Care for Sensitive Skin

Care for Sensitive Skin

If you find yourself staring in the mirror, only to find your skin an angry and puffy pink every time you use a new skincare product, you may have sensitive skin. This article is written to help you can stop those blotches and irritation. If you have questions about a product irritating your skin, you may want to try our easy do-it-yourself skin test. Take a small amount of the skincare or makeup product you wish to use and apply a small amount to the skin behind your earlobe and cover it with a small band-aid. Leave the product there for five days and try to avoid washing it off during that time period. If you have no reaction after those five days, you can feel fairly confident in using the product. If you do have a reaction then it may be best for you to return the item and try something else. Remember when in doubt, a trip to the dermatologist can be invaluable in saving you the pain of a sensitive skin reaction.

Some additional sensitive skin care tips:

• When you choose makeup, moisturizers and sunscreens make sure they are hypo-allergenic and fragrance-free.
• Try to minimize the number of products you put on your face.
• Try to avoid over-washing your face usually two times a day is fine and when you do try to use a mild, soap-free cleanser.
• Don't use exfoliants because they can further irritate your skin.
• Use an astringent on oily areas only, but discontinue if redness occurs.
• When choosing make-up, especially foundation and blush, focus on those that are water-based and non-comedogenic (non-pore clogging) is the best choice.
• Use a daily sunscreen that is not oil-based, preferably a gel.

For those of us who have the combination problems such as sensitive skin and acne you may want to use a cleanser with salicylic acid to help exfoliate pores. Certain benzoyl peroxide products may further inflame skin.