Guest guest Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Thanks for that info Maurice. Most of it is way over my head, but the more I reread it, the more I absorb. Speaking of absorption, what can you tell us about actually improving the quality of the skin? The outer layer is dead. Most lotions and creams probably just lay there and prevent further water loss. Which ingredients are truly known to penetrate the epidermis, and/or assist the skin/body in some way? I hear all kinds of anecdotal stories about emu oil carrying actives into the skin, and similar things, but what ingredients are really useful? For example, do vitamins absorb into the skin? Plant actives? Other chemicals? Thanks Sherry Boester Wildwood BodyWorks > I received the following information on skin physiology today... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 > Speaking of absorption, what can you tell us about actually > improving the quality of the skin? That's a very good question and one for which there is no single answer. It very much depends on what has damaged or stressed the skin in the first place. It's like asking, " What product gives you good health? " Well, lots of things can give you good health. But what particular thing are you concerned about? > The outer layer is dead. Interestingly, yes, the outer layer is dead but it still plays quite an active role in the skin's development cycle. Somehow -- and researchers aren't quite sure of the mechanism involved -- the deep layers of the skin are very aware of the condition of those outer dead layers of skin. If those layers are peeled off, cut, or damaged in some way, the skin immediately speeds up the regenerative cycle to replace the damaged cells. (It's not yet understood how these dead skin cells communicate their condition to the deepest layers of skin, since there are no nerves or chemical reactions to transmit the information.) This underscores the very vital role of these dead skin cells to the protective functions of the skin. > Most lotions and creams probably just lay there and prevent further > water > loss. And that's one very effective approach to skin moisturization. Blocking or reducing trans-epidermal water loss (aka " TEWL " in researcher lingo) has been shown in many studies to be the most efficient route to rehumidifying the skin. A thick coat of petroleum jelly left on overnight, for example, can restore damaged skin to optimal moisture levels, which helps speed repair of a damaged skin barrier and also helps restore flexibility to the outermost skin layers. The problem is that it's very uncomfortable for the user, and often quite messy. Another approach to moisturization is the use of humectants like glycerin. They absorb moisture from the environment and hold it close to the skin, which helps replace the moisture lost through evaporation. It's like taping a sponge to your skin. This is not as effective as occlusion (i.e. blocking water loss) but it's more comfortable for the user. Well, sort of. A lot of humectants are sticky and thick, which makes them a bit unpleasant to use in higher concentrations. Most moisturizers are formulated somewhere in the middle of these two options, with emollients to soften the skin layers and reduce water loss, and humectants to replace moisture that is lost. These hybrids sacrifice effectiveness to user comfort -- because what's the point of creating a moisturizer that's too uncomfortable to use. And the art of the formulator comes in trying to find a blend of emollients and humectants that maximizes their benefits and feels good to use. > Which ingredients are truly known to penetrate the epidermis, And I have to answer with another question: why do you want to penetrate the skin? What is the goal? People seem to think that penetrating the skin does something intrinsically good. But in fact, once you understand the biological processes within the skin, penetrating products couldn't really have much benefit. If you want to improve what's doing on down deep in the epidermis, you need to look at your nutrition and overall health. The deepest skin layers are affected by what present (or absent!) from your bloodstream, not by what's on the surface of the stratus corneum. So there really isn't much point to worrying about anything but the uppermost layers of the skin. And yes, there are ingredients that can help strengthen/repair the skin. If someone is dealing with problems that come from a damaged barrier function, due to disease (like eczema, psoraisis), environmental stress (cold temps, dry air, abrasion, exposure to irritants) or poor nutrition, you'll see benefits from using The Big Three, as I call them: (1) Essential Fatty Acids, aka the Omega 3 and 6 oils. The EFAs are not manufactured by the body and must be consumed. Topical application has shown to be very effective, as well. (Topically-applied EFAs do not migrate anywhere else in the body, however. So you still need to eat your fish oils, flax seeds, etc!) GLA is supposed to be particularly beneficial to the skin, but you need all three --LA, ALA, and GLA -- for good skin health. So using oils that are rich in EFAs is very good for your skin. And these include many familiar names: borage, hempseed, soybean, evening primrose, rose hip seed, kukui, etc. (2) Sterols. These can come from plant sources (aka phytosterols) or animal sources like lanolin (lanosterols). Of all the sterols, cholesterol is by far the most important for good skin health. (Bad for your heart, good for your skin!) Sterols can also reduce inflamation and soothe skin discomfort, which is nice for someone who's got a bad case of itchy alligator skin. Phytosterols are plentiful in rice bran oil, soybean, avocado, olive. But lanolin and lanolin derivatives are hands-down the richest natural source of sterols out there. (3) Ceramides. Unfortunately, there aren't many ingredients available to homecrafters that are rich in ceramides. They can be synthesized, and I've seen them used used in very high-end facial moisturizers. But when I checked into pricing... well, it was a bit breathtaking. In any case, ceramides have been quite effective in research studies in helping the skin repair damaged barrier functions. (Keep it in mind in case someday they come down in price!) These three classes of ingredients can make very effective skin moisturizers, especially if you combine them with nice emollients and some humectants. But these moisturizers won't be effective for everyone, because there are other skin problems that don't have to do with damaged barrier functions. For example: - Aging slows the regeneration cycle and the dead skin cells become reluctant to slough off as quickly as they used to. So you end up with rather matte, somewhat rough skin, especially if the skin also has photodamage from sun exposure. A good moisturizer for someone with this problem would contain ingredients that safely encourage exfoliation, among other things. (And I'm not talking about scrubbing the stuff off with abrasive cleansing products, or acid peels. Both of those seem really extreme to me!) But I believe small amounts of a mild AHA like Sodium Lactate does help boost the exfoliation process. I haven't formulated these kinds of products (I'm still playing around with the Big Three above, looking for a good hand cream!) but I know there's lots of information out there if you look. Then you could also work on lotions to help deal directly with photo damage issues and oxidation. And then there are various botanical actives that have been shown to be effective anti-inflammatory agents and such. The list goes on and on. There are lots of effective, beneficial ingredients out there for us to use. But you have to ask, " Effective for what? " And to answer that, you need to know the physiology of the problem you're trying to address, then find the chemicals that naturally help improve the problem, and then find ingredients that contain these desired chemicals. Relying on apochryphal information, " Everyone says that XYZ oil helps cure warts " isn't really going to be very useful, since you don't know what XYZ oil contains and can't know how it's affecting the skin. If you're serious about learning more about this, then you need to get a book on basic skin physiology and get very familiar with the processes of skin growth and the barrier function. This isn't covered very well in cosmetic formulation texts. You need to look around for medical textbooks -- local libraries, ILL, or used book stores. Once you get your teeth cut on skin physiology, there are specialized books on skin moisturization, skin diseases, the interaction of specific ingredients with the skin, and such. And Medline is invaluable for tracking down this type of information as well, especially now that so much work is being done with botanical sources of active ingredients. With this groundwork, you will be able to make much better decisions about what ingredients will effectively help your products achieve their goals. I hope this helps, Elaine ---------------------- Elaine Benfatto (Cambridge, MA) elaine@... http://www.urbanspinner.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Dear Elaine.. I am just sending this quick note to thank you for your very thorough explanation of skin...it's needs and functions. You made it very easy to understand and also interesting enough for one to want to learn more. Thank you. Marcia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 6, 2004 Report Share Posted May 6, 2004 Elaine, thanks for the good info. I guess I understand somewhat about the skin, but get caught up in the hype of " cosmeceutical " ingredients, and decided to go back to " Skincare 101 " . It's not that I necessarily want anything to penetrate the skin, I'm just wondering how things such as phytosterols and EFAs work if they are just laying on top of the skin and not penetrating it? My other question relates to exfoliation. Does skin really need any help beyond a gentle cleaning with cleanser and a washcloth? Couldn't you be forcing the newer cells out into the open, before they are ready to come out? (kind of like when your skin peels after a sunburn). Just being a devil's advocate... Sherry Boester Wildwood BodyWorks > > (1) Essential Fatty Acids, aka the Omega 3 and 6 oils. The EFAs are > not manufactured by the body and must be consumed. Topical application > has shown to be very effective, as well. (> > (2) Sterols. These can come from plant sources (aka phytosterols) > > (3) Ceramides. Unfortunately, there aren't many ingredients available > to homecrafters that are rich in ceramides. > - Aging slows the regeneration cycle and the dead skin cells become > reluctant to slough off as quickly as they used to. So you end up with > rather matte, somewhat rough skin, especially if the skin also has > photodamage from sun exposure. A good moisturizer for someone with this > problem would contain ingredients that safely encourage exfoliation, > among other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 6, 2004 Report Share Posted May 6, 2004 Elaine, thanks for the good info. I guess I understand somewhat about the skin, but get caught up in the hype of " cosmeceutical " ingredients, and decided to go back to " Skincare 101 " . It's not that I necessarily want anything to penetrate the skin, I'm just wondering how things such as phytosterols and EFAs work if they are just laying on top of the skin and not penetrating it? My other question relates to exfoliation. Does skin really need any help beyond a gentle cleaning with cleanser and a washcloth? Couldn't you be forcing the newer cells out into the open, before they are ready to come out? (kind of like when your skin peels after a sunburn). Just being a devil's advocate... Sherry Boester Wildwood BodyWorks > > (1) Essential Fatty Acids, aka the Omega 3 and 6 oils. The EFAs are > not manufactured by the body and must be consumed. Topical application > has shown to be very effective, as well. (> > (2) Sterols. These can come from plant sources (aka phytosterols) > > (3) Ceramides. Unfortunately, there aren't many ingredients available > to homecrafters that are rich in ceramides. > - Aging slows the regeneration cycle and the dead skin cells become > reluctant to slough off as quickly as they used to. So you end up with > rather matte, somewhat rough skin, especially if the skin also has > photodamage from sun exposure. A good moisturizer for someone with this > problem would contain ingredients that safely encourage exfoliation, > among other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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