How to make your sensitive skin look and feel great? Our experts provide some great tips on how to give your sensitive skin the care it needs.
Do you suffer from tight, itchy or chafed skin? Sensitive skin causes discomfort in 9 out of 10 cases. Our experts provide some great tips on how to give your sensitive skin the care it needs, leaving it fresh, supple and bursting with vitality. Just because your skin is sensitive, you don’t have to live with dryness or a pulled feeling.
What causes skin discomfort?
There’s nothing worse than skin that feels dry, stretched or taut. “It can feel like you’re wearing a mask or clothes that are a bit too tight,” describes Florence Benech, Directrice Internationale du Développement Soin division Cosmétique Active. Where does this pulling sensation come from? The nerve endings in sensitive skin are more receptive to stimuli, which explains the feelings of soreness. And in sensitive skin, the skin’s natural protective barrier is impaired, allowing moisture to escape during the day and causing dehydration.
Help your natural beauty shine through
The effects of sensitive skin can truly have an effect on your appearance. For starters, moisture-thirsty skin can be prone to roughness, dehydration lines, flakiness and redness. In addition, the skin’s micro-relief becomes more visible, making it feel less smooth. Its inability to reflect light properly can give it a dull, veiled appearance.
What’s more, when your skin is tight and uncomfortable, you don’t use your face in the same way. “It’s like when you have chapped lips and you find it difficult to smile,” explains Florence Benech. “Your face can’t express the same emotions when your skin is dry and tight.”
Making up for your skin’s moisture loss
All your body’s organs need minerals, which they mostly absorb from the food you eat. But the skin is last in line, so it needs to be boosted with direct nourishment.
To soothe your skin and restore its natural protective barrier, one great tip is to spray it regularly with a mineral-rich thermal spa water. “But don’t leave the spa water to dry on your skin,” explains skin expert Annic Lefol-Malosse, Vichy Institute Director. Gently dab your damp face with a tissue to allow the minerals to soak into your skin. “For optimal hydration, I would recommend placing a piece of gauze on your face before spraying it with thermal spa water. This technique allows your face to gently absorb the water for several minutes, without exposing it completely to the open air and letting it dry out.”
How to make skin comfortable again
The ingredients in your moisturizer can have a major impact on your skin. Some creams that are rich in moisturizing ingredients form a protective film on the skin’s surface to strengthen its natural barrier, while others plump up the skin’s outer layer to stop it from drying out. Hyaluronic acid is a great product that actually does both. “Warm up the cream between your fingers so that the active ingredients are more easily absorbed into your face,” recommends Annic Lefol-Malosse. “Then lightly run your fingers all over the skin’s surface with light tapping movements to invigorate and stimulate microcirculation. This will leave your skin feeling radiant and supple, gorgeously plump and well moisturized.”
