Dry + Sensitive Skin: The Exact Skincare Routine Everyone Should Follow
Most people with dry, hard to manage, sensitive skin, suffer with uncomfortable flare-ups of red, itchy and flaky skin. Dry sensitive skin isn’t a clinical diagnosis. Instead, it's sort of a nebulous blanket term that describes skin which is easily irritated, either by environmental things like sun, wind, cold, or topical products, like lotions or fragrances. Irritation usually manifests with symptoms like redness, stinging, burning, itchiness, and general discomfort after your skin comes into contact with a particular ingredient or environmental trigger.
A few simple changes to your skincare routine will usually keep your symptoms under control!
Keep reading to learn what may be causing your sensitive skin , other symptoms to watch for, how to establish a good natural, dry sensitive skin care routine and other sensitive skin care tips to help your skin become healthy, hydrated, and smooth.
In this post:
WHAT IS DRY+SENSITIVE SKIN
WHAT CAUSES DRY+SENSITIVE SKIN
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SKINCARE PRODUCTS
DEVELOPING THE RIGHT SKINCARE ROUTINE
DRY SENSITIVE SKIN CARE TIPS
WHAT IS DRY+SENSITIVE SKIN ?
We all have a protective, fatty, outer layer on our skin. This is often called the lipid (fat) barrier, and it performs two main jobs: keeping water in, and keeping potentially damaging things, like UV rays, wind, heat, and harsh chemicals, out. In people with sensitive and dry skin, this barrier is typically weaker, thinner, and more easily damaged, making it easier for moisture to be lost and irritants to penetrate the skin and cause inflammation.
You can think of your skin barrier like a brick wall put together with mortar between the skin cells. That intracellular lipid mortar is partly composed of a form of lipids called ceramides.
In sensitive or damaged skin, that mortar is weak or missing in some spots, making the barrier more permeable and the skin underneath more vulnerable. Dermatologists agree that people who have a thin lipid barrier absorb products more deeply, which is why they are often more reactive to skin-care ingredients.
On the flip side, having a thin lipid barrier means it’s also easier for moisture to escape. This is why dryness and sensitivity often go hand-in-hand.
Even if you don’t have sensitive skin, you’re more likely to experience sensitivity in certain spots where that protective outer layer is thinner, like around your eyes.
Symptoms of Dry, Sensitive Skin:
Itchy, tight skin
Redness or ashy-looking
Skin feels rough to the touch
Peeling
Scales or Flaking
Cracking and Bleeding
Extreme dryness in winters
Turns red after hot water showers
Reaction to certain skincare products
WHAT CAUSES DRY+SENSITIVE SKIN?
Sensitive skin might be the result of genetics or difficult-to-manage conditions such as eczema, rosacea or contact dermatitis. Less complex causes might be weather changes , cold weather, salon treatments (micro abrasions and chemical peels) or using the wrong types of skin care products.
The good news is that for most, keeping it simple with the right skin care products and routine can make a huge difference !
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SKINCARE PRODUCTS
Before we get into a skincare