Our Delicate Shell

PT. 1 — your skins ‘shell’ is constantly hard at work; the toughest job is of the uppermost layer, the skin barrier. like a security guard for your skin, the barrier is there to stop potential problems and to protect what lies within - and it’s the weakness of this shield that is the underlying cause of sensitive skin. a thin, weak or damaged skin barrier allows irritants in, or irritates more easily. in addition, when we're constantly wearing a mask, our skin barrier needs to work extra hard to stop bacteria working it's way in and causing the dreaded maskne!! 😷 the stratum corneum is a specialised layer that forms the outermost part of our epidermis. its a vital front-line, protecting us against the environment; UV, pollution, infection, toxic chemicals and so on. on a superficial level, it’s the bit that we see, so it’s also important from a cosmetic point of view. so what causes some to do some people to have a weaker barrier than others? aside from environmental stressors, it could be your age or pigmentation. the skins barrier weakens with age— so it’s all about hydration - we’re born with a body composed of 75% water, yet die with closer to 0% !!! we literally dry up as we get older. in terms of pigmentation, generally the lighter or paler the skin, the thinner the barrier, which means you're probably more prone to rashes, redness and irritation. sensitive or not, building up the skin’s outer barrier will always be beneficial especially regarding appearance; but it’s the increased resilience that fragile folk so desperately need. If your skin barrier is working well, it will retain water effectively, maintaining good hydration balance, and be resilient yet flexible – it’s likely to look more radiant as a result. this means it contains the right amount of lipids. if it’s not, skin will look dry, dull and possibly scaly. this means chemicals can penetrate more readily and potentially cause inflammation, which manifests as skin sensitivity. now let’s talk about rebuilding...