The Skin Barrier

You may have heard of the term

“skin barrier”

but what does it actually do and why is it important for our skin health?

As a facial specialist it is always at the forefront of my treatments to have a discussion with my clients, discovering what their current skincare routines are as well as focusing on a wholistic approach regarding their lifestyle, nutritional intake and stress levels. Through a series of questions I am able to identify any products that could potentially cause a compromised skin barrier, especially if the skin is showing characteristics of an inflammatory conditions.

The skin barrier plays a vital role in keeping your skin healthy.

It can be really beneficial to understand how the skin barrier works so you can determine what you should be looking for when it comes to choosing products that can maintain and work in harmony with your skin and it’s barrier.

Do you use skincare to;

Balance your skin type?

Provide solutions to your skin concerns?

For the maintenance of healthy skin?

Then read on to ensure your skin care products and routines are not causing any unnecessary stress and disruptions ....

Firstly....What is the skin barrier?

Its exactly that; a barrier ~ found on the surface of the outer most layer of the skin (the epidermis) to provide protection and prevent damage whilst helping to maintain the health of the skin.

Our epidermis has bactericidal qualities providing protection to the deeper structures of the skin from invasion and harmful substances from the external environment.

Visualising the layers of the skin

The most common analogy of the skin is visualising and comparing the outer most layer of your skin the epidermis ~ the stratum corneum to a brick wall. Providing protection to the underlying layers beneath.

The construction of the cells on this outer surface form a chemical and physical barrier.

The bricks are the corneocytes (our dead skin cells) and the mortar (glue) that holds the layers of the corneocytes together ~ the skins natural glue is the sebum and lipids we produce. This combination of corneocytes and lipids provides an excellent barrier and protects the skin against bacteria and allergens entering the skin, resulting in autoimmune responses.

Andy Millward, a Facialist with a passion for skin health, from an applied corneotherapy perspective explains, “The chemical protection elements include the skins microbiome, which compromises of a vast network of bacteria and other micro-organisms that coexist on and in our body. They provide the first line of defence, the gatekeeping if you will, as to what can and can’t enter the body.

As part of the chemical protection, we also have the skins hydrolipidic film (aka the acid mantle), which many people confuse with the overall "skin barrier", but its only one proportion. It was once thought particularly with the beauty industry the acid mantle provided an occlusive barrier to lock moisture in the skin. We are now understanding that it actually plays a bigger role in terms of providing the environment and food source for the microbiome to thrive, by creating a slightly acidic environment which is favourable for beneficial bacteria and less favourable for pathogenic bacteria.”

Andy believes that “the skincare we choose has the potential to either support those skin barrier defence systems or degrade it. If you’re using products which are not compatible with our skin, it can lead to the skins microbiome and acid mantle being disrupted, and the skins lipid barrier being corroded, which allows for pathogenic bacteria, pollutants and irritants to enter the skin, as well as allowing too much water to be lost from the skin. Overall contributing to skin issues and disorders from occurring.

Skin Care choices and the consequences

Imagine if we started to remove the mortar (lipids) that was holding together the brick wall (structure of the stratum corneum). The once sturdy wall would become weakened and start to show signs of distress.

In terms of the skin, the skin barrier would now become compromised, the excess removal of our lipids would result in increased

trans-epidermal water loss resulting in the skin becoming dehydrated with inflammation possibly occurring. Visible signs of ageing, sensitivity and a dull-looking complexion.

Natasha Dauncey, founder and product formulator of Apothaka Skincare shares some essential skincare advice when it comes to building a routine around skin health.

1. A gentle (non-stripping) cleanser which suits your skin type

2. An effective hydrator / moisturiser which keeps skin sufficiently hydrated ~ this in itself encourages desquamation and offers a protective effect on the skin

3. UV protection

Natasha explains, “Of course there are some great ingredients that support skin health - my favourites are niacinamide, ceramides and NMF ingredients like urea and sodium PCA, but these should be used in the context of an overall gentle approach, and of course in well formulated products.”

Natasha believes there has been a recent shift in skin care products that offer ‘instant skin gratification’ and that the results of using these specific products should be seen immediately, but what would this mean with regards to the health of our skin? “It's felt that acids give an instant ‘glow’ so this becomes the goal for many skincare enthusiasts - it's a quick win, but often at a high cost to our skin health.”

Natasha explains that “acids, which have really been designed for occasional use are being used daily / twice daily and it's just too much and unnecessary for most people. Our skin has an amazing ability to function well if is allowed it to do so - in fact if we focused on this, we probably wouldn't see so many instances of dysfunction; dehydration, irritation etc!”

The Functions of the Skin Barrier

As mentioned above the skin barrier is there to reduce trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and provide a suitable environment and food source for the microbiome to thrive. If this becomes compromised the skin will become less effective at retaining moisture and will eventually result in skin sensitivity, redness and dehydration.

It also provides a physical guard against environmental elements and external aggressors such as UV rays, pollution and pathogens.

How to Support your Skin Barrier

Has your skin ever been subject to acne, eczema or rosacea? These are all typical inflammatory skin conditions that the skin may display when the skin barrier has been compromised.

This is where the education comes in to ensure that the skincare you are using is formulated to help strengthen and continue to maintain the complexity of the skin barrier, providing a healthy functional skin.

Consider supporting your skin barrier at all times and re evaluate a less is more approach when it comes to your skincare routine. Assess the active products you currently use and their potency, especially when using acids - a higher percentage doesn’t always mean better results and this goes back to Natasha‘s valuable point of allowing our skin to ‘just be’. Recognising that our skin can function optimally with limited skin care steps, if we just give it a chance.

Thank you to Andy Millward and Natasha Dauncey for their contribution towards this feature.

Look out for two upcoming features about Skin Health with Natasha and Andy coming soon to the beauty and wellness journal and for more topical posts on your skin barrier follow @andymillward_ and @apothakaskincare