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

Sensitive skin is very common and distressing. Its diagnosis may be difficult with the tools/methods available at the moment.

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.

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.

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.

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.