Proposal of a self‐assessment questionnaire for the diagnosis of sensitive skin

BACKGROUND: Sensitive skin is very common and distressing. Its diagnosis may be difficult with the tools/methods available at the moment. AIMS: To assess the reliability of a self‐assessment questionnaire for the diagnosis of sensitive skin, using the results of lactic acid stinging test (LAST) as a reference for the identification of subjects suffering from this condition. A further objective was to identify the questionnaire cutoff score that better discriminates between subjects with or without sensitive skin. PATIENTS/METHODS: Among the adult volunteers included in this observational, cross‐sectional study, both LAST‐positive subjects, who were considered as having sensitive skin (“patients”), and negative ones (“controls”) completed the questionnaire. It consisted of a part for self‐assessing and quantifying (0–10) sensitive skin and another one that included 10 items, each referring to a specific, potentially triggering stimulus. A cumulative score (questionnaire‐based skin sensitivity score, 0–10) was calculated from the sum of all items considered capable of triggering unpleasant skin sensations in real‐life experience. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty‐two subjects were enrolled, 102 patients and 60 controls; 98 subjects thought they had sensitive skin. The mean questionnaire‐based skin sensitivity score was significantly higher among patients than controls and correlated with skin sensitivity self‐assessments. A cutoff value of 3 was set for the identification of LAST‐positive subjects, with 79% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: The study self‐assessment questionnaire seems to be a reliable tool for diagnosing sensitive skin in clinical practice. These results led us to identify a numerical cutoff for detecting propensity to experience sensitive skin.