Depends what the cause of the 'problem skin' is! Normally with sensitive skin I start my clients on the Harmonie range, which eventually reduces skin sensitivity, & then slowly introduce occassional products into their regime to deal with their skin problems. Often other problems clear up in the meantime, especially if the problem skin is caused by build up of keratinocytes, dehydration, lipid dryness & lack of good barrier function.
I had that same problem with Dermalogica - most of the products I used made my skin sting, and those of quite a few of my clients. The odd thing is that my skin has never reacted to any other product I've ever used, must be something in Dermalogica that my skin doesn't like!