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Is Your Skin Truly Sensitive?

Let’s talk about skin inflammation. When you look in the mirror, is your skin looking back in anger? Do you experience redness, burning, stinging or blemishes? Are you afraid to use new products? These kinds of skin concerns are incredibly common, so don’t worry you’re not alone. The good news is that these symptoms are very treatable, once you know the root cause!

Skin inflammation is a multi-faceted condition that can make choosing the right skincare products difficult. We often have clients come to us and describe their skin as “sensitive.” They have trouble using new products without experiencing stinging, redness or blotchiness. The reality, however, is that very few people have truly “sensitive” skin. In most cases, our clients have been over-treating their skin with retinols, cleansing brushes, and harsh physical scrubs or chemical exfoliators.

In these cases, their skin has actually become sensitized. Sensitized skin has been overtreated to the point that its natural protective elements (the “barrier” and its living microbiome) begin to break down. And while truly sensitive skin may always remain allergic or reactive to certain ingredients even in its healthiest state, sensitized skin can be repaired and returned to normal.

“So what do I do?”

While we can’t always control all the outside forces disrupting our skin’s natural barrier, we can stop overtreating it. We can also help to repair the skin barrier by replacing key ingredients like natural moisturizing factors, ceramides and fatty acids.

Some key ways to stop the cycle of skin inflammation include:

  • Using products that are pH optimized for healthy skin- usually around 4.5-5.
  • Limiting physical and chemical exfoliation to 1-2 times per week and follow with products rich in barrier replenishing ingredients, like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, natural fatty acids, etc.
  • Always applying SPF to prevent additional UV-related inflammation.

Skinprint founder and chemist Bob Manzo says, “Once you’ve given your skin a break from rough cleansing habits and harsh products, your skin should begin to calm down. Now it’s time to treat the leftover inflammation properly.” Skinprint’s Guardian Calming Complex, a recent Dermascope ACA 2020 winner for “Best Calming Serum,” combats these inflammatory skin concerns. This healing serum works to decrease reactivity by 30%, soothe sensitized skin, restore its natural barrier function, and normalize irritations. After using Guardian Calming Complex, your skin will feel calm and silky smooth. You’ll notice a reduction in redness and stinging as your skin barrier are repaired. Eventually your skin will feel calmer and stronger and you’ll be ready to pull that retinol back out of the drawer-just don’t overdo it this time!