Introduction: Sensitive skin is a frequently evoked cosmetic disorder, but its prevalence in France is unknown.
Methods: Using a survey of a representative sample of the French population aged over 15 carried out by ISPSOS-Santé, we assessed the frequency of sensitive skin. We used the quota method (gender, age, occupation of the head of the family) and stratification by area and category of the agglomeration.
Results: One thousand and six persons were surveyed. The non-response rate was less than 1 p.cent. Fifty-two percent claimed they had sensitive or very sensitive skin. Women were predominantly concerned (59 vs. 44 p.cent, p<0.0001). There was no significant difference between the socio-professional categories. Twenty-eight p.cent of the population claiming their skin was very sensitive declared they had a concomitant dermatological disease, whereas 14 p.cent with sensitive skin, 7 p.cent with not very sensitive skin and 2 p.cent with normal skin declared likewise. Skin sensitivity was triggered by emotion, cold, heat or cosmetics. A quality-of-life assessment using the SF-12 scale showed significant alteration in the psychological dimension (but not physical) of the score for those with sensitive and very sensitive skin compared with the others, notably in the women (p<0.0001).
Discussion: This survey revealed a prevalence of sensitive skin in France equal to that found in England. It only measured the subjective feeling of sensitive skin experienced by those surveyed, since there was no clinical examination. The phenomenon appears frequent. Although women appeared to suffer more, a large proportion of men also suffered from sensitive skin.