If your skin gets red, irritated or blotchy, you may have sensitive skin. Does it have to be sensitive? Absolutely not. Don’t baby your skin, change it. Sensitive skin is usually a symptom of how you treat yourself and your skin.

But in this day and age, with modern pollution, daily stress, candida and our highly chemically laden world, it can be safely stated that most of us have sensitive skin. For many, lifestyle challenges, including stress, emotions, and diet takes an inordinate toll on our skin. Other persons may find their trigger factors are related to hormonal fluctuations or imbalances.

Some people's skin is more sensitive because of structural differences. For example, the skin of some persons is thinner and far more delicate than other persons and has a less substantial outer barrier of lipids and natural moisturizers. With a thinner, smaller barrier, it is easier for external triggers to enter beyond the superficial epidermal layers and penetrate the stratum corneum to the deeper layers of the skin.

People with sensitive skin may also have a greater number of reactive blood vessels from a buildup of toxins resulting in broken capillaries on the face. The problem is that when triggering agents continually bombard sensitive skin, this can cause premature skin aging, including loss of moisture and dryness, wrinkling, roughness, redness, and simply an unhealthy skin appearance.

Sensitive skin may manifest itself as allergenic--or irritant-related dermatitis, acne, eczema, hives, blackheads, rosacea, or simply as nonspecific inflammatory redness (erythema), as well as dryness, stinging, itching, or blistering.

What can you do?

Daily use of antioxidants and sunblock are the two most important steps of anyone’s skin care regimen. Antioxidants prevent the damage caused by free radicals from the environment by strengthening you skin’s cells (collagen and elastin cells included), which can then resistant free radical intrusion. The damage caused by free radicals ultimately lead to thinning skin and irritability. Cleansing the skin at night removes toxins that build up on the skin during the day. Sunblock and sun avoidance prevents the UV rays from damaging the collagen and elastin that keep the skin looking younger.

Room air filtration units can also be very helpful to clear the air of pollutants, dust mites and other airborne allergens. Drink at least eight glasses of pure, filtered water daily; your body's ability to detoxify will be highly enhanced. But for really congested skin, supplemental detoxification is needed. This allows your body to clear out toxins instead of putting them out on your skin where they cause irritation. Cut out junk food. This can help immensely. Many people do not realize that the poor nutrition and common additives such as food dyes stimulate the body's inflammatory pathways. Increase consumption of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, found in seafood such as salmon and tuna, as well as flax seeds. The essential fatty acids in omega-6s and omega-3s are important for healthy skin and hair. For inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis, fatty acids may serve a dual purpose: They serve as natural anti-inflammatories and as nutrients for healthy skin cells. The GLA omega-6s (as well as the omega-3s) in supplements such as primrose oil may reduce the risk of pores becoming clogged and lesions developing. The oil's essential fatty acids help to treat rosacea by reducing inflammation, controlling the cells' use of nutrients, and by producing prostaglandins, which stimulate the contraction of blood vessels.

It is also important for persons with sensitive skin to avoid harsh detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate, which is a foaming ingredient. Not only is this ingredient a potential trigger factor, it abrades the skin, denaturing it of its protective lipid barrier, making it more penetrable. The skin's immune function may also be altered. Most people don’t realize that a cleanser does not have to be foamy to work well on the skin.

The regular exfoliation of healthy skin supports natural skin rejuvenation. A key to effective exfoliation, and skin's long-term health and beauty, is to preserve the natural, protective oils in the top layer of the skin, while keeping intact the lower layers of the skin where 70 percent of the collagen fibers reside. People with sensitive skin should start out with gentle exfoliation from either enzyme or superficial chemical peels. Initially, refrain from mechanical exfoliation, which is too aggravating to the skin. In addition to the exfoliation process, cell rejuvenation products such as retinol-A and TGF Beta-1 should be used in daily skin care. This assists the cell turnover rate by bring up healthier cells faster, which should be protected with the use of topical antioxidants. Initially, sensitive skin may be hyper-reactive to procedures such as these, but with due diligence and determination, the reactiveness will start to diminish over time as damaged cells are replaced with healthier stronger cells.

Another way to assist the removal of toxins is with the use of hot and cold therapies. These therapies stimulate blood circulation and lymphatic drainage to nourish the skin and flush toxins from the tissues. Hot and cold therapies can be in the form of sea stones or compresses. Temperature and duration in these therapies play a key to achieving the proper balance and should only be performed by a trained professional.

Once your body and skin are healthier, you will notice that the skin is not so reactive when procedures are performed. Thickening your skin will also help with the wrinkles and moisture content thereby giving the appearance of smoother, softer skin. You are then well on your way to normalizing your skin. Once your skin has been changed, work on correcting any damage that has been done which may be evident as broken capillaries, diffused redness, hyperpigmentation or acne scars can be performed. Deeper chemical peels, microdermabrasion or other procedures such as laser/IPL can be used to help the damage. Then, with the right daily skin care you will maintain the healthy skin you have created.

With proper lifestyle changes and care, your skin can be healthier and more radiant looking. Call the Longevity Aesthetics to find out how we can help you make the change.