What's the difference between Reactive vs Sensitive Skin?

The cause of reactive and sensitive skins are pretty similar - caused by pollution, oxidative stress, a thin / weak epidermis or invasive aesthetic treatments (lasers, TDA peels, plasma, ablative lasers etc).  Opt for gentle lasers like Yellow Lasers instead and oxygen or Biologique Recherche facials which restore calmness and hydration to skin. They can, however differ in the way they are manifested:

• Reactive skins are characterised by red, hot, hive like rashes which surface from external aggressors. Aptly called "acquired sensitive skins", reactive skins though react fast, also calm down quite quickly when given skin antidotes. "Aggressors" can take the guise of any form; from specific ingredients in products, life stages (eg. pregnancy and the rise of certain hormones), physical materials like disposable or cloth facial masks or even your own hair!
• Sensitive skins are more "inherent" - marked by perpetual redness, rosacea, many broken capillaries, thin, delicate and dry skin. They often do not "go away" fast either and. Paired with a few sessions of Yellow Laser and our skincare protocol below, one should see some light at the end of the tunnel.

Such skins usually exhibit a weakened surface barrier which enables aggressors to attack it and give rise to these symptoms. Some skins may fall in either categories OR exhibit symptoms of both. Biologique Recherche products are unique in that they truly treat the symptoms vs merely masking it which many products on the street tend to do. We understand the skin structure, what causes skins to be reactive or sensitive and fortify them. Our aim for such skins is always to strength, restore calmness and to settle it. This is a central tenet to good skin health and when compromised, anti-aging, brightening, whitening can only be an untouchable dream. Being on a journey to correct these skin deficiencies will rid us of over reliance on steroid cremes which are harmful for long term use. Speaking from personal experience, I was on a similar regime over 8 months, which has completely healed skin of the frustration that comes with "unsettled" skin.

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A good regime would be as follow:

1. Cleansing regime - stay away from harsh cleansing oils, gels, foams which tend to strip skin of its much needed moisture & water. Choose a gentle and mild yet effective cleanser like:

Eau Micellaire Biosensible - a gentle and lipid respecting make up remover. Followed by

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Lait U - our "universal" cleanser which is a natural milk, neutral on skin. Good for reactive, sensitive skins as it will not stimulate the skin nor irritate skin. Skin integrity is preserved and protected. Once skin is stable, you can move to Lait VIP O2 which many come to love. Not suitable for very sensitive or reactive skins as the stimulating effect of the oxygenating complex can upset skin.

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Lotion P50W or P50T or P50pigm400 - either of these lotions within the iconic exfoliating lotions are good for mild to moderate sensitive skins. P50W has extra ingredients (Arnica extracts) to actively calm the skin while providing all the P50 core benefits (exfoliation, rebalancing of pH + sebum production, hydration, cell renewal). P50T and P50pigm400 have a gentler pH (4.0) which ensures less reaction on skin. For VERY sensitive and reactive skins, even the gentlest P50 can prove harsh. My advice is to skip this step if so and use Eau Micellaire Biosensible instead - still gives a nice "polished" look that P50 users have.

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2. Masking regime - whilst Masque VIP O2 can be used for very mild reactive skins, for anyone with mild to moderate to very reactive, sensitive skins, Masque Biosensible will truly save your skin. It contains exceptional soothing & moisturising platforms to immediately cool and calm skin; protective platforms (macadamia nut oil) and hydrating properties in silk extracts. Compared to the other creamy masques, this one also has less lipids (which can cause sensitivity).

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- Serum Biosensible is best for reactive skins as it immediately cools, calms and soothes skin. Reinforces epidermis and reduces significantly cutaneous sesitivity.

- Serum Erythos is best for sensitive skins prone to Rosacea, hot flushes as it reduces redness, protects against inflammation and inhibits formation of new blood vessels and regulates vascularization.

- Add to this mix a few drops of Amniotique to cool, soothe and hydrate skin.

If you have symptoms of BOTH conditions, then it would be good to alternate between the Biosensible or Erythos serums; keeping Amniotique as a constant.

 

- Creme Verte Espoir "green hope" was built for highly reactive skins. As the name suggests, it contains soothing properties (centella asiatica) and protecting agents (mimosa extracts) to significantly calm irritated skin. Hydrates the top layers of the epidermis thereby making it less prone to external attacks.

- Emulsion Gel Biosensible is our pick for sensitive skins marked by dryness. Kudzu extracts instantly soothes skin and lipid restoring agents help replenish skin's defective hydrolipidic film. Soothes vulnerable skins and reinforces skin's barrier function. opt for the Biosensible S.R version to regulate sebum for those who have sensitive skins coupled with oily tendencies.

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5. Finishing Serums - Serum Y'all O2 is packed with 80% hyaluronic acid and is the only finishing serum where 2% of actives penetrate into skin to plump skin. Reinforces skin elasticity and increases facial volume, while not irritating skin. Definitely our recommended choice for reactive/ sensitive skins. For those with oily skin tendencies, best to opt for Fluide VIP O2 which calms down mildly irritated skin.

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