Background: The term "sensitive skin" is being used with increasing frequency in the scientific literature. The general perception is that sensitive skin is more of a complaint for women, with very little emphasis on what sensitive skin means to men. HYPOTHESIS/AIMS: An epidemiologic approach was used to compare gender difference with regard to perceptions about sensitive skin.
Methods: The population consisted of 163 men with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 38.6 (9.7) years and 869 women with a mean (SD) age of 35.1 (9.6) years. Participants filled out a questionnaire that was designed to evaluate perceptions of sensitive skin in general and at specific body sites and asked about perceived underlying causes (environmental factors and household and personal products) of their skin sensitivity. Comparisons were made between all men and women who responded, and between men and women of specific age groups. Comparisons were also conducted for different ethnic groups.
Results: The perceived severity of sensitive skin was comparable for men and women when asked about sensitive skin in general and sensitive skin of the body. For sensitive skin of the face and genital area, the perception of skin sensitivity appeared to shift toward less severe perceived reactions for the men. A significantly lower proportion of men >or=50 years of age perceived general sensitivity (52.9%) vs. women (78.6%), with no significant differences in the <or=30-year, 31-39-year, and 40-49-year age groups. A significantly lower proportion of men in the <or=30- and the 31-39-year age groups perceived that they had sensitive genital skin. The reasons men and women thought they had sensitive skin differed, with a significantly lower proportion of men citing visual evidence of skin irritation due to the use of products (11% of all men and 18% of all women) and a significantly higher proportion citing rubbing or friction from contact (9% of all men and 4% of all women).