Do you remember the days when there were only three skin types – normal, dry and oily? Somewhere along the line, ‘combination’ was added to the list to describe the oily forehead, nose and chin with cheeks still normal or dry. But a new skin type has entered the market: “sensitive skin." Apparently, so many people have ‘sensitive skin,’ that it warranted being called a skin type. What is sensitive skin, and what skin care

products and routines are necessary to keep it under control?

Sensitive skin is usually described as skin that reacts easily, and negatively, to a variety of stimuli: soaps, household cleansers, deodorants, cosmetics, just about any skin care product, harsh weather, dryness, wetness – you name it. Skin care specialists recommend you test everything, preferably on a tiny part of your wrist or some invisible body part, before you use it on your hands, face or your entire body.

But medical experts have a different name for ‘sensitive skin’: they call it ‘atopic dermatitis’ – a tendency to have allergic reactions such as redness, swelling, and itching to just about everything. Also, because the skin is damaged so easily, someone with sensitive skin is also more likely to develop eczema and bacterial or other infections.

The question is: why has ‘sensitive skin’ become so common it is now considered a basic skin type? Chances are it is a reaction to our modern, industrialized, chemical- laden, polluted environment.

You’ve probably heard of people developing sensitivities. You may have eaten strawberries all your life and, suddenly, you have an allergic reaction to strawberries. You may have been fine with a certain antibiotic and, suddenly, you have trouble breathing when you take it. Long-term exposure can sometimes have that effect.

For almost the last century we’ve seen an accelerated use of chemicals: they’re in our clothes, our household cleansers, our skin care products, on our grass, in our hair, in our air, in our food, in our cars, in our oceans, and in the water from our taps. We’re under siege. The body can only process so much: it eventually starts to break down under the weight of all the toxins.

Is it any wonder that atopic dermatitis has become so prevalent that ‘sensitive skin’ is now a skin type?

Okay, so what can you do about it? Start with your own household, and body. Get rid of as many chemicals as you can. Replace toxic household cleansers with products from the health food store. Throw out the packaged food in your cupboards with two-inch long lists of chemical ingredients, start shopping organic and change your diet to fresh vegetables and fruit, organic chemical-free foods, and meat and fish that has been raised in a clean environment without being loaded up with antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals.

Next, take antioxidants and other vitamins and nutrients to build up your immune system.

Next, tackle your skin care product shelves in the bathroom. Look for more two-inch long lists of chemical ingredients. Replace them with natural skin care products from the health food store and educate yourself on the natural skin care remedies that are already in your kitchen.

Now that you’ve done what you can, you still have to tackle the polluted environment. Unfortunately, that’s not something you can do much about all by yourself. However, there is one solution – a shielding lotion. A good shielding lotion bonds with the outer layer of skin to form a protective layer that keeps chemicals out.

If you follow the recommendations above, chances are you’ll feel better, look better and your sensitive skin will become less sensitive in short order. And if you keep eating natural foods, cleaning with natural products and using natural skin care

products, it will continue to improve.