Shopping for Sensitive Skin: A Guide for the Acne and Rosacea Conscious

Home
>
Acne
>
Shopping for Sensitive Skin: A Guide for the Acne and Rosacea Conscious

Shopping for Sensitive Skin: A Guide for the Acne and Rosacea Conscious

Acne and rosacea patients take note- you must know about proper skin-care and cosmetic usage to successfully manage your sensitive skin. This is the counsel of Dr. Diane Berson, who runs a dermatology practice in New York City.

A critical step in reducing skin sensitivity is understanding the importance of the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of the skin and is composed of dead, flat skin cells held together by the protein keratin. This skin barrier prevents molecules from passing into and out of the skin and thereby protects the lower layers of skin while reducing skin sensitivity.

Healthy, uninjured skin is more effective at preventing skin irritations that may result from using cosmetics and skin care products. Individuals with altered nerve endings or more neurotransmitters under their skin are more susceptible to minor skin irritants in cosmetics and skin care products. When the skin is excessively dry or damaged, it cannot adequately protect these nerve endings. Sound moisturizing and a strong immune system help minimize possible skin irritants.

Some of Dr. Berson's recommendations for caring for sensitive skin include:

Selecting mild cleansers. Use mild cleansing agents that have synthetic detergents or lipid-free cleansers. Resist using abrasive cleansers since they can cause microscopic tears in the skin and damage the protective layers of the skin.

Rosacea patients should not use alcohol-based products such as toners or astringents.

Acne patients will benefit from toners that contain salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acid. However, when starting a retinoid treatment, temporarily discontinue using a toner or astringent since the combination may make the retinoid more irritating. Acne patients must also limit or abstain from excessively rough cleansing and washing. Julie Harper, M.D., who directs a clinic to treat acne at the University of Alabama at Birmingham laments, "Teenagers think they have acne because they do not wash enough, but usually they are washing too often with harsh scrubs that make their symptoms worse."

Using moisturizers. Tracy L. Grosick, a key skin care product researcher with Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati says that when the skin's moisture barrier is intact, it helps the skin to combat environmental attacks that are encountered on a daily basis. When acne and rosacea patients are using treatments that dry the skin, moisturizers may improve the skin's barrier function. Dr. Benson recommends using moisturizers with the least amount of ingredients.

Rosacea patients should choose a moisturizer with only glycerin, petrolatum, or aloe vera, which might be anti-inflammatory.

Acne patients should also stick with products containing the least amount of ingredients.

Using noncomedogenic sunscreens. Rosacea patients need to use a physical-blocking products containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide because these ingredients will not irritate red, inflamed skin and will provide optimal protection.

Acne patients with oily skin should use noncomedogenic, non-pore clogging, products. Select an alcohol-based or gel-based sunscreen.

Preservatives. The best preservatives for sensitive skin are those containing parabens like methyl paraben and butyl paraben.

The key to keeping sensitive skin less susceptible to irritation is ensuring the integrity of your stratum corneum, the skin's primary defensive barrier. You can start by using a minimalist moisturizer, and noncomedogenic sunscreen.

Sources:

American Academy of Dermatology (Newswise.com)

Dermatology Times. Patricia Reiman. Alleviating sensitivity: Study finds moisturizers with niacinamide make skin more resilient. March 1, 2004 Dermatology Times. Cheryl Guttman. Sensitive skin valid patient problem. May 1, 2002.

E Skin and Allergy News. Timothy F. Kirn. Lifestyle, Cosmetics Integral to Acne, Rosacea Tx. August 2003.

Naweko San-Joyz writes health and beauty articles from her home in San Diego. She recently published "Acne Messages: Crack the code of your zits and say goodbye to acne" (ISBN: 0974912204). Naweko is presently working on title called "Skinny Fat Girls, Why we're still not getting this diet thing" (ISBN: 0974912212) for release in May of 2005. To challenge and verify her research, San-Joyz trains for figure competitions.

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Obama says his plan with tax cuts to get quick OK (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama plunged into rare pre-inaugural crisis talks with congressional leaders Monday, declaring the national economy was "bad and getting worse" and embracing tax cuts now expected to reach $300 billion. He predicted lawmakers would approve a mammoth revitalization package within two weeks of his taking office.

Obama's intel picks short on direct experience (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama's decision to fill the nation's top intelligence jobs with two men short on direct experience in intelligence gathering surprised the spy community and signaled the Democrat's intention for a clean break from Bush administration policies.

Diplomats seek truce as Gaza's civilian toll rises (AP)

AP - Israel's expanding ground and air offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers took a heavy civilian toll Monday, including three young brothers reported killed by a crashing shell and wounded who filled hospital corridors.

Burris declares he's a senator despite controversy (AP)

AP - Senate Democrats struggled to avert a showdown steeped in race and corruption Monday as a defiant Roland Burris declared, "I'm a United States senator" despite boiling controversy over his appointment to President-elect Barack Obama's seat in Congress.

Franken on top in Minn. recount; Coleman to sue (AP)

AP - A Minnesota board on Monday certified results showing Democrat Al Franken winning the state's U.S. Senate recount over Republican Norm Coleman, whose lawyer promised a legal challenge that probably will keep the race in limbo for months.

Congressmen sound off against SEC in Madoff affair (AP)

AP - Republican and Democratic House members said Monday that the alleged $50 billion fraud involving Wall Street figure Bernard Madoff reflects deep, systemic problems at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Milky Way the galaxy not snack-sized anymore (AP)

AP - Take that, Andromeda! For decades, astronomers thought when it came to the major galaxies in Earth's cosmic neighborhood, our Milky Way was a weak sister to the larger Andromeda. Not anymore. The Milky Way is considerably larger, bulkier and spinning faster than astronomers once thought, Andromeda's equal.

Death certificate: Travolta son killed by seizure (AP)

AP - Jett Travolta's body shows no sign of head trauma and his death certificate says he was killed by a seizure, an undertaker said Monday, as the 16-year-old's celebrity parents prepared to return his remains to the United States.

Boy, 4, shoots babysitter for stepping on his foot (AP)

AP - Police say a 4-year-old boy in southern Ohio shot his babysitter because the sitter accidentally stepped on his foot. Police said 18-year-old Nathan Beavers and several other teenagers were babysitting several young children in a mobile home in Jackson on Sunday when the shooting occurred.

Pat Burrell agrees to $16M, 2-year deal with Rays (AP)

AP - Pat Burrell went from one World Series team to the other. The Tampa Bay Rays added a big bat to the middle of their lineup, agreeing Monday on a $16 million, two-year contract with Burrell.

Israel deaf to truce calls as Gaza battles rage on (Reuters)

Reuters - Israeli troops backed by air strikes fought to seize ground from Hamas militants deep inside the Gaza Strip on Monday despite international calls for a ceasefire in a conflict that has killed more than 540 Palestinians in 10 days.

Prosecutors seek to jail Madoff (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. prosecutors asked a judge to jail accused swindler Bernard Madoff on Monday, saying he sent jewelry and other items worth more than $1 million to family and friends in violation of his bail.

Obama picks former Clinton aide Panetta for CIA (Reuters)

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to lead the CIA, which has been widely criticized for harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects, Democratic officials said on Monday.

U.S., Germany mull tax cuts (Reuters)

Reuters - The prospect of new tax cuts in the United States and Germany injected a measure of New Year cheer on Monday, even as automakers wrapped up 2008 as their worst in more than 15 years with yet another month of slumping U.S. sales.

Obama seeks swift passage of fiscal package (Reuters)

Reuters - With the economic outlook darkening, U.S. president-elect Democrat Barack Obama went to Congress two weeks before taking office to try to entice Republican support for a massive stimulus package with talk of big tax cuts.

Apple's Jobs reassures investors about his health (Reuters)

Reuters - Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs sought to soothe investor concerns about his health on Monday, saying his weight loss was caused by a hormone imbalance that is relatively simple to treat.

Democrat wins Minnesota Senate seat in recount (Reuters)

Reuters - Democrat Al Franken beat Republican incumbent Norm Coleman to win the U.S. Senate seat from Minnesota, officials conducting a final recount said on Monday, though the loser promised to challenge the result.

U.S. anti-kidnap expert's vanishing spins Mexico mystery (Reuters)

Reuters - The abduction of a U.S. anti-kidnap expert in northern Mexico last month remains a mystery with no clues to the man's whereabouts and no ransom demanded by his captors, police said on Monday.

Heavy fighting in Gaza as Israel shuns calls for truce (AFP)

AFP - The heaviest fighting of Israel's war on Hamas raged in Gaza City early on Tuesday as the Israeli government parried appeals to stop the death toll from mounting further.

Obama picks Leon Panetta as CIA head (AFP)

AFP - US president-elect Barack Obama has chosen former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency, a Democratic Party official told AFP Monday.

Shopping for Sensitive Skin: A Guide for the Acne and Rosacea Conscious

Acne Acne