Five Things Dermatologists Want You to Know About Soothing Sensitive Skin

Dry skin and sensitive skin often go hand in hand. Here are five things our dermatologists want you to know about a skin care routine for dry skin and a skin care routine for sensitive skin.

Don’t Overdo It

While washing and exfoliating your face regularly is important, many people start overdoing these steps and end up irritating their skin. Despite what you may think, the average person only needs to wash their skin once or twice a day, especially if you experience sensitivity. The natural barrier of lipids and proteins that protect your skin is compromised when you subject it to harsh cleansers, over-exfoliation, and scrubbing. As a general rule for a skin care routine for sensitive skin, we recommend washing your face once a day with water and a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser.

Don’t Go Crazy With New Products

While active ingredients like BHAs, AHAs, retinoids, and more can do wonders for your skin, your sensitive skin is likely to become irritated if you don’t introduce new products in the right way. When it comes to developing your skin care routine for sensitive skin, incorporate new products slowly. Use the product for a couple of days a week at first, and after a few weeks, you can increase the frequency of use to every other day or even every day.

Use Products With Few Ingredients

Most modern-day skin care products contain absurdly long lists of ingredients that you probably know nothing about, making it harder to determine which ones are irritating and which ones are safe. Another tip for your skin care routine for sensitive skin is to stick to products that have few ingredients so it’s easier to figure out what works and what doesn’t. This tip can also be applied to a skin care routine for dry skin, as dryness is a common symptom that patients with sensitive skin experience.

Patch Tests Can Be Annoying, But They’re Worth It

Don’t skip out on patch tests. Instead of using a product all over your face immediately, use a small amount of the product on a small area of your face or on your wrist to see how your skin reacts. When testing a new moisturizer to incorporate into your skin care routine for dry skin, leave the moisturizer on overnight during your patch test. While these patch tests can safely be done at home, you can also do them at your dermatologist’s office to determine which ingredients your skin is sensitive to. 

How to Soothe Sensitive Skin After a Bad Reaction

Reactions happen, even if you’re careful, so don’t be alarmed. If a new product irritates your skin, causes inflammation, or any other negative symptom, it’s important to continue being gentle with your skin and cut down your routine to one product at a time until you figure out what’s causing the flare-up. Don’t be afraid to talk to a dermatologist if you need help determining this. Our team of professionals are more than happy to help!

For more tips on the perfect skin care routine for dry skin and tips on how to soothe your sensitive skin, make sure to visit our blog and check out our online shop. We have plenty of skin care products specifically for sensitive skin that can help you achieve the skin you’ve always wanted.