Everyone Has Sensitive Skin Now. That Is Not Normal.

Sensitive skin is on the rise. But why?

In this episode, we get into what is actually driving the global rise in skin reactivity and why most of what you have been told about it is wrong.

Transcript

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A few days ago I went to a workshop and everyone, I mean everyone had one thing in common, sensitive skin. As a skincare professional, I see this so often that it honestly feels a bit scary. About 8 out of 10 people I meet tell me, hey Salmeen, my skin is sensitive. It burns, it stinks, it reacts to everything. So let's talk about why this is happening and what you can actually start doing about it. Hi, my name is Salmeen. I'm a licensed aesthetician and a certified cutthroat specialist and this is my podcast, Skin Barrier and Beyond. And in this episode, I will talk about why everyone nowadays have sensitive skin and how to get rid of it. First, why everyone is suddenly having this sensitive skin type? First, let's talk about our teens. See, nowadays people are becoming so active. I mean, in skincare way, people are using a lot of actives nowadays. Everyone I meet, when I ask them, hey, what's your skincare routine? They're like, I use vitamin C, glycolic acid, sultalic acid, benzyl peroxide. Like that's too many actives together. We are layering exfoliating acids, retinoids, vitamin C, scrubs, pills, toners, and masks. Often with no real recovery time in between. And that is the problem. Your skin barrier is like a brick wall. And when you keep sanding that wall down, it gets thin and leaky. Then things that never used to bother you suddenly burn on contact. That's not your skin being dramatic, that's a barrier that's been pushed past its capacity. Second, the stress and the nervous system dysregulation. We are always overstimulated. We are dealing with more pollution, more screen time, less sleep, and a constant background of stress. Like everyone is so stressed. You open the news, you see something is going on. You open social media, you see some gossips which are not positive in any way, and your nervous system gets triggered. It's like your nervous system lives in on all the time. Your skin shows that too. Because if you're stressed, if your cortisol is super high, it shows on your skin. I don't know if you ever noticed or not the days you are stressed, the days you have less sleep, you can see it on your skin. It flushes faster, stinks easier, and has a harder time calming down. These are all real problems. I know most of you listening to this podcast go through it. So, what I'm trying to tell you is that sensitive skin is not a skin type. It is a condition we all created by living a life that is always overstimulated and by using too many actives altogether. Our body, our skin has a capacity, has some limitations, you cannot go overboard, and if you do, your skin reacts. But that's not all, there is another thing that contributes, that is our diet patterns. More ultra-processed foods, blood sugar swings, lots of coffee, less fiber, and whole foods. And guess what? All of that can irritate the gut and increase low-grade inflammation in the body. Now the problem is your gut and your skin are in constant conversations. So if your gut is irritated, it shows up on your face. And how does it show up? It shows up as redness, itching, flushing, and random reactions that don't make sense on paper. And you know what is interesting? This is where Ayurveda and Modern Science quietly agree. Modern Science talks about microbiome disruption, inflammation, and barrier damage. On the other hand, Ayurveda talks about disturbed acne, which is the digestive fire, arma, which is the toxic buildup, and aggravated peta, which is the heat and intensity in your body. Now you get it right, when I say that everyone has sensitive skin these days. I don't see a generation born with defective skin. Okay. I see skin that's been pushed too hard from the outside, stressed too much from the inside, and rarely given space to repair. I got so tired of seeing people doing these things that I had to make my own method. In my method, I never treat sensitive skin as your identity, neither I treat it as a skin type because I believe as a skin specialist that that is a condition. I treat it as a state your skin has been pushed into by external and internal factors. I realized with my experience that the more helpful question isn't, hey, what's the best product for sensitive skin? It's hey, what happened to this skin that made it so sensitive and reactive in the first place? And that brings us to a few simple takeaways you can start playing with. First, do less but do it consistently. What I mean by that is that you have to go back to a very simple routine for a while. Like if you have very sensitive skin, that works really great. You have to use like a simple, gentle, non-stripping cleanser, a bland moisturizer with no actives at all, and a truly comfortable sunscreen which your skin likes. The aim is to let your skin breathe and rebuild instead of constantly asking it to perform. Step 2. Watch your invisible exfoliators. See, you don't have to be using a physical scrub to be over-exfoliating. That's a myth. A lot of people, when I tell them that hey, you're overexfoliating, they come to me and they're like, No, I don't use a scrub. Well, listen, scrubs are not always the villains, and sometimes, even though you are not using a scrub, you are overexfoliating by using multiple acids, retinoids, strong cleansers, and cleansing devices, most importantly, because all of these things add up. If your skin stings or burns, that's a sign to lower the intensity and frequency, not push through. Step 3 support the inside, not just the outside. My whole work rotates around this philosophy that when the inside is in harmony, the outside, which means your skin, shows it. Pay attention to basics that come both cut and your pita in Ayurvedic language. Like you have to take real meals instead of constant snacking, you have to take fibers, that's very important, enough protein, staying hydrated with electrolytes, moderating alcohol, coffee, and yes, very spicy foods, heating foods, because those things can also aggravate the skin sensitivity. Last but not the least, protecting your sleep window as much as you realistically can can help you a lot. Step four, notice your nervous system. I can talk about myself, my nervous system has always been overstimulated because I am someone who is restless and I love to work, so I'm always thinking something, working on something. So if you're like me, maybe it's time that you think about your nervous system and check how it is doing. You can check like if your skin is flaring every time you're stressed, rushed, or worried, because those things are clues. So to get your nervous system in safe mode, what you can do, like you don't have to do like an hour meditation, okay? You can do simple things like slowing your exhale, taking brief breaks from screens, which help me a lot, or having a wind-down ritual at night because you are letting the body have some space before it is going to bed or sleep. These things are so simple, they are so easy to follow, but they can actually bring significant results on your nervous system. Moral of the story sensitive skin doesn't mean your skin is weak. It doesn't mean you are stuck with it. It means it's tired of carrying the full weight of your lifestyle, your products, and your environment by itself, but you can definitely get rid of it. When you start taking some of that load off inside and out, I mean, your skin has a chance to remember how to be resilient again. So I hope you will give your skin the rest it deserves. Because, hey girl, it's not only your body, your skin also needs the rest. So that was it, that's the episode. I'll see you all in my next one. Until then, ciao.