4 tips for restoring sensitive, irritated, dry skin

(BPT) - Beautiful, healthy-looking skin is a reflection of overall good health. But it’s not just a question of how your skin looks — how it feels is just as important. If your skin is sensitive, you may experience symptoms that make you feel uncomfortable.

How do you know if you have sensitive skin?

• Your skin flushes or turns red easily
• You have itchiness or dryness
• Beauty products or fragrances irritate your skin
• You’re sensitive to sun or wind
• You have broken capillaries on your face

Because your skin is affected by your internal health and your external environment, there are many potential causes for skin sensitivity — and many possible treatments.

Sensitive skin is typically caused by a compromised skin moisture barrier, allowing for increased water loss and faster absorption of irritants and allergens that come in contact with your skin. Psychological and emotional factors can also contribute to skin sensitivity, as well as environmental conditions.

Whether your sensitive skin is on your face, body or both, it helps to identify common triggers.

Everyday sensitive skin triggers

While some people are genetically predisposed to sensitive skin, others can be sensitized by their environment and lifestyle. Some factors that may trigger sensitive skin reactions include temperature or humidity changes, pollution or smoking, plus use of soaps, household or cosmetic products — especially those containing high concentration of fragrances. Other potential triggers include medical treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, or factors like emotional stress or lack of sleep.

The good news is, there are steps you can take in your everyday life to safeguard your skin against possible triggers.

Create restorative spaces

We’ve been spending a lot more time at home, so it’s worth evaluating your living space. Making small changes can create a more restorative environment to improve your overall well-being, including the health of your skin.

Humans are attracted to nature for a reason. Being in or around nature offers restorative benefits to your physical and emotional well-being. Here are four tips for bringing positive, natural elements into your environment and daily routine.

1. Grow plants.

Bring more plants into your home, as they can improve indoor air quality by absorbing toxins and increasing moisture levels — which helps nourish dry, sensitive skin.

2. Stock up on gentle skincare.

Use products specially created for sensitive skin. For example, Aveeno offers gentle cleansing and moisturizing products made from naturally derived ingredients — like oat — formulated to nourish, calm and restore skin so it looks and feels healthier. Oats have been used in skincare since ancient times for their ability to soothe and nourish skin, because they help:

• Replenish and hydrate the moisture barrier
• Restore skin’s pH
• Soothe sensitive, dry skin

Both of the company’s new collections are formulated without fragrance, parabens and phthalates.

For the body: The Aveeno Restorative Skin Therapy line is a dermatologist-tested body care regimen clinically proven to be well-tolerated and effective on distressed, sensitive skin. Their Restorative Skin Therapy Oat Repairing Cream is formulated with a rich complex of aloe, pro-vitamin B5 and the brand’s highest concentration of prebiotic oat, and is clinically proven to intensely moisturize over time to improve skin’s resilience.

For the face: The Aveeno Calm + Restore facial care collection is formulated with soothing oat and calming feverfew to calm irritated, dry skin. The line includes a Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer for daily use. It hydrates to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier over time.

3. Get choosy about fabrics.

Select clothing and linens — including face masks — made from gentle, natural materials (like cotton or bamboo).

4. Amp up your lighting.

Increase natural lighting to boost vitamin D intake.

For National Healthy Skin Month this year, find new ways to improve your skin's health and appearance. Visit Aveeno.com to find the right products for the health of your skin.