SENSITIVE SKIN- TRAITS, PROBLEMS N CARE

              Sensitive skin may be dry or oily. This type of skin reacts adversely to all kind of external factors. It may be allergic to creams/lotions, makeup etc and may also react to harsh weather, to rough treatment or sometimes even to simple washing.

Traits:-

* It looks and feels like dry skin or oily skin but will react to most products designed for dry/oily skin.

* Gets easily irritated. It might show some redness or red patches.

* It may show dry and flaky areas with a little redness.

* This type of skin is prone to broken viens.

                     Generally these traits are seen on the cheeks only but in some cases they show up on the entire face and neck.

Skin Allergies:- Most of us suffer from rashes, swelling or hot flushes at sometimes of our lives. Some of us are more prone to allergies than others. We get allergies for many factors but doctors think it could be due to some fault in our immune system. Our immune system ignores friendly intruders into our body and attacks the unfriendly ones. If its not working like it should, it sometimes rejects substances which are not at all harmful. Then the body's defensive white blood cells rush to the site of the foreign substance causing the area to become red, itchy and sore.

                       Some of us might have an instant reaction to an additive in skin care products or makeup or may have build up resistance over a period of time. So dont be shocked if your skin reacts to a product that you have been using for long with good results. Most kinds of fragrances and lanolin are 2 ingredients that in skin care/makeup products which are known to cause a reaction. If the allergy is severe then visit a dermatologist immediately. Doctor may prescribe anti-allergy drugs if its a normal kind of allergy or ask you to get a whole lot of tests done if they suspect something serious. But if its just a slight swelling, itching or redness then simply try to figure out which product is causing the reaction and avoid it for good.

Care:- Sensitive skin may have dry or oily areas. Cleanse, tone and moisturise as you would do to a oily or dry skin but with right kind of products. Look out for products specially designed for sensitive skin- fragrance free, emollient free and also free of other ingredients that might cause the skin to errupt. The safest bet is to try a hypo-allergenic range of products.

Cleanse:- This type of skin can be prone to spots, pimples, blackheads and large pores or even acne. So the need is to keep the skin clean at all times. So cleanse twice a day during winters and thrice during summers- use a cleanser designed for oily skin. If you use a lotion be careful to clean your hands before using it, this will help in avoiding infections. Better still wash your face thereafter.

                 Avoid medicated soaps as they are harsh and makes skin dry/flaky by robbing away all the oils from the skin. Also try to avoid face towels and use kitchen papers to reduce the risk of cross infection and getting scars. Visit a doctor in such cases.

Tone:- Use toner if you are dealing with spots, pimples etc. Avoid harsh astringents as it will rob your skin of its precious moisture and strip off all the oils, making it hard. Better to use a mild freshner instead.

Moisturise:- Use a mild fragrance free moisturiser only on the dry areas- cheeks, neck and around eye and neck.