Sensitive skin is a general layman term used to describe a condition where the skin has reduced tolerance to cosmetic and personal care products when applied, often on the face. Medically, it often refers to a form of irritant contact dermatitis, an inflammatory response of the skin to externally applied agent/factor(s) which is not due to allergy.
Examples of such external applied agents/factors include:
However, patient’s inherent factors also influence susceptibility eg age, sex, skin site and history of eczema. Eczema of any type is a well-recognised predisposing factor for the development of irritant contact dermatitis.