Hypersensitive skin? What you can do. 

Cosmetics can trigger unwanted reactions: redness, pain, itching, and blisters. These are all strong indications of irritation, contact allergy, or even the result of over-treated skin. It's not easy to tell the difference – so should you go straight to the dermatologist?

Here you will find practical knowledge about how you can better assess the condition of your skin and how you can prevent future irritations.

Appealing or appaling?

The goal of the cosmetics industry is to create products that are as long-lasting, fragrant, and pleasant to the touch as possible. However, this requires a lot of additives that don't benefit the health of your skin. Unproblematic skin usually tolerates these kinds of additives well – but an increasing number of people are reacting badly to fragrances and preservatives.

The consequences are inflammation of the skin and irritations. What good is the most amazing cream if it causes itching, eczema, and rashes? Precious little! Some chemicals in cosmetics can trigger painful reactions.

Your skin is red and burning – now what?

Have you experienced this? You bought a new cleansing gel and nourishing cream and have been following the skin care plan for a few days. On the third evening, your skin is burning, red and tiny pustules have formed.

These are typical symptoms of dermatitis, but what should you do? The following tips will help you better assess the reaction:

Irritant contact dermatitis:

If cells are attacked by caustic chemicals, this will generally cause a skin irritation that can manifest itself as follows:

• Symptoms: reddened skin, wet sores, chapped and glassy complexion, burning, stabbing pain, itching
   
• Where do they occur? Local reaction in areas where the body has come into contact with the substance
   
• When do they occur? A few minutes or no more than a few hours after the initial contact with the substance
   
• What can I do? Immediately stop using the irritating skin care product, read the list of ingredients and potentially compare it to other products. If the symptoms do not improve, contact a skin pharmacy or dermatologist. Apply as few cosmetic products as possible while the skin is still irritated. Once the irritation has healed, it is best to switch to a gentle skin care product with as few ingredients as possible (no preservatives, perfume, alcohol, surfactants).

A special form of contact dermatitis is known as “over-treated skin”, which you can read more about here.

Allergic contact dermatitis:

An allergy surfaces when the immune system develops antibodies in order to fight the bothersome chemicals.

• Symptoms: severe itching, redness, clearly defined areas of inflammation, blisters, and cysts, fever
   
• Where do they occur? The strongest reaction is at the contact site, but because antibodies are formed the allergic reaction also spreads
   
• When do they occur? Usually only after repeated contact. Symptoms appear within 24 to 72 hours because the body needs time to form antibodies
   
• What can I do? Immediately stop using all skin care products, read the list of ingredients and potentially compare them to other products in order to determine the allergen. If the allergic reaction is severe, visit a dermatologist immediately and bring the products you used. Once your skin is healthy again, it is best to switch to a skin care product that has as few ingredients as possible (no preservatives, perfume, alcohol, surfactants).

When should you go to the doctor?

If the symptoms are severe and do not disappear on their own, you should definitely visit a dermatologist. If you want a preliminary opinion before you make an appointment with your doctor, you can show the irritation to a pharmacist at a specialized skin pharmacy.

Filabé is gentle on the skin.

Once a medical specialist has prescribed an appropriate treatment, the stressed skin must be appropriately nourished. The triggering ingredient should of course be avoided from that point on. However, thorough but gentle cleansing is critical to the daily routine.

Our Filabé Balanced Skin is perfect for sensitive skin. Sensitive skin is cleaned gently but deep down the pores with the cloth and supplied with 100% natural active ingredients: prickly pear extract (Opuntia ficus-indica) soothes the skin sustainably, and glycerine provides the skin with moisture – and all without irritating alcohol, emulsifiers, fragrances, and preservatives.

If you enjoy wearing cosmetics, it would be advisable to temporarily avoid wearing makeup and heavy creams during the day, or at least to reduce them to a minimum or omit them entirely so that the skin has a chance to heal. Your medical specialist will also prescribe the appropriate measures.

We hope your skin stays healthy and that you enjoy caring for your skin with Filabé!

Do you have experience with irritations and allergies? Please contact us!