How to soothe sensitive skin

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When you touch as many faces as I do, skin sensitivity becomes a daily concern. And just as no two faces are the same, no two skin sensitivities are the same either.

Often when I ask people with reactive skin about their routines, five or eight minutes later they are still listing products. I always recommend going back to basics and using it consistently. Start your day with a fragrance-free cream cleanser like ClinicRedness Solutions (£27) to remove residual makeup and impurities without disrupting the skin barrier. How you prep your skin will determine your tone for the rest of the day.

I always recommend going back to basics and using it consistently.

Skin sensitivity is on the rise. As the market has focused on active ingredients (including retinol, vitamin C and acids), over-treatment has contributed to skin irritation. One solution is EmbryolismCicalisse’s Skin Repair Cream (£9.99), which works like a bandage for irritated and inflamed skin. Over the years, I have recommended this product to my clients who come to me for help with post-operative cosmetic scars, burns, psoriasis and eczema scabs. The star ingredient is 3% acexamic acid, which speeds up skin repair.

Environmental stressors don’t help either. Pollution, extreme temperatures and humidity can all have a negative effect on the skin. As can stress, poor diet and lack of sleep. One of the most distressing consequences of this is rosacea, in which blood vessels enlarge and give the skin a reddened appearance. Those affected are also more likely to age prematurely due to the daily weakening of the skin barrier. Treatment is based on controlling and reducing inflammation, as well as protecting the skin from further environmental damage. Bioderma is a go-to brand for dermatologists as it supports the idea that the biology of our skin is linked to our individual lifestyles. I highly recommend the brand’s product. Sensibio Defensive Serum (£24) for customers looking for pollution-proof peace of mind that lasts all day.

Consulting dermatologists as Dr. Alexis Granite They also praise the clinic’s use of LED phototherapy for rosacea. Their go-to treatment, which helps “reduce redness and broken capillaries, as well as giving the skin a nice glow”, is Sciton BBL (broad band light). Granite recommends a course of three to five treatments (from £650), four weeks apart. Results appear from one week and last up to 24 months.

Even before I became an esthetician, I was well aware of how skin sensitivity can take over a person’s life. Nearly a decade ago, my mother was diagnosed with hives, a condition characterized by itchy red welts that can appear anywhere on the body. The triggers are similar to those of rosacea: from hormones to heat, exercise, stress, and sun exposure. One product she often used was This‘s Probiotic Serum (£105.50), which contains 50 million live probiotics per drop, helps create an optimal environment for the skin’s natural microbes to thrive. Similar to how they function in the gut, these bacteria, fungi and viruses play an important role in boosting immune defences. A balanced pH results in calm, healthy skin that looks better and ages more slowly.

Eye sensitivity is also on the rise due to lack of sun protection and overexposure to screens and active skincare products. All of this can lead to a dry, gritty feeling, visible blood vessels, sensitivity to light, and excess tearing. Treat this delicate area with simple products like I’m going toSeaweed Eye Masks (£32). Each pack contains four pieces of hand-harvested Irish Laminaria Digitata seaweed and nothing else. The masks are cool when applied and help to slow transepidermal water loss, soothe irritation and you can rub off the excess seaweed gel for an extra boost of collagen and antioxidants.

But all the soothing skin treatments in the world will be useless without sun protection. Sensitive skin benefits most from a layer of non-oily sunscreen, such as Skin alliesThe new Invisible Sunscreen Gel from ‘s (£43), an ingredient-rich sunscreen with vitamin C, green tea and carrot seeds, as well as five antioxidants and skin conditioners. Use with Simplified skincare products to control sensitivity.