What makes some people’s skin sensitive and others not?

It's the age old question - what makes our skin sensitive? 

And why do some of us get sensitive skin when others don't? Skin sensitivity can be natural due to an exaggerated nervous system response that causes the nerve fibres in the skin to overreact.  60% of people worldwide suffer from sensitive skin, but what exactly causes it? Dr. Eleanor Higgins, consultant dermatologist and associate professor at UCD, says: "There are external forces that can sensitise the skin such as UV light, pollution, and increasingly so a lot of the products people are using. "Sensitive skin is a combination of symptoms, for example, things that people feel on their skin like burning, itching, stinging and then also changes that are visible in the skin" Speaking at the launch of Bioderma's latest product, Sensibio Defensive, Dr Higgins said that empowering the skin's natural self-defences to reduce sensitivity is key. And luckily, the new cream apparently does just that.   Sensibio Defensive cream not only works to moisturiser the skin it also works to treat the cause of the sensitive skin.   Biologists at Bioderma worked to create this formula by looking at the skin's own natural self-defence mechanism and then developed defensive technology from this with biomimetic ingredients.  The formula contains antioxidant protection in the form of vitamin E and carnosine. These are already naturally present in the skin but a boost of them protects the skin from free radicals (unstable molecules that can damage our skin). It works on creating a stronger barrier function than is naturally present, an ingredient called Tetrapeptide-10 performs this function. Having a stronger barrier function reduces the number of irritants that can penetrate your skin.  Finally, the cream actively soothes sensitive skin, the red sage extract, reduces the hyper-reactivity of sensory nerve fibres in the skin.  Dr. Higgins stressed the importance of keeping our skincare routines simple. She explained that there is no need for a 12 step routine to achieve perfect skin but instead to focus on good quality products that help enhance your skin.  Well, that's us told, then.  Bioderma Sensibio Defensive and Bioderma Sensibio Defensive Rich are now available in Ireland for €16.