Skin That’s Too Clean
Skin problems through a skin that is too clean. That is possible! In the interview with Grazia below I tell more about it…
A healthy stratum corneum.
I’m convinced that the “over- zealous” cleaning of your skin with strong de-greasing cleansers is one of the biggest causes of skin problems. Basically; if you wash too vigorously then your stratum corneum (your upper skin layer) becomes weak. And a strong stratum corneum is more than necessary. It protects us against damaging materials, the sun, bacteria and viruses, limits water loss (and consequently dehydration) and loss of electrolytes. Damage your stratum corneum and thus the barrier function of your skin, and you get into a sort of vicious circle. As a consequence of water loss various important functions deeper down in your skin can no longer work. Your skin becomes even more dried out and skin problems such as pimples or spots, redness and eczema arise. Eventually your skin can even age prematurely. So there really is such a thing as too clean.
A little outside help.
Fortunately the body has the ability to rapidly repair its stratum corneum. If you are young this is already done within 3 days, 75’s and over take a week. You can help your skin to recover by using products with ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids (all of these need to be present). Petrolatum (the old fashioned Vaseline) and lanette cream also work well.
In order to keep your skins barrier function healthy you need to follow a couple of rules when cleansing:
- don’t use scrubs on your face. In particular avoid those made from ground fruit seeds.
- avoid very foaming and perfumed products.
- make sure you use a cleanser that doesn’t leave your face feeling tight after washing.
- water dries out very much; don’t wash for too long or use too hot water.
- apply cream to your skin directly after washing (when your skin is still damp).
Regards Jetske.
(Dr. Jetske Ultee-Research Physician Cosmetic Dermatology)
You can also read the blogs: ‘Such Dry Skin‘
‘The Cleanser’
‘Help with Choosing a Moisturizer‘
‘Dry Skin; Try Checking Out Your Tap Water‘
‘Does Skin Need to Get Used to a Product?‘
‘The Effects of Stress on Skin’
‘The Recipe for Beautiful Skin’