11 Rules for People With Sensitive Skin

Tired of bumps and blotches, rashes, and dry patches? These lifestyle hacks will keep your sensitive skin calm and clear

Sensitive skincare rules

People with sensitive skin may have rosacea, eczema, or severe skin allergies. If you follow these sensitive skincare rules from experts, you’ll learn how to control your symptoms and keep your skin healthy.

woman removing face mask
Lordn/Getty Images

Learn from experience

Remember when you used a friend’s benzoyl peroxide-based touch stick for zits and woke up with your eyes swollen shut? Or that time you used a powerful mud mask and your face burned for hours? You might want to forget these episodes as soon as possible, but don’t. “Listen to your skin and pay attention to what has caused irritation in the past,” says Jonathan Kantor, MD, medical director at the Florida Center for Dermatology, in Augustine, Florida. Don’t dismiss any skin reactions you’ve previously had, no matter how major or minor it seemed at the time. It’s important to keep track of past triggers, which may range from beauty products to household chemicals, so you can avoid them going forward. (Check out the possible reasons your skin already hates you.)

rubber cleaning gloves
PeopleImages/Getty Images

Choose gloves carefully

If you’re looking to buy a pair of protective gloves—for dishwashing or hair dying or other messy projects, choose wisely. Wearing gloves made of latex or nitrile for a long time may create a sweaty environment that can take any skin issues from mild to serious, according to Dr. Kantor. He especially warns of rashes, bumps, or blisters that start to appear on the sides of your fingers. This, in conjunction with sweating on your hands, may indicate a kind of hand dermatitis. Ideally, it’s best to seek the professional advice of a dermatologist. (Concerned about sweating? Here’s what sweating could reveal about your health.)

two young women applying face masks
GlobalStock/Getty Images

Don’t play the comparison game

Skin sensitivity isn’t a one-size-fits-all issue, so be careful not to compare your skin reactions or regimens with that of a friend or relative, even if she also has sensitive skin. For example, Dr. Kantor explains that you might be bothered by extremely mild chemicals while someone else may be effected only by bleach solutions. Just because a product is tolerable for your friend does not make it tolerable for you. Here’s more of the worst skincare advice dermatologists have ever heard.

rear view shot of a woman scratching her back
Rawpixel/Getty Images

Know your irritants vs. allergens

Some chemicals, like chlorine bleach, bother everybody, and will almost always cause skin irritation. Then there are substances that bother only some people, and those are considered allergens. Some common skin allergens are the nickel in inexpensive jewelry, everyday fragrances, an antibiotic called neomycin, and the widely used preservatives methylchloroisothiazolinone and thimerasol. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, methylchloroisothiazolinone is a “formaldehyde-like” chemical that often shows up as a cosmetic preservative, and thimerasol is found in certain vaccines and contact lens solutions. If you suffer from red, itchy skin, try one of these eight remedies for banishing skin rashes at home.

woman shopping for skin care products
andresr/Getty Images

Beware of long ingredients lists

People with sensitive skin should pay close attention to a product’s ingredient list. Avoiding products that contain fragrances, soap, and alcohol will help patients with sensitive skin maintain skin health, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD): “Calming ingredients, such as green tea polyphenols, chamomile, and aloe are beneficial and, as a general rule, the fewer ingredients in a product the better.”

man washing his face
PeopleImages/Getty Images

Resist the urge to lather, rinse, repeat

If you’re inclined to wash your face more than once during the day, don’t. One daily cleanse is sufficient to maintain clean skin, and any more than that can upset sensitive skin, per the AAD. And don’t even think about exfoliation. That too can exacerbate your sensitive skin issues. Plus, there are plenty of other ways you might be washing your face wrong.

woman rubbing her eye
Madrolly/Getty Images

Be on the lookout for triggers

Every single thing you come in contact with during the day has the potential to aggravate your sensitive skin. “If you notice that your upper eyelids are constantly irritated,” Dr. Kantor says, “one possibility is an allergy to nail polish or polish remover.” In that instance, you may be rubbing your eye area, unaware that nail polish remover is a potential culprit. The same idea applies to any correlations between mouth irritations (including canker sores) and toothpaste and/or mouthwash. Take note, and mention your observations to a dermatologist. If your skin is dry and cracked, try these home remedies for softer skin.

hamper with clothes and laundry detergent
Evgeniia Siiankovskaia/Getty Images

Wash before use

To make clothes look more appealing on the rack, manufacturers will sometimes coat them with a chemical finish that looks nice but can trigger skin problems. If you have eczema or sensitive skin, the National Eczema Association suggests always washing new clothes before you wear them. Also, wash cloth-napkins and bedding before first-time use. Try these home remedies for eczema to calm the irritation.

pouring laundry detergent
AndreyPopov/Getty Images

Ditch regular laundry detergent

Finding the laundry detergent that’s best for your sensitive skin might involve some trial and error, according to the National Eczema Association. But it’s always a safe bet to buy laundry detergents that are hypoallergenic, made for sensitive skin, and fragrance and dye-free. You’ll also want to choose liquid detergents over powdered ones, as the liquid version has been shown to have fewer residues and will likely be less irritating. Here are the best bed sheets for people with skin sensitivity.

iStock/tostphoto

Dress for your skin type

Avoid clothing that could aggravate your sensitive skin. That means steering clear of wool or anything that’s too tight, and being aware of elastics (think bras, underwear, some waistbands). Their friction against your skin—especially if coupled with sweating—can lead to itching, rashes, and a host of irritating dermatologic conditions. (Here’s why your sensitive skin might hate leggings.)

dermatologist looking at patient's sensitive skin
ChesiireCat/Getty Images

See a pro

If you think you’re allergic to something, don’t do your own guesswork—take it to a dermatologist or allergist. The longer you expose yourself to items that may be wreaking havoc on your sensitive skin, the worse your skin will become. A doctor will help assess your particular skin triggers by administering a patch test; then they’ll provide appropriate skin-saving recommendations, from sensitive skincare product advice to prescription medications that may help. Check out the other skin-saving secrets you can learn from dermatologists.

Sources
Medically reviewed by Jessica Wu, MD, on April 23, 2020

Jennifer Lea Reynolds
Jennifer Lea Reynolds is a journalist and advocate. Her articles on mental-health topics like ADHD, body image, relationships, and grief have been published in outlets including U.S. News & World Report, Reader’s Digest, Woman’s Day, Smithsonian magazine, Mental Floss, and The Huffington Post. She has been a featured guest on national podcasts, including Distraction and Health Check. Reynolds is the founder of The Kindness Couture, an effort dedicated to shedding cloaks of negativity and making sure kindness remains in style. From kindness in the corporate culture to easy ways to demonstrate caring acts, she is dedicated to showcasing the benefits of compassion and empathy. Motivated by her own unpleasant experiences with bullying, Reynolds also draws on research about the decline of workplace kindness. Her Facebook page, The Kindness Couture, provides more information about increasing empathy. Reynolds is the author of two children’s picture books encouraging kindness, compassion, and hope in young people—Carl, The Not-so-Crabby Crab and The Cat Who Loved the Moon. A graduate of Monmouth University, she lives in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.