Human skin is exposed every day to various external factors, including changing temperatures, wind, air conditioning and solar radiation. Moreover, it is regularly treated with smaller or larger amounts of the product cosmetic products, both for cleansing, care and protection. All of the above factors can negatively affect the skin. But the skin has natural protective barriers, the outermost of which, and therefore the most exposed to various factors, is the hydro-lipid coat. What is it? It is simply a layer of sebum (oil), which is a mixture of triglycerides, free fatty acids, waxes, cholesterol or its esters, and a thin layer of sweat along with minerals. Just under the hydro-lipid coat there is a stratum corneum composed of corneocytes and a special binder called intercellular cement. It has a regular, very ordered and compact structure, which mainly prevents excessive evaporation of water from the skin. It is also worth mentioning the appropriate, slightly acidic pH of the outer layers of the skin, which prevents the multiplication of microorganisms for which sebum could be a valuable medium.
It is relatively easy to damage the hydro-lipid barrier. All it takes is inappropriate, too strong cleansing of the skin, too frequent use of strong exfoliating products, strong anti-acne treatment or inappropriate care that is not adapted to the skin type. Even with every wash of the skin (also with clean water without the use of detergents), the hydro-lipid coat may be more or less removed, but healthy skin will rebuild it quite quickly.
How can you tell if the hydro-lipid barrier is in poor condition? Hydro-lipid barrier disturbances result primarily in increased water loss from the epidermis, which is felt as uncomfortable skin tightness and dryness. An additional symptom may be skin itching or unnatural redness. Disturbances of the hydro-lipid barrier that persist for a long time may result in the appearance of rough, excessively exfoliating areas on the skin, the skin becomes rough, more prone to irritations and imperfections, and loses tension and elasticity. In addition to self-assessment, the condition of the hydro-lipid barrier can also be examined objectively using specialized equipment, which includes:
- Tewameter ® HEX determining the degree of water evaporation described by the TEWL (Transepidermal Water Loss) parameter. The value of this parameter is given in grams of water evaporated from the surface of 1 m2 of skin in 1 hour. The lower its value, the more tight the hydro-lipid barrier is;
- Skin – pH–meter, which can be used to determine whether the skin pH is within the range corresponding to healthy skin;
- Corneometer ® CM 825 verifying the degree of skin dryness – the higher the value, the better the skin is moisturized;
- Sebumeter ® SM 815 providing the amount of sebum collected from a given area of facial or body skin based on the principle of oil stain photometry;
- MoistureMap ® MM 200 showing a map of epidermis hydration.
While it is easy to damage the hydro-lipid barrier, its reconstruction requires time and systematic approach. How can you support the process of rebuilding a damaged hydro-lipid barrier? What should we pay attention to when buying cleaning or care cosmetics? First of all, you should look for cosmetic ingredients that naturally build the lipid layers of our skin. Such ingredients include, among others: vegetable fats, ceramides, fatty acids and triglycerides. Additionally, you should look for ingredients that moisturize and bind water in the epidermis, which include, for example, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, urea in appropriate concentrations, lactic acid and its salts, and many others.
To sum up, a properly functioning hydro-lipid coat allows you to get rid of the discomfort of dry, rough skin and provides excellent protection against various external factors.
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