Understanding The Skin Barrier

The Ultimate guide to Understanding the skin barrier.

Over the past decade, the treatment of skin has been predominately focused on skin renewal with the use of acidic ingredients on the skin to influence cellular turnover and provide anti-aging benefits, unfortunately this process has now surfaced many skin issues which are a result of an impaired skin barrier.

What are the signs of an impaired skin barrier?

"The washout effect" is a common term used when discussing a skin barrier impairment. It means that we have used too many harsh stripping products (Emulsifiers) which have literally washed away our skin lipids.

Generally the skin will present with:

Dryness

Inflammation

Acne Breakouts

Redness

Sensitivity

When we remove those protective lipids we are opening up our skin to bacteria, UV damage and pollution but, we are not just letting things in, we are also allowing Trans Epidermal Water Loss further disrupting our skin bilayers and causing structural inflammation.

Common causes of a compromised skin barrier

• Over cleansing the skin

• Over exfoliation

• Products containing synthetic fragrances or essential oils

• Overuse of AHA's or Retinols

• UV Damage

• Environmental Health

• Illness

How do you treat an Impaired Skin Barrier?

One of the first things to establish is what skincare you have been using at home. Not surprisingly, it usually consists of a cocktail blend of strong active ingredients which have disrupted the ph levels within the skin and over stripped the skins barrier of protective lipids.

I am not saying that we need to stop using said products, they do a brilliant job when used correctly, in small doses, on the correct skin type and alongside other supportive ingredients. The saying 'stronger is better' or 'more will do more' is most definitely the wrong approach to take when treating your skin.

" For skin to look young, it's not all about collagen and elastin, an impaired skin barrier can make you look old"

Skin Is an Organ

It is the largest organ of the human body and one which we could not survive without. So why do we feel the need to regularly burn and damage the organ which provides our first line of defence?

As the skin ages its processes slow down, to be precise, collagen and elastin production slows down by 1% from the age of 25. In short, yes it does need to be re stimulated to keep up production but this can be achieved gently with the same desired results.

At 50years old you have 25% less food supply being fed to the dermis. The body adapts to these shortages by slowing down other areas to compensate. The turnover rate will slow down the same percentage, resulting in less collagen and elastin being produced.

What is Corneotherapy?

Once we have established that the skin barrier is impaired we must begin to heal it, the first step is to "seal before we heal", this is where the methodology of Corneotherapy comes in. A remedial skin treatment with its core principle being the repair and maintenance of the skin barrier defence systems, focusing on the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis.

By using products which mimic skin structure and function it treats and repairs the skins barrier defence system. The active ingredients used may be the same as what are used in other skincare however, it is the delivery system which makes all the difference.

These ingredients are encapsulated in liposomes which mimic skins structure, so when applied topically, they are accepted and used by the skin to support, repair and replenish the barrier defence system, protecting against harmful substances and microorganisms.

" If you had a leak in your house from a hole in the roof would you fix the inside or outside first?"

Treating Skin Conditions

When healing the skin it is important to have realistic expectations, we are preventing and supporting. Skin conditions such as Rosacea, Eczema, Psoriasis are chronic and can return or flare up, this means we must be dedicated with our routine and lifestyle changes.

I always ask for you to give me 3months with your skin, using only the products which I recommend. You may not personally like the products, as they don't smell or have thick buttery textures but it will be perfect for your skin and the skin health is what we are treating, not your senses.

Skin First, Product Second

A detailed diagnostic analysis with the support of my Observ520 machine, we take a deep dive into the current condition of your skin. These sessions can sometimes be met with disappointment as I often strip back your current selection of products to only include a few supportive steps, this is to allow the skin to repair, replenish and regenerate.

Dermaviduals is my chosen brand to use to treat Skin Barrier Function conditions. Their products use active ingredients encapsulated in Phosphatidylcholine to provide a delivery system which the skin recognises and accepts. Phosphatidylcholine is present in our skins structure, specifically our cells membranes, it enables cell to cell communication.

These very unique formulas transport active ingredients into the skin through a recognised dermal membrane structure and are made up of skin supportive food such as Triglycerides, Squalene, Ceramides, Phytosterols and fatty acids.

What's even greater is that we are able to prescribe bespoke blended products to help further support your skins health.