Conditions · Redness & Vessels

Sensitised Skin

Skin that reacts to things it should tolerate. Usually a barrier that has stopped coping rather than an intrinsic skin type.

Mechanism

What is actually happening

A compromised stratum corneum loses water and admits irritants. Transepidermal water loss rises, inflammatory signalling increases, and the threshold for reacting drops.

The distinction

How it is told apart

Genuinely sensitive skin is lifelong and constitutional. Sensitised skin is acquired — usually from over-exfoliation, actives stacked without recovery, or a course of procedures too close together. The second is reversible.

Assessment

What is established first

Product and actives history, frequency of exfoliation and procedures, current symptoms, and how long the reactivity has been present.

Approach

What is typically done

Barrier repair before anything active. Non-thermal, non-ablative support is appropriate; further stimulation usually is not.

When treatment waits

When it is deferred

Where the cause is an ongoing regimen or treatment cadence, the honest answer is to stop and let the barrier recover before any new treatment.

Frequently asked

What is sensitised skin?

Skin that reacts to things it should tolerate. Usually a barrier that has stopped coping rather than an intrinsic skin type.

How is sensitised skin told apart from similar conditions?

Genuinely sensitive skin is lifelong and constitutional. Sensitised skin is acquired — usually from over-exfoliation, actives stacked without recovery, or a course of procedures too close together. The second is reversible.

What is assessed before treating sensitised skin?

Product and actives history, frequency of exfoliation and procedures, current symptoms, and how long the reactivity has been present.

When is treatment deferred?

Where the cause is an ongoing regimen or treatment cadence, the honest answer is to stop and let the barrier recover before any new treatment.

Have this assessed

Every assessment is carried out personally by Dr Sin Yong, Medical Director. 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza.

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