SORE SKIN?

People with sensitive skin often tend to have numerous issues, from dry, itchy or flaky skin that may feel tight, to signs of rosacea. However, it may also mean that you are overusing products that exfoliate the skin, which can strip it of its healthy barrier and make it feel overly sensitive. You also might be told or feel that you are not moisturising enough, when in fact, moisturisers do more harm than good.

If you have Rosacea, you most likely have sensitive skin that can be inflamed by many things, including skin products, fragrances, heat and stress.

If you often react to new products, you might just be using abrasive products, such as glycolic acid, exfoliating products, that could be compromising your skin’s natural defenses. These ingredients tend to irritate your skin and to add to the list, alcohols, fragrances, dyes, scrubs (including microdermabrasion glycolic acid, and salicylic acid to name but a few.

Although no two peoples’ skin is created equal. I advise to take a close look at what you eat, and get the magnifying glass out by examining the ingredients that are contained in the products you use every day. Do they contain harsh abrasive ingredients, such as microdermabrasion crystals, or glycolic acid or preservatives, such as parabans? If you use these products daily or switch between abrading products every day, you may simply be making your skin sensitive. If you use too many acids on the skin, use scrubs and exfoliate, plaster on moisture cream, then chemical foundation on top of this – is it any wonder your skin is dry! You may think all you need to do is to scrub and moisturise, but actually you need to be promoting natural skin function, which can be improved by stopping moisturising so as to increase natural cell turnover in a healthy way.

Give your skin a chance by giving the skin ingredients it recognizes and needs, rather than the chemicals that disrupt it. Moisturisers also contain certain types of phthalates — endocrine-disrupting chemicals commonly found in personal care products, such as moisturisers, nail polish, soap, perfume and hair spray. When they enter the skin phthalates change skin function, disrupt its barrier and can create havoc. Linked to a number of health concerns, including an increased risk of diseases such as diabetes, they can pass through the skin and into the blood stream.