Healthy skin is specific, what truly determines and underpins healthy skin is down to 3 key functions, our BARRIER FUNCTION, SURFACE BIOME and ACID MANTLE. Keep these three in perfect condition and they will return the skincare favour. Feed, nourish and balance them and you HAVE FABULOUS, AGELESS, HEALTHY SKIN.
The BARRIER FUNCTION sits just below the skins surface and acts as a protective layer, avoiding irritation, inflammation or infection.
The BARRIER FUNCTION is the mortar or Intercellular Matrix that holds our surface skin cell ‘bricks’ together and is composed of lipids (oils), fibres and water. This barrier is highly protective, designed to prevent TEWL (Trans Epidermal Water Loss) out of the skin and to prevent the entrance of harmful microorganisms or irritants and pollution from entering into and compromising the skin.
The intercellular matrix is also the home of two important skin maintaining fibres - Collagen and Elastin. So we can see that the lipids in the ‘mortar’ are responsible for maintaining skin firmness, hydration, softness and HEALTH.
Interfere with this barrier by starving your skin of oils, dehydrating through lack of moisture or scrubbing and stripping the skin during cleansing or over exfoliation and your skin defences are down leading to many, many unwanted but common skin conditions and situations – dryness, pigmentation, acne, dull skin, breakouts, deep lines, premature ageing and sensitivity.
A replenished and maintained Barrier Function is the recipe for flawless, healthy and strong skin.
The Barrier Function minimizes water loss and is essential for strong, healthy, smooth, hydrated skin. It traps water molecules and prevents the passage of water out of the skin Trans epidermal Water Loss (TEWL)
It prevents Natural Moisturizing Factors from leaching out and It prevents environmental chemicals and biological irritants from entering skin
Leave it starved of oils and hydration or continually stripped of nutrients and the damage manifests in visible ways.
When the lipids in the mortar are depleted by ‘stripping’ cleansers, harsh products or extreme environments then skin loses water, dries out and becomes permeable to irritants, pollutants and allergens.
Which in turn can trigger inflammation and sensitivity. When the lipids are depleted we lose the conditions for collagen and elastin to thrive and the results are visual and physical;
VISUAL Fine lines, wrinkles, dehydration, dull, lifeless skin, prone to breakout and prone to untimely ageing.
PHYSICAL Dry, flaky, itchy, irritated, or sensitive.
After the ages of 35 to 40 the amount of natural lipids decrease significantly so we become more prone to dry, sensitive skin as we age.
A compromised Barrier Function leads to accelerated dehydration and a collapse of skin strength, quality and health..
The ACID MANTLE & SURFACE BIOME act as the first line of defence, constantly reconfiguring to keep the surface of the skin a perfect pH to host the good bacteria and fight off the bad bacteria and environmental pollutants. The ACID MANTLE is made up of sebum (fatty acids) excreted from the skin's sebaceous glands, which mixes with natural lactic and amino acids from sweat to create this perfect pH.
Challenge or change this pH with harsh products, foaming and stripping cleansers and environmental pollutants you have once again opened the door to inflammation, skin damage and ageing.
Our skin sits most healthily at a pH of 4.5 to 5.5 but most cleansing agents and environmental factors can push that balance to an extreme, causing us to lose the protective Mantle from our skin. A pH of 4.5-5.5 keeps our skins first line of defence fully protective and our SURFACE BIOME fully active.
Compromise the acidity of the ACID MANTLE by washing or scrubbing away with harsh cleansers or neutralizing (alkalizing) by applying soaps and facial washes that raise the pH of your skin above 6.5 and this protection is destroyed, leaving your skin open to attack and damage.
It really is that simple, but it’s a complicated simple, which is why we have created the Jane Scrivner SKINCARE 5 A DAY. 5 products, layered daily, twice a day to create and maintain your BARRIER FUNCTION, perfect the pH of your ACID MANTLE and protect the SURFACE BIOME.
Taking just 5 steps a day, twice a day - CLEANSE, EXFOLIATE, HYDRATE, NOURISH and PROTECT you can return your skin to a fully replenished, repaired, restored and healthy state. Able to protect itself with full skin strength, all day, everyday. Skincare? Tick!
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