How to Care for Your Sensitive Skin

Chat led by Professor Laurent Misery, Professor of Dermatology and Venereology at the University and Head of the Dermatology Department at the University Hospital Centre, Brest.

Transcript of chat on Sensitive Skin:


Question 1
Internet user: Does the psyche have anything to do with the manifestation of cutaneous sensitivity?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes indeed it does. We know that stress in particular can cause cutaneous hypersensitivity.


Question 2
Internet user: What are the characteristics of sensitive skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : Sensitive skin is characterised by cutaneous redness or by tingling, burning, itching, or even pain in response to factors that are not "toxic" by themselves: water, cleansing products, cosmetics, the wind, the cold, the heat, the sun, stress, periods, etc.


Question 3
Internet user: What events cause cutaneous sensitivity?
Professor Laurent Misery : As I've just said, cutaneous sensitivity can be caused by a wide variety of factors. But it involves an individual response that we don't yet properly understand. This hyperactivity is probably due to the hyperactivation of keratinocytes (skin cells) and skin nerve fibres.


Question 4
Internet user: Can the skin be sensitive only in certain places and if so, how do we treat it?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes, it's unusual for the skin to be sensitive everywhere. The problem is generally limited to the face or to certain facial regions.


Question 5
Internet user: How can sensitive skin be cleansed without irritating it?
Professor Laurent Misery : It all depends on the type of sensitivity. The skin can be cleansed with water or even with water and a superfatted soap, or even with a micelle lotion such as Créaline H20, depending on what you can tolerate.


Question 6
Internet user: Is there such a thing as a miracle cream for sensitive skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : Unfortunately not.
Internet user: if such a miracle cream doesn't exist, is there any guidance you can give for reducing the skin's sensitivity?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes maybe. We believe that you need to reduce your cosmetic usage and most importantly use cosmetics that are easy to tolerate.


Question 7
Internet user: Does skin sensitivity tend to increase with age? If so, what precaution(s) can be taken?
Professor Laurent Misery : No, skin sensitivity has nothing to do with age.


Question 8
Internet user: Is it possible to make small visible vessels disappear?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes. Cosmetics such as Créaline anti-redness can be a great help. Otherwise there's laser treatment.


Question 9
Internet user: Why do certain skin types become increasingly sensitive to cosmetic products?
Professor Laurent Misery : Not much is known about that. Probably because certain cosmetic products can contain irritants.


Question 10
Internet user: Should people with sensitive skin be careful of the sun? What kind of sun protection should they use?
Professor Laurent Misery : Each case is different. Certain sensitive skin types are sensitive to the sun or to heat. The best protection therefore is to not expose yourself to the sun or to heat. Of course, sun creams can offer good protection.


Question 11
Internet user: Can make-up make the skin more sensitive? If so, what advice can you give regarding make-up?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes, make-up can indeed sometimes make the skin more sensitive. So it's best to use make-up prescribed for sensitive skin. It's difficult to give exact advice because each case is different.


Question 12
Internet user: I'm 42 years old, I have sensitive skin with erythrosis, and since my KTP laser session it has become hyper-reactive.
Professor Laurent Misery : It's normal for the laser to irritate the skin. That doesn't necessarily mean that you have sensitive skin. But it's best to go back to see your dermatologist.


Question 13
Internet user: Can skin suddenly become sensitive even if it wasn't before? Can intermittently sensitive skin become permanently sensitive?
Professor Laurent Misery : The signs are exactly the same, it's just that permanently sensitive skin lasts longer. Intermittently sensitive skin flares up for a few hours, intermittently. This may be a good time to redefine sensitive skin: these are skin types which become red, or are the seat of tingling, burning, itching or pain, together with a wide variety of factors such as contact with water or with cosmetics or cleansing products or the wind or the cold or heat or in the presence of stress or during periods or there may even be other factors that can vary from person to person.


Question 14
Internet user: What are some good behaviours to adopt in order to take care of sensitive skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : Firstly you need to know what factors you are sensitive to. But generally you need to try to avoid anything that could be an irritant and to use cosmetics prescribed for sensitive skin.


Question 15
Internet user: Can skin's sensitivity increase with time to the point where it becomes unbearable? Also, can the facial surface are that is irritated spread out?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes it's possible. This is why it's necessary to be prudent as I've just mentioned, but skin sensitivity can also lessen or even disappear.


Question 16
Internet user: Does nutrition play a part in cutaneous sensitivity? Are there foods that should be avoided?
Professor Laurent Misery : In principle, no. Similarly, there are no foods or nutritional supplements that can alter cutaneous sensitivity.
Question from an internet user: Even spicy foods?
Professor Laurent Misery: Some people can be sensitive to spicy foods or acidic foods like citrus fruit or tomatoes. But that doesn't mean that this is one of the factors common to sensitive skin. So you should stick to a normal diet.


Question 17
Internet user: Can water quality be responsible for the sensitivity of my skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes. This is indeed possible, although nothing is proven, but most importantly let's not forget that cutaneous sensitivity is primarily an individual problem, but water that's too acidic or that contains too many pesticides can encourage cutaneous sensitivity to occur.


Question 18
Internet user: What's the best way to cleanse sensitive skin that's not able to tolerate water?
Professor Laurent Misery : You can wash using micelle lotions, which can be used without water.


Question 19
Internet user: Can you explain the slight differences between hyper-reactive skin and allergic skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : Allergic skin is skin that is allergic to a very specific product. It's an immunological phenomenon. On the contrary, hyper-reactive skin, or hyper-sensitive or reactive or intolerant skin (these are synonyms) is skin that has a strong reaction to a wide variety of things, as we have already mentioned. But this is not an immunological phenomenon.


Question 20
Internet user: My skin is often red, I use an anti-redness cream in the evening before going to sleep, but as soon as I do anything physical or I get stressed I go really red. Should I follow any specific treatment?
Professor Laurent Misery : In principle, no. But it's always useful to consult your dermatologist to be sure that there's no underlying illness.


Question 21
Internet user: What can you put on skin that has undergone dermabrasion and is left with redness because the dermabrasion didn't work properly?
Professor Laurent Misery : It's normal for dermabrasion to cause skin redness and this can last for several weeks. However, you can ease this redness with products like Créaline AR.


Question 22
Internet user: Is it best to use perfume-free products when you have sensitive skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes indeed it is. But there's no longer any need to be phobic about perfumes because some perfumes can be well tolerated. But you'll only know this by testing them on yourself.


Question 23
Internet user: Is it best to use bio products when you have sensitive skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : No. The purpose of bio products is to protect the environment. So there aren't any that are better or less well tolerated than the others.


Question 24
Internet user: Can the skin become hyper-reactive even on non-lasered areas?
Professor Laurent Misery : The laser is one factor that can be the cause of sensitive skin. But there are plenty of other factors, and so sensitive skin can occur on any area of the skin.


Question 25
Internet user: When sensitive skin has a stinging sensation like burning, what can ease the pain?
Professor Laurent Misery : You can use soothing products. If the pain persists, it's best to consult your dermatologist.


Question 26
Internet user: Is couperosis a manifestation of sensitive skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : No. It's the first stage of rosacea. However, couperose skin is often sensitive skin.


Question 27
Internet user: What hygiene and skincare regime should you use when you have sensitive skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : It's best to interfere as little as possible with the skin. But of course you should wash every day using products that are the least irritating that you can find.


Question 28
Internet user: Can KTP laser cause hyper-reactivity of the skin afterwards?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes. Like all lasers. But of course this is not systematic, it's linked to unpredictable individual factors.


Question 29
Internet user: Can you become sensitive to products that are specifically prescribed for sensitive skin?
Professor Laurent Misery : Yes, of course, but fortunately that's still very rare.



_{This transcription does not necessarily represent all the discussions that occurred during the chat.}