Sensitive skin on the rise

CONTENTS

• What is sensitive skin?
• Is sensitive skin a diseased skin?
• Can sensitive skin be measured?
• Sensitive skin versus allergic skin
• Causes of sensitive skin

For years, dermatologists have been warning of an “epidemic of sensitive skin.” This is thought to be caused, among other things, by the globally increasing consumption of skincare and the excessive use of skincare products, including those that are not exactly gentle on the skin barrier. According to Statista from March 2019, the global skincare market was projected to grow from 99.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2012 to nearly 190 billion in 2025.

Germany is one of the largest markets for beauty and care products in Europe.

Whether this trend is due to the increasingly important role of appearance in interpersonal contact, particularly in professional life, is something we will set aside for now. The fact is that more and more people are complaining about sensitive skin.

Dermatologists have been warning of an "epidemic of sensitive skin" for years. The global rise in skincare consumption and the excessive use of products can lead to sensitive skin.

At VENYA, we want to counteract the trend of using more and more skincare products and increasingly stronger active ingredients in a skincare routine. And because we see the topic of sensitive skin as very important, we will cover it in two journal articles.

In this part, you will learn what sensitive skin is, how it is measured, and how sensitive skin can be distinguished from allergic skin.

In the upcoming part, we will provide you with many tips on how to avoid sensitive skin or reduce sensitivity through good skincare.

What is sensitive skin?

For a long time, the specialist literature paid little attention to the aspect of sensitive skin. Complaints were qualified as psycho-somatic, subjective sensations, and those affected were advised to use products “for sensitive skin.”

In the meantime, the topic is being taken more and more seriously in dermatological expert circles. Sensitive skin is defined as the occurrence of unpleasant sensations such as:

• Burning
• Pain
• Itching
• Tightness
• Tingling

The symptoms are often accompanied by skin redness.

Sensitive skin is also referred to as hyperreactive skin. These sensations, which are triggered by physical, thermal, or chemical stimuli, do not occur in insensitive skin.

Hyperreactivity usually occurs within an hour of contact with the triggering substances. It can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

Sensitive skin manifests itself through unpleasant sensations such as burning, itching, and tightness. Hyperreactive skin can react sensitively to physical, thermal, or chemical stimuli.

Is sensitive skin a diseased skin?

Sensitive skin is not classified as a diseased skin. Unlike skin diseases such as acne, rosacea, or atopic dermatitis, hyperreactive skin is rarely accompanied by inflammatory, chronic, or immunological processes.

Can sensitive skin be measured?

But if sensitive skin is not “diseased,” how can the sensitive processes, which are largely subjective, be measured?

Due to the rather difficult measurement of sensitive skin, no international standards for a clinical approach have been developed so far.

A common measurement consists of two parts: first, a questionnaire in which the subjective sensations of the respondents are recorded. Second, the collection of objective biophysical and histological data. These include, for example, the moisture level of the stratum corneum, the extent of skin redness, transepidermal water loss, the pH value of the skin surface, and the amount of ceramides in the top skin layer.

The measurement of sensitive skin is carried out through subjective sensations of those affected as well as objective biophysical and histological measurements such as moisture level, skin redness, transepidermal water loss, pH value, and ceramide levels.

Sensitive skin versus allergic skin

Very often, reddened skin after the application of a skincare product is referred to as an “allergic reaction.” However, this occurs much less frequently than an irritation.

So what is the difference between skin irritation and skin allergy?

In the case of an irritation to an ingredient, the defense system is not mobilized. As soon as the irritant is removed, the irritation ends. An irritation in the form of redness, stinging, or tingling occurs immediately after the application of an ingredient – specifically on those areas of the skin that are particularly sensitive.

In the case of a skin allergy, on the other hand, an immunologically induced reaction is underway. The skin activates defense cells, which in turn trigger skin inflammation. An allergy is preceded by a sensitization phase; this means the skin does not react immediately to an ingredient with eczema, but rather after repeated contact with it. The allergic reaction then occurs exactly on those areas of the skin that were treated with the skin allergen.

While an irritation is reduced after strengthening the skin barrier, an allergy to an ingredient remains with the affected person for life.

There is a difference between skin irritation and skin allergy. Skin irritations occur immediately after contact with an irritant, while allergic reactions are immunologically induced and go through a sensitization phase.

Causes of sensitive skin

Finally, we want to pose the important question regarding the causes or triggers of sensitive skin. This comes at the end of the first part to initiate a transition to the second part. After all, the use of too many skincare products, especially those unfriendly to the skin barrier, is one of the most important causes for the development of sensitive skin.

Other factors that can damage the skin barrier and thus trigger sensitive skin reactions include UV light, free radicals, very cold temperatures or rapid temperature changes, hormonal changes, and, not least, stress and an unbalanced diet.

The use of aggressive skincare products, UV light, free radicals, extreme temperatures, hormonal changes, stress, and an unbalanced diet can damage the skin barrier and lead to sensitive skin.

In addition to the triggers for sensitive skin mentioned above, research has been talking about two other potential causes for skin hyperreactivity for several years:

• For one, highly reactive skin is often said to exhibit altered microvasculature (a specific form of blood vessels).
• For another, attention is drawn to the role of the nervous system (changes in the functioning of nerve endings).

So you see that among the causes of sensitive skin, there are both aspects that are difficult to change and those over which we can certainly have an influence – and it is this group that we will discuss in the second part.

In our next article, we will provide valuable tips on how you can avoid sensitive skin or reduce sensitivity through a good skincare routine.

Sources for further reading

STATISTA, Size of the global skin care market from 2012 to 2025, March 2019

Cosmetic Europe, Cosmetics and Personal Care Industry Overview, Market Performance 2021

Richters, R./Falcone, D. et al. (2015): What Is Sensitive Skin? A Systematic Literature

Review of Objective Measurements, in: Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, (28) 75-83

Chan, Kam/Tim, Michael (2018): Clinical Review on Sensitive Skin: History, Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and Management, in: Journal of Clinical & Experimental Dermatology Research 09(04)

Chen, W./Dai, R./Li L. (2020): The prevalence of self‐declared sensitive skin: a systematic review and meta‐analysis, in: European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, Epub Jan. 2020

Wang, X./Liu, Y. et al. (2020): A predictive model for differential diagnosis between rosacea and sensitive skin: a cross-sectional study, in: Chinese Medical Journal, 133(17)2132-2134

Skotnicki, Sandy/Shulgan, Christopher (2018): Beyond Soap. The Real Truth About What You Are Doing to Your Skin and How to Fix It for a Beautiful, Healthy Glow, Penguin Canada