We all want our skin to be baby soft and elastic for the rest of our lives. The essence of skin care is to protect the skin's barrier function in order to achieve this. It's not about using high-end cosmetics to take care of your skin. Our skin ages progressively as it is exposed to UV rays, filth in the air, and allergies as we get older. We want to maintain our skin supple and elastic while delaying the aging process as much as possible. Skin care is all about taking care of the skin to achieve this goal. The three basic steps of skin care are (1) washing, (2) regeneration and (3) protection. If you follow these 3 essential steps, your skin will stay healthy as long as you don't do anything else that might harm it. On TV, an old lady from a rural area has amazingly beautiful skin. On the other hand, young urban women try to modify it in various ways, resulting in the destruction of the barrier function. What is the best way to get baby soft, elastic and plump skin ?
The skin has a barrier function that protects it from external stimuli and prevents moisture from evaporating from the skin. It's made of several layers concentrated in the outer stratum corneum of the skin. The first one is the sebaceous film that covers the skin's surface. Good bacteria, called epidermal commensal bacteria, live on the skin and protect it by creating a slightly acidic sebaceous film. However, many people neglect the native bacteria and make the skin environment worse. The native bacteria in the epidermis feed on sweat and sebum to create a sebum film, preventing the growth of bad bacteria such as acne bacteria that thrive in alkali. The second barrier is the intercellular lipids of the stratum corneum, which are fat-soluble components, primarily ceramides, that fill the spaces between stratum corneum cells. The third is NMF (Natural Moisturizing Factors), a natural water-soluble moisturizing component of the stratum corneum. This structure does not allow water or oil to pass through from the outside, but rather to bounce back. These three ingredients work together to create a barrier that keeps the skin moist. Skin care in general and more specifically the three main steps, which we have already mentioned, are designed to protect this important barrier function and prevent it from being damaged or deteriorated. Let's take a closer look.
The first step in skin care is "washing" the skin. This involves removing harmful substances such as allergens and PM2.5 that are floating in the air and have adhered to the skin. Facial cleansers and soaps are used to wash the skin, but most cleansers use synthetic surfactants, which eliminate bacteria native to the epidermis that are vulnerable to chemical components. This is why soap is necessary for washing the skin. However, the cleansing power of soaps varies greatly. If you use a strong soap, the necessary sebum and indigenous bacteria will be eliminated. Scrubbing is not recommended either. Soap is meant to be washed with lather. The skin is supposed to be washed with foam. Lather well with warm water and press the foam against the skin, so that the dirt is absorbed by the foam. Then rinse with warm water. It's nonsense to think that you have to scrub well to feel washed. Just leave your skin damp.
The second step, "moisturize," is a lotion that restores moisture. The lotion's job is to replenish the lack of oil, so the ingredients should be as close to the oil as possible. Choose a lotion with high moisturizing and cosmetic properties, such as rosemary. To apply the lotion, wrap it over your face or skin with both hands and allow it to penetrate gently.
The third step, "protect", is the cream. It is responsible for keeping the moisture that has been replaced from evaporating and protecting the skin against external stimuli. The base of the cream can be an oil or wax that does not oxidize easily. Jojoba oil wax ester is a non-oxidizing waxy ingredient that is also used in artificial heart lubricants. For those who do not like easily oxidized oils, jojoba oil or beeswax creams are recommended.
When done correctly, these techniques help to keep the skin healthy.
So, how do you deal with problematic skin? The first step in caring for problem skin, such as sensitive skin or rosacea, is to focus on the origin of the problem. Most skin problems are caused by chemical ingredients in cosmetics that damage the barrier function. As a result, chemical cosmetics should be phased out quickly and replaced with organic cosmetics using a plant extract as the primary components. Chemical cosmetics are made from petroleum, an ingredient that does not exist in nature, and are produced by chemical reactions at temperatures up to 500°C and under high pressure. As a result, they cannot be broken down at 37°C, the temperature of a human body. These ingredients are toxic by nature, but because they are only used in diluted amounts, people believe that they are not a real danger. You should be aware that even small amounts can build up over time and eventually cause problems. Continued use of chemical cosmetics on sensitive skin or skin with rosacea or other skin conditions can be an aggravating factor. It is important to be aware of this and to stop wearing chemical cosmetics as soon as possible.
Beyond organic, cosmetics using human stem cell cultures have emerged and are attracting a lot of interest. These are cosmetics based on human stem cell culture fluid that regenerate skin cells. The human stem cell culture fluid, derived from biotechnology, is used in the field of regenerative beauty. It rejuvenates the skin by reactivating the diminishing skin stem cells in the basal layer of the epidermis and the fibroblasts in the dermis. Despite the fact that the method of application is the same, this invention is fundamentally different from traditional skincare products, which distribute beauty components from the outside. The supernatant fluid from human stem cell cultures is free of over 500 types of cytokines that promote cell growth and division. When administered to the skin, it melts into the skin without allergy or irritation, providing ideal skin care. It is considered ideal for anti-aging and has even revolutionized skin care.
Again, skin care is about maintaining the barrier function of the skin and caring for the native epidermal bacteria. The skin remains young and healthy as long as the barrier function is maintained. If you're unsure about how to care for your skin, go back to the fundamentals.