Skin Barrier Repair

Your stratum corneum is the most outer layer of your skin.

The stratum corneum can be thought of as a brick wall that protects you.

The "bricks" are the skin cells, called corneocytes, and the "mortar" that holds the bricks together is the lipids or fats, that together create the outer barrier.

The stratum corneum is the most outer layer of the epidermis and is the layer directly exposed to the external environment.

There are approximately 15 to 30 layers of corneocytes in the stratum corneum.

The surface of your skin is covered by a layer of protective fats, including epidermal lipids and sebum.

Epidermal lipids include:

- Ceramides

- Free fatty acids

- Cholesterol

Sebum is made of:

- Triglycerides

- Wax esters

- Squalene

Theses beneficial fats and lipids are naturally found in the lipid barrier and skin barrier and play a critical role in keeping your skin healthy.

Your skin's acid mantle describes the inherent acidic nature of the outer skin barrier, also known as the stratum corneum.

The pH of the skin barrier is slightly acidic, in the range 4.5 to 6.5.

A proper skin pH is important to maintain healthy skin.

Your skin pH influences:

- Skin barrier function.

- Desquamation or shedding of skin cells.

- Protection against pathogens "bad bacteria."

To prevent dry skin, you must protect your skin barrier, including your skin's moisture barrier, lipid barrier and acid mantle.

To protect you skin's moisture barrier, drink water, use a humidifier, use a moisturizer with humectants. protect your skin from wind, cold weather and sun exposure, and always wear sunscreen or sunblock, especially when you go outside.

To protect and repair your lipid barrier, use emollients for dry skin such as carrier oils rich in linoleic acid.

To protect your skin's acid mantle avoid high pH soaps, use a gentle cleanser and try an oil cleanser.

To prevent dry or dehydrated skin, you must protect your skin barrier, including your skin's moisture barrier.

To protect your moisture barrier:

- Drink adequate water and fluids

- Use a humidifier

- Use a moisturizer with humectants

- Limit exposure to cold weather

- Protect your skin from the wind and sun

- Wear sunscreen and sunblock to protect against sun exposure

The surface of your skin is covered by a layer of beneficial fats, including epidermal lipids and sebum.

These natural fats and lipids help to lubricate and coat your skin cells and nourish your skin.

To protect your lipid barrier:

- Use emollients for dry skin

- Use carrier oils for dry skin

- Use linoleic acid for dry skin

Many factors can affect the pH of the skin, including aging, sebum, sweat, detergents, cosmetics, and irritation.

Soaps and cleansers that are high in pH should be avoided, as high pH soaps can irritate and disrupt the skin barrier.

How to protect your skin's acid mantle

- Avoid high pH soaps

- Use a gentle cleanser

- Try an oil cleanser

Maintaining skin pH is important, as skin pH influences skin barrier homeostasis, stratum corneum integrity and cohesion, and antimicrobial defense mechanisms. 

A proper skin pH is important to maintain healthy skin.

Soap is one of the most popular face cleansers.

However, high pH soap can irritate and damage the skin barrier.

Soaps typically have a high pH of 9-10, and soap can disrupt your skin barrier.

The pH of the skin is generally in the range 4.5 to 6.5.

Soap should be replaced with low pH syndet bars, or other gentle cleansers that can preserve your skin barrier.

A proper skin pH is important to maintain healthy skin.