ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on noneczematous dermatoses associated with symptoms of skin sensitivity. These include rosacea, perioral dermatitis (PD), and seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD). Sensitive skin remains a clinical diagnosis made on the grounds of typical symptoms and clinical features reported by patients. Given the heterogenous morphology and pathophysiology of these skin diseases, it may be that a common, but as yet undefined, mechanistic pathway exists to produce many of these ubiquitous and characteristic symptoms. The chapter discusses noneczematous occupational dermatoses including irritant and allergic contact dermatitis, dry skin, and cutaneous dysthesias. Sensitive skin is an important clinical entity characterized by symptoms of stinging, burning, tightness, itch, and pain. It can exacerbate the impact of already distressing skin disorders with significant impairment on patient quality of life. Although the pathophysiology of sensitive skin remains unclear, the underlying mechanism is not allergic and not in keeping with irritant-toxic eczema, which has a classical histology, time kinetic, and epidermal component.
