The Relationship Between Sensitive Skin and Skin Aging in Han Chinese

Sensitive skin is characterised by unpleasant skin sensations in response to normally non-provocative stimuli. While its pathophysiology remains incompletely understood, environmental factors and impaired barrier function are key contributors. Because many of these environmental factors also promote extrinsic skin aging, a link between sensitive skin and skin aging phenotypes has been proposed. To examine this hypothesis, we analysed data from 810 participants of the Chinese Taizhou Longitudinal Study (2012-2014). Sensitive skin was classified into subtypes based on questionnaire responses, and skin aging phenotypes were assessed using a subset of items from the SCINEXA (Score of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Skin Aging). Associations between sensitive skin subtypes and specific skin aging phenotypes were examined using multivariate regression models. Environmentally triggered sensitive skin was associated with the presence of pigment spots on the cheeks in participants aged ≥ 50 years, particularly among women. Intrinsically triggered sensitive skin was associated with perioral wrinkles, again most prominently in older women. This is the first large-scale study demonstrating objective associations between sensitive skin subtypes and specific skin aging phenotypes. The findings identify subpopulations potentially more vulnerable to environmental stressors, underscoring the need for targeted prevention strategies.