Unfold very gently
What if the skin is not only aging but also very sensitive? To also receive the best possible and effective anti-aging care, some important aspects should be considered.
Sensitive skin already has an impaired skin barrier, with increased moisture loss and immune reactivity. Tolerance to exogenous stimuli - temperature fluctuations, air-conditioned rooms, cosmetics - and endogenous stimuli - psychological strain, stress, food - is low, often triggering a whole cascade of reactions: Redness, itching, a feeling of tension or inflammation are the result. The core task of skin care is therefore to soothe, reduce irritation, strengthen the skin barrier and reduce dryness. If the skin is also affected by age-related processes, there are additional factors that need to be considered in skin care.
The skin becomes thinner with age. As sebum production decreases, destroying the hydro-lipid mantle, it is even more easily irritated. In addition, natural skin renewal slows down and a less supporting tissue is formed to give the skin firmness.
Melanin production is increased, and the pigment is irregularly deposited and degraded at a slower rate, resulting in hyperpigmentation.
The skin is not supplied as well.
The exchange zone between the vascular dermis and the avascular epidermis (dermo-epidermal junction zone) flattens out. This worsens the blood circulation - and thus the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the cells.
Generally, the more unsettled the appearance of the skin, the older we judge a face to be. This includes not only age spots or hyperpigmentation, but also wrinkles as well as redness and dry patches. As a result, sensitive skin often appears older than it really is. On the other hand, due to its natural composition, it can develop signs of aging faster and earlier. To counteract the natural aging process, the skin's ability to regenerate, the build-up of collagen and the hyaluronic acid content should be improved. At the same time, it is important that skin care for sensitive skin does not work too vitalising – but rather focus on "regenerating and soothing".
Balloon vine extract (INCI: Cardiospermum Halicacabum Leaf Extract) has an anti-inflammatory effect and relieves itching and reddening of the skin
Priority for low irritant products
Since sensitive skin is more prone to react, ingredients are also a critical factor. There are now numerous tailor-made ingredients, but these should be combined very carefully, especially for sensitive skin. Embedding them in low-irritant bases - e.g. without colourants and fragrances, parabens, mineral oils, PEG derivatives, etc. - is also an important part of target-oriented product development. The skin care professional cannot simply recommend the richest cream with the most effective actives to this type of customer. This is because such preparations, which normally have a good effect, can produce exactly the opposite in sensitive skin: if there is a reaction, instead of smooth, vital skin, there is tension, redness and flaking. This is a dilemma that the skin care professional can help to prevent.
The anti-aging classic faces competition
· Vitamin A (retinol) should be used with caution on sensitive skin. Although it is a real "wrinkle killer", people with sensitive skin should avoid using the active ingredient because it can irritate the skin. In addition, vitamin A makes the skin even more sensitive to sunlight.
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An effective alternative to vitamin A is bakuchiol. The extract from the Psoralea corylifoliaas plant (Babchi tree), which is found in India, among other places, has a deep skin penetrating effect. It naturally ensures a significant improvement in lines and wrinkles, even pigmentation, elasticity and skin firmness. Bakuchiol stimulates collagen formation and thus boosts firm facial contours and smooth skin without straining it.
If the customer with sensitive skin wants "less wrinkles", the anamnesis therefore plays an important role. The skin care professional must try to find out everything about the client and her main problems in advance:
· What troubles the skin?
· What allergies exist, what intolerances have there been in the past?
· Which care did the client feel comfortable with so far - rather gentle lotions or rich creams?
· Which basis is preferred?
· Which treatments have already been conducted, how successful or unsuccessful were they? etc.
If this is not done with particular sensitivity, problems and the associated customer dissatisfaction are easily anticipated.
Gentle but still effective
After a detailed skin analysis, the appropriate skin care routine is put together. For sensitive, mature skin, this consists of gentle formulations without fragrances or other irritating substances. Those who think that mild products are not effective are mistaken: Sufficient experience in product development and knowledge of the latest active ingredients from current research contribute to the fact that the best tolerability can be very well combined with targeted effectiveness in products.
Cleansing the skin is essential for every skin type. Cleansing milks with moisturising, valuable oils cleanse thoroughly without drying out due to irritating tensides. Micellar solutions based on sugar surfactants and without oil components are also sometimes well suited. Which cleansing product to use often depends on individual preference.
A gentle eye care that works against wrinkles is recommended for the eye area. The delicate skin around the eyes ages particularly quickly in sensitive skin and irritations also show up particularly here. Mild balms, especially for very sensitive, dry skin, are excellent. They soothe even irritated skin with eyebright and Centella asiatica, for example, and make it supple.
As day or night care, O/W emulsions are preferred because they are lighter on the skin and create a cooling effect. Anti-aging and soothing ingredients are combined in fragrance-free formulas so that they work but do not unnecessarily irritate the skin. Ingredients such as aloe vera, ectoin, panthenol, bisabolol or balloon vine are well suited for this purpose. For anti-aging effects, the formulas are combined with peptides, hyaluronic acid and vitamins.
Skin care creams for sensitive skin should always contain lipid-replenishing oils that have a high affinity to the skin due to their high content of omega fatty acids, such as echium oil. It helps to strengthen the skin's resistance and protect it effectively. As sensitive skin reacts particularly strongly to UV rays, this can also accelerate skin aging, sunscreen with high protection (SPF 50+) is recommended, e.g. perfume-free fluids that can be applied on the top of daily skin care.
Additional products such as ampoules and masks, on the other hand, should only be used in moderation for sensitive skin. Too much care promotes the readiness to react. Ampoules with only one ingredient (e.g. hyaluronic acid) can be used three to four times a year as a cure. Heavy, occlusive masks should also be used with caution. Algae masks or strongly soothing gel masks that intensively moisturise the skin with few ingredients are better suited.
”The detailed anamnesis is of central importance for the
treatment success of sensitive, mature skin.“ Christina Drusio
Also adapt the treatments
Treatments that achieve very good anti-aging results under normal circumstances cannot easily be used on sensitive mature skin. Chemical peelings with alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) do support the skin renewal process. However, acids such as glycolic acid are irritating - especially in high doses - and can damage sensitive skin. In addition, too frequent use can make the already sensitive skin even more reactive. Although it is possible to work with low concentrations, natural herbal peel cures are better suited in these cases, which can be adjusted in their intensity to the sensitive skin and its individual condition.
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