Sensitive, Irritable & Red Skin

Having sensitive or irritable skin is not a skin type, rather a skin condition.  The question is why and how to take care of it?  There are so many reasons for skin to be sensitive and get red.  Let’s go through all the reasons and hopefully you can figure out how to help your complexion.

Products you are using?  So many products have ingredients in them that are irritable and drying to the skin, even products labeled ‘sensitive’.  If you live with consistent red or irritable skin, changing the products you are using is a great place to start.

Eczema / Rosacea?  Having a mild case of eczema or rosacea can so often go undiagnosed.  Most will just think they have sensitive skin.  Look for signs like: redness on the cheeks, chest, arms (especially after a hot shower), small bumps or patches (some times rash-like), itchiness, enlarged nose (rosacea only).

Diet or Food Allergies?  “You are what you eat”.  We’ve all heard it and it’s so true.  Having a poor diet will come thru your pores and show on your skin.  Redness on the face is directly related to diet and hydration.  Also, so many of us have mild food allergies that we are unaware of, especially to dairy and grains.  Try eating a strict diet of protein, veggies and fruit and drink lots of water.  You will see a huge improvement in your skin.

External Conditions? No matter how well you take care of your skin, things like the climate and environment can take a toll on the skin.  Living in harsh winters or a heavily polluted city can be extremely hard on the skin.  If you have a living situation like this, your skin care routine is very important.  Cleanse and moisturize daily with sensitive products.  Use a serum in the morning before stepping outside.  This will create a barrier between your skin and the environment.

Just the way you are.  If none of these sound like your skin, but yet you have sensitive or irritable skin then it’s just they way you were born.  In this case, follow a skin care routine for sensitive skin.

How to take care of your skin:
Having sensitive skin I stay away from any main stream drug store brands.  As a whole they use low quality ingredients and fillers.  Even if my skin doesn’t get red or have a terrible reaction, at the very least my skin does get very dry from using drug store brands.  I purchase everything from a reputable place like Sephora or Lush.  If you are budget conscience, there are still a lot of great options.  Trader Joe’s has an amazing body wash for a great price.  Jason is another great inexpensive brand that you can find at Whole Foods and some grocery stores.

Cleanse and moisturize morning and night.  Applying a serum to the skin in the morning (before moisturizer) creates a barrier between your skin and any irritating free radicals in the air.  A serum can also help moisturize your skin all day long and keep the redness away.

When showering, do not take long hot showers; they are very drying and irritating to the skin.  Take shorter showers with luke warm water.  When washing your body don’t wash your arms and legs every day, this will help from them getting dried out.  Apply body lotion right away after the shower while your skin is still damp.  This will lock in the water and keep the skin hydrated.

I have sensitive skin and eczema and here are some of my favorite products to use:
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser (I use morning and night)
Fresh Lotus Face Cream or L’Occitane Divine Cream (use in the morning)
Fresh Seaberry Oil (use at night)

Lush Olive Branch Shower Gel
L’Occitane Cleansing Shower Oil
Body Lotion: Korres, L’Occitane and anything from Lush