The Difference Between Sensitive And Sensitized Skin

Skincare is more popular now than it ever has been. It seems like everyone is a skincare expert in their own right, and we know more about the ingredients in our moisturizers now than ever before.

However, one thing that we have not learned is the difference between sensitive and sensitized skin. This is an important distinction to be able to make to choose the right products for our skin.

We’re here to tell you exactly what the differences are between sensitive and sensitized skin.

Sensitive Skin

You most likely assume that you have sensitive skin if your skin is easily irritated. However, there is much more to sensitive skin than that. Sensitive skin consists of conditions such as eczema, rosacea, and different types of dermatitis.

Sensitive skin can also have adverse reactions to certain environmental factors and skincare products, which is something that sensitized skin does as well and where most of the confusion between the two comes in.

It is important to remember that sensitive skin has specific skin conditions associated with it, while sensitized skin does not. Sensitive skin is also with you from birth, while sensitized skin is not.

Sensitized Skin

Sensitized skin is similar to sensitive skin in that it manifests in many of the same reactions to certain products and environmental factors. However, sensitized skin comes about because of excessive use of the product.

Using too many skincare products that have too many different ingredients will result in your skin becoming sensitized. It is not a condition that will be with a person from birth, but rather one that will probably manifest later in life due to excessive product use.

Sensitized skin might result in skin conditions after a long time but generally is kept to skin irritations caused by certain products and environmental factors.

Bottom Line

Having sensitive skin means that your skin type is sensitive. It is a condition that is more often than not genetic and must be treated with medicated creams and sometimes oral medication to alleviate the symptoms.

Having sensitized skin means that your skin has been exposed to too many ingredients and is now having adverse reactions to some of the ingredients that you are using. It is not a genetic condition and can be treated by simply cutting down on the number of products you use.