A review of factors influencing sensitive skin: an emphasis on built environment characteristics

Xiangfeng Chen; Jing Wen; Wenjuan Wu; Qiuzhi Peng; Xiangfen Cui; Li He

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1269314

A review of factors influencing sensitive skin: an emphasis on built environment characteristics

Front Public Health. 2023 Dec 4:11:1269314. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1269314. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Xiangfeng Chen¹, Jing Wen², Wenjuan Wu¹, Qiuzhi Peng³, Xiangfen Cui⁴, Li He^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
² The Centre for Modern Chinese City Studies, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
³ Faculty of Land Resources Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
⁴ Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
⁵ Yunnan Institute of Skin Health, Kunming, China.

Abstract

Background: Sensitive skin (SS) is a condition characterized by hyperreactivity. Impacting around 37 percent of the worldwide population and exerting an influence on the quality of life for affected individuals. Its prevalence rate has increased due to factors such as elevating stress levels and deteriorating environmental conditions. The exposome factors influencing SS have extended from demographic, biological attributes, and lifestyle to external environments. Built environments (BEs) have demonstrated as root drivers for changes in behaviors and environmental exposure which have the potential to trigger SS, but the review of the associations between BEs and SS is currently lacking.

Objective: This review aims to achieve two primary objectives: (1) Examine exposome factors that exert influence on SS at the individual and environmental levels. (2) Develop a theoretical framework that establishes a connection between BEs and SS, thereby offering valuable insights into the impact of the built environment on this condition.

Methods: An extensive literature search was carried out across multiple fields, including sociology, epidemiology, basic medicine, clinical medicine, and environmental research, with a focus on SS. To identify pertinent references, renowned databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI were utilized.

Results: SS is the outcome of interactions between individual attributes and environmental factors. These influencing factors can be categorized into five distinct classes: (1) demographic and socioeconomic characteristics including age, gender, and race; (2) physiological and biological attributes such as emotional changes, skin types, sleep disorders, and menstrual cycles in women; (3) behavioral factors, such as spicy diet, cosmetic use, alcohol consumption, and physical exercise; (4) natural environmental features, including climate conditions and air pollution; (5) built environmental features such as population density, green space availability, road network density, and access to public transportation, also have the potential to affect the condition.

Conclusion: The importance of interdisciplinary integration lies in its ability to ascertain whether and how BEs are impacting SS. By elucidating the role of BEs in conjunction with other factors in the onset of SS, we can provide guidance for future research endeavors and the formulation of interventions aimed at mitigating the prevalence of SS.

Keywords: behavioral characteristics; built environment; influencing factors; natural environment; sensitive skin; socioeconomic attributes.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Built Environment*
Diet
Exercise
Female
Humans
Quality of Life*

Substances

BES

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Yunnan Province Clinical Center for Skin Immune Diseases (ZX2019-03-02) and Yunnan Province Clinical Research Center for Skin Immune Diseases (2019ZF012).