Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/637956
28 march/april 2016 expertadvice SKIN SOLUTIONS DON'T expose sensitive skin to heat sources, including the sun. Heat causes vasodilation, increasing blood flow and redness. Steer clear of heat treatments, heat-producing (exothermic) masks, infrared light treatments, and excessive or hot steam treatments. Clients with rosacea have a higher skin temperature than those without rosacea. Higher skin temperatures are also known to cause certain bacteria on the skin to produce more proteins, which may produce inflammation. Teach your clients to avoid heat and keep it cool! DO use treatments that cool and soothe the redness-prone skin. Cool steam, cool compresses, cool Lucas spray, cold "cryo" globes used over gauze for penetrating moisture products, and cooling gel masks are all good ideas. Soothing, calming effleurage massage with a cooling hydration product can calm nerves and redness. DON'T use scratchy mechanical exfoliants like scrubs, especially ones with rough granules. These can degrade the already-fragile barrier function of thin, sensitive skin. Microdermabrasion should also be avoided, or at least approached with ultimate caution. DO use products that contain calming agents that can help reduce redness. These ingredients include allantoin, aloe, bisabolol, dipotassium glycyrrhizate (from licorice root), green tea extracts, matricaria extract, and sea whip extract. Newer peptides like acetyl dipeptide-1 cetyl ester, dipeptide-2, and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3 also help to lessen redness. These agents are especially effective in home-care products, since they should be used every day. DON'T use products that contain known sensitizers or common allergens. Fragrance is one of the main causes of cosmetic allergy. Other aggravating ingredients include dyes and formaldehyde- releasing preservatives such as the ureas, as well as highly acidic or alkaline formulas. If you use essential oils, be careful; some of these may be very stimulating and not appropriate for sensitive skin. DO keep the skin well moisturized. Dry skin has been documented to contain more cytokines, which are immunoproteins that can signal cells to produce inflammatory reactions. Choose fragrance-free moisturizers that contain ingredients like sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, sodium PCA, and seaweed extracts that help the skin stay well hydrated. DO encourage daily sunscreen use for redness-prone clients, but suggest products specifically developed for sensitive skin. These sunscreens may also contain good moisturizing and soothing agents. The best sunscreen ingredients for sensitive skin are the physical screens—zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which reflect and disperse UV light instead of absorbing it, therefore decreasing heat to the skin. The client must be involved in the management of sensitive skin. Using fragrance-free products that have been tested for allergy and irritancy potential on a daily basis is vital to anti-redness success. It's your job to educate your sensitive clients to avoid heat, sun, stimulating products, and other redness triggers!