title: A model for perception-based identification of sensitive skin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With high prevalence of sensitive skin (SS), lack of strong evidence on pathomechanisms, consensus on associated symptoms, proof of existence of 'general' SS and tools to recruit subjects, this topic attracts increasing attention of research.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To create a model for selecting subjects in studies on SS by identifying a complete set of self-reported SS characteristics and factors discriminatively describing it.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey (n = 3058) was conducted, comprising questions regarding socio-demographics, atopy, skin characteristics, personal care, degree of self-assessed SS and subjective and objective reactions to endogenous and exogenous factors. Exploratory factor analysis on 481 questionnaires was performed to identify underlying dimensions and multivariate logistic regression to find contributing variables to the likelihood of reporting SS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of SS was found to be 41%, and 56% of SS subjects reports a concomitant atopic condition. The most discriminative were the eliciting factors toiletries and emotions, and not specific skin symptoms in general.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Triggers of different origins seem to elicit SS, it is not defined by concomitant skin diseases only, suggesting existence of 'general' SS. A multifactorial questionnaire could be a better diagnostic than a one-dimensional provocative test.
authors.affiliation: Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R J H
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Richters
authors.affiliation: Philips Research Eindhoven, Philips Electronics Nederland B.V., Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Uzunbajakava
authors.affiliation: Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J C M
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hendriks
authors.affiliation: CQM, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J-W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Bikker
authors.affiliation: Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P E J
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: van Erp
authors.affiliation: Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P C M
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: van de Kerkhof
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003020:Clothing; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006204:Hair Removal; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D015995:Prevalence; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D012867:Skin / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013472:Sunlight; D055815:Young Adult