Sensitivity & redness.
What this actually is
Sensitive and sensitised are not the same thing, and telling them apart changes what you should do next.
Genuinely sensitive skin is a type you were born with — thin, reactive, often fair, flushes easily, runs in the family. Sensitised skin is acquired: a barrier damaged by over-exfoliation, too many actives at once, harsh cleansers, hard water or a long stretch of stress. Sensitised skin can be repaired, usually within about six weeks, and most of the redness we see in clinic is this rather than the other.
Rosacea is a distinct medical condition — persistent central-face redness, visible vessels, sometimes papules — that is managed rather than cured, and it needs a diagnosis rather than a guess.
For all three, the approach is subtraction. Strip the routine back to a gentle cleanser, one simple moisturiser and a mineral-leaning sunscreen, and hold it there for six weeks before adding anything. Skip fragrance, essential oils, physical scrubs, and hot water. It is unsatisfying advice because it involves buying less, but a short, boring routine held consistently outperforms a calming serum layered on top of the things causing the problem.
A routine that suits it
Where we would start. Build it up one step at a time rather than all at once.
- Soothe
A calming layer on damp skin. Centella and heartleaf are the two we reach for most.
What we use - Protect
SPF daily. UV drives flushing, and mineral filters tend to suit reactive skin better.
What we use
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Show 24 moreFrequently asked
- How long until redness settles?
- A sensitised barrier usually improves noticeably in four to six weeks on a stripped-back routine, and that is the honest timeline to plan around. The hard part is resisting the urge to add something new in week two — every addition restarts the clock and makes it impossible to tell what helped. Genuinely sensitive skin and rosacea are managed on an ongoing basis rather than resolved.
- Should I avoid all actives?
- While you are calming things down, yes — pause acids, retinoids, vitamin C and scrubs entirely. Once the barrier is comfortable, most people can reintroduce one active, at a low strength, twice a week, and build slowly. What you should not do is go straight back to the routine that sensitised the skin in the first place.
- Is this rosacea?
- Possibly, and it is worth finding out. Rosacea tends to be persistent central-face redness with visible vessels and sometimes small bumps, rather than redness that comes and goes with a trigger. It is a medical diagnosis, not a cosmetic one, and some treatments that suit general redness — anything involving heat — can make it worse. A GP or dermatologist first, then we will build the homecare around it.