Skin Tingling Due To Skincare Products/ Pain or Gain?
Skin tingling is the feeling of a prickling, itchy or burning sensation on your skin – face. This is totally different for Paresthesia because paresthesia is described as ʽneedles and pinsʼ. Paresthesia is way different from the itchy or peppering feeling being discussed today.
Most times, paresthesia occurs when the legs or hand are crossed or placed in an unusual way for a long period of time, causing the ʽneedles and pinsʼ feeling. Skin tingling in relation to skincare mostly occurs when you try out a new skincare product. This has to do with the product’s pH level in relation to the condition of the skin.
Some people are of the opinion that a skincare product shouldn’t be tingly. They believe the tingly feeling means that the barrier of the skin is being disturbed. I am not in support of this point of view. This is because the strength of skin barriers differ amongst individuals – African skin and Caucasian skin.
Taking the African skin and Caucasian skin, there is a common saying that says ʽdarker skin is stronger skinʼ. “Work in our lab has shown that darkly pigmented skin has far better function, including a better barrier to water loss, stronger cohesion, and better antimicrobial defense, and we began to ponder the possible evolutionary significance of that,” said Peter Elias, MD, professor of dermatology.
There is a difference between the African and Caucasian skin types. You cannot approach each skin with the same skincare routines, expecting the same results. The African skin is a tough one which naturally experiences exposure to more micro-organisms compared to the Caucasian skin tone. This is due to factors such as diet and environmental changes. Over the past few years, I realized that products that cause skin tingling are perfect skin exfoliators. They remove all dead skin cells, leaving a very fresh, glowy skin.
Should a moisturizer tingle?
A characteristic of a good moisturizer is the absence of a low or acidic pH level. An acidic pH level will definitely bring about skin tingling and in some cases, burns. Moisturizers get easily absorbed by the pores into the skin and applying a moisturizer which is acidic – low pH level will cause a tingling feeling. If you are using a moisturizer that causes a tingly feeling, kindly stop the use of such product.
Soaps that tingle
This is a very sensitive yet simple aspect of skin tingling. Firstly, you should know that a soap will tingle when you have skin disorders such as acne – pimples. Don’t forget that as regards skin tingly in this article, I am referring to the colored skin. Most of the time, when you use a new soap which is a good one, you then to experience itchy/pricking/slightly burning feeling. If you continue the use of this soap, the tinging feeling should stop after an average of one week. This of course depends the intensity of the skin condition.
Conclusion
Skin tingling isn’t a pain to the colored skin, it is more of a gain and should stop within a week of the product’s usage. The Caucasian skin tone is known to be sensitive. It is therefore advisable you – Caucasian skins avoid products that tingle your skin. In as much as I am comfortable about skin tingling, ensure you study your skin to know how it reacts to skincare products.
Always carry out your patch test and adequate research on skincare products before purchasing them. Don’t just buy a product because you saw it in a grocery store, labelled with whatever they want you to believe.
See you next time!!!
