Abstract
Patients commonly complain about sensitive skin, yet this condition is not fully appreciated or understood by the medical community. While it is broadly associated with discomfort induced by environmental factors, there is no consensus about its definition and classification. By contrast, the cosmetic industry has been well aware of consumers’ perceived need for products suitable for sensitive skins and the resulting lucrative market for such products. Host factors identified as risk factors for the sensitive skin syndrome include young age, female gender and atopy. The variability in clinical manifestations and the lack of clarity regarding a definition of sensitive skin makes it hard to establish a single, reliable, diagnostic procedure. Bioengineering tools are a promising way to evaluate this condition; however, no particular method has been established as a gold standard. Similarly, there is no established treatment regime.
Acknowledgement
The authors acknowledge the support of the Skin and Cancer Foundation, Victoria, Australia.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.