ingredients the AAD lists for dry skin moisturisers include glycerin, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, petrolatum, dimethicone, jojoba oil, lanolin, mineral oil and lactic acid.
• With sensitive skin, choose fragrance-free products, and pause fragrance, active serums and acid exfoliants for now.

Test new products first

The AAD suggests applying a new product to a quarter-sized spot where it will not be rubbed or washed off, such as the inside of the arm or the bend of the elbow, twice a day for seven to ten days. If there is no redness, itching or swelling, use it as normal. If a reaction appears, gently wash it off straight away and do not use it again.

Sun protection

DermNet advises sun protection with clothing, hats and a broad-spectrum sunscreen, since UV is one of the triggers of sensitive skin.

I work in air conditioning all day and my skin gets very dry: what can I do?

DermNet lists excessive air conditioning and low humidity among the causes of dry skin, so a full day in an air-conditioned office makes it easy for skin to lose water. What you can do:

• Indoor humidity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends keeping indoor relative humidity below 60%, ideally between 30 and 50%. If you use a humidifier, the AAD advises cleaning it regularly to prevent mould.
• Moisturiser during the day. Apply it after washing your hands and whenever skin feels tight; keep a small one at your desk.
• Lips. Apply lip balm or petroleum jelly.
• Clothing. The AAD suggests loose-fitting cotton clothing, with a cotton or silk layer under rough fabrics.

No food or drink fixes skin dried out by air conditioning, so the care lies with the skin's outside and the room conditions.

When should you see a dermatologist?

DermNet advises seeing a dermatologist if sensitive-skin symptoms persist, to rule out other skin conditions that need specific care, and the AAD advises seeing one if skin stays dry after following the tips above. See a doctor too if dry skin cracks into fissures, itches without improving, or becomes weeping, painful or spreading.