How to Calm Sensitive Skin: A Korean Dermatologist's Home Care

I'm Dr. Hongseok Kim, a board-certified dermatologist with 21 years of practice and the medical director of VOS Dermatology Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, right in front of Dosan Park. I see every patient myself, from the first consultation to the treatment.

How to calm sensitive skin is one of the questions I am asked most, and as a Korean dermatologist I find it surprisingly hard to explain, because sensitive skin is not a single disease. In the video I mention that around 60 to 70 percent of Korean women describe their own skin as sensitive. This page is based on my YouTube video from March 2024; I rewrote it for readers abroad. The video above can be watched with translated captions.

What sensitive skin actually is

Sensitive skin means your skin reacts with discomfort to things that should not normally irritate it, even when there is no skin disease behind it.

Medically, it is not classified as a specific illness (in the video at 00:45). Because of that, doctors abroad group these similar complaints under the name sensitive skin syndrome. The typical sensations are itching, stinging, prickling and burning. Redness may or may not appear, and although it can occur anywhere on the body, the face is where most people notice it.

The important question is whether these sensations are linked to a skin condition. If they are, treating or managing that condition can improve the symptoms. If you have no skin disease, or you have one but the stinging is unrelated to it, you belong to the remaining group, and that group is also usually called sensitive skin. Older classifications split sensitive skin into types such as rosacea, acne, allergic contact dermatitis, symptoms without a visible disease, and seborrheic skin. I think the questions used to sort people should focus more on symptoms that are not explained by a disease.

A quick self-check before you change your routine

A short questionnaire can tell you roughly how reactive your skin is, even before you see a doctor.

In the video I go through the questions one group at a time (in the video at 03:03). The first group asks how you see your skin: do you think it is sensitive, does it react easily to stimulation, do itching, stinging, burning or prickling sensations appear without visible redness, and does your face feel more sensitive than the rest of your body? The second group asks about products: does your skin react quickly to cosmetics or cleansing tools, have you had uncomfortable symptoms after using them, and have you had something that felt like a side effect? The third group asks about your surroundings: are you sensitive to cold, heat, wind or sunlight, and does going out on a day with heavy fine dust make your skin flare?

In the version I showed, two or more answers in the first group, or three or more in the second or third group, puts you in the sensitive range, and meeting just one of those groups is enough. It also shows what you mainly react to. What it cannot tell you is whether you have a skin disease. If flare-ups are frequent and good home care does not solve them, see a dermatologist (in the video at 05:04). The answer may be rosacea, rosacea mixed with acne, or a mild atopic tendency, and each is handled differently. At VOS, VOS Skin MBTI, a questionnaire and in-clinic analysis designed by dermatologists, is the first step of a consultation for this reason. If your main concern is persistent flushing, my guide to what helps rosacea-type redness explains when it needs treatment rather than home care.

Step 1: cleanse in about one minute

The most important change for calming sensitive skin is a shorter cleanse.

Finish washing your face within one minute; if you wear make-up, keep the whole process to about three minutes (in the video at 06:09). People with healthy skin can take longer, but for sensitive skin, even a mild cleanser damages the skin barrier more the longer it stays on. Choose a weakly acidic cleanser, which is easy to find now.

I also suggest checking the label for four fatty-acid surfactants: lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid (in the video at 06:44). In water they act as strong cleansing agents. They leave the face feeling squeaky clean, but sensitive skin needs caution with them. If you already use one, keep it for a deep cleanse once or twice a week.

Step 2: use fewer products, and fewer ingredients

Cutting the number of products is one of the simplest ways to calm sensitive skin, because it lowers how many ingredients reach your face.

Toner, lotion, cream, oil and active products such as retinol each have their place, but the key point is reducing the total count (in the video at 07:20). I call this skip care. There is a second reason: each product contains many ingredients, often 30 to 50. Use four products and, even after removing overlaps, you may be putting 150 to 200 ingredients on your skin every day (in the video at 07:50). The more ingredients, the more chances one of them irritates you.

So build the shortest routine that keeps you moisturised. If lotion and cream still leave you dry, add an oil. If your skin is oily and one cream is enough, use only that cream. If you need a little more, combinations such as serum plus lotion, or serum plus cream, usually cover it. My notes on a Korean skincare routine for sensitive skin show how I edit real routines down in the same way.

Step 3: avoid fragrance, including the hidden kind

Fragrance is one of the ingredients I always ask sensitive-skin patients to remove first.

Products with added fragrance are a common reason skin becomes more reactive (in the video at 08:54). Some ingredients that can cause allergic contact dermatitis or sensitivity are not labelled as fragrance; typical examples are limonene, linalool, citronellol and geraniol (in the video at 09:17). If you see them on the label, be careful. The simplest test is even easier: if a product smells of fragrance, do not use it. Some plant extracts also give a scent, and very sensitive skin does better without those too.

Step 4: go easy on scrubs and strong acids

Exfoliating harder rarely calms sensitive skin; it usually does the opposite.

Physical exfoliation, including peeling gels that roll off like dirt, can make skin more sensitive (in the video at 09:50). AHA and BHA products, such as lactic acid, glycolic acid and salicylic acid, need care when the concentration is high, for example 5 percent or more, because the product itself can sting (in the video at 10:06). I recommend avoiding them where possible. If flaking bothers you, choose a product with a very low concentration, or one where the acid appears towards the end of the ingredient list. These products look effective, but sensitive skin needs real caution with them.

Step 5: introduce vitamin C and retinoids slowly

Vitamin C and retinoids are useful, but sensitive skin should start with small amounts or skip them.

Vitamin C is a valuable antioxidant, but for it to work well the product often needs a low pH, around 3, which acts as a strong acid and can cause intense irritation (in the video at 10:34). One objective way to compare irritation is a sting test, where a product is applied and the stinging is scored. Low-pH products with small molecules often sting more than people expect. With retinoids, if your skin is fine, there is no problem; if it keeps flaring and getting redder, stop (in the video at 11:08). Tolerance varies between people. If you really want to use one, start with a small amount and increase gradually as your skin adapts. Do not rush it. My guide on how to use retinol covers this step by step.

People with healthy skin do not need to be this strict. These five checks are for skin that reacts easily or keeps having problems. If your skin still flares after you have tried them, the problem may go beyond skincare and need a clinic. For thin, sensitive skin, some patients ask about Rejuran, a polynucleotide skin booster; whether any treatment suits you is something I decide only after examining your skin. If you are curious about clinic facials for reactive skin, my notes on a face pack routine for reactive skin and what a skin analysis in Seoul looks at may help, and you can read creator experiences at VOS. Before booking, send us on WhatsApp a daylight photo without make-up and a list of the products you use.

Results vary from person to person, and the right plan for your skin is decided at a consultation.

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Results, swelling and recovery vary from person to person. This page is general information from VOS Dermatology Clinic based on Dr. Kim's video and does not replace an in-person consultation.