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Your Skin Type and It's Function>
After your muscles, the skin forms the largest organ of the body and is the first contact to the outside world.
The skin protects your body from outside influences and is helped by an “acid mantle” made up of organic acids and “friendly” microorganisms or “micro flora”. This layer protects the body against chemical and microbial attack.
Pigmentation in the skin helps protect the body against excessive ultraviolet light from the sun and at the same time allowing the utilization of sunlight to manufacture essential vitamin D and other cancer fighting chemicals for the bodies defence systems.
Without the protective effect of your skin the body would lose much of it`s water content. It prevents excessive loss of moisture from the body and helps prevent dehydration.
The skin has embedded within its structure sensory organs that detect pain, temperature, pressure, odour and sexual stimuli. It therefore acts as a communication system between the outside world and the body (your brain).
The skin is also very important in keeping the body temperature regulated by production of sweat. When sweat evaporates off your skin, it causes cooling, resulting in helping to keep the body temperature constant.
Within the horny layer (Stratum corneum) of the skin there is a reservoir of a substance called the NATURAL MOISTURIZING FACTOR (NMF). This substance is made up of amino acids, lactic acid, urea, mineral salts, organic acids, sugars and urocanic acid. It attracts water into the horny layer and acts as a moisture reservoir to keep the skin soft and elastic. Moisturization of the skin usually takes place from within the skins deeper live layers where the tiny blood capillaries bring water into the skin and any water loss from this NMF is replaced to keep the horny layer smooth, soft and pliable. You can tell your skin is getting dehydrated when it starts to loose its elasticity and looks sallow and parched. By maintaining the quality of the NMF by replenishing the water content, you keep the protective, moisturizing effect alive.
Sebaceous glands are usually associated with hair and hair follicles in the skin and produce an oily substance called sebum (made up of Cholesterol, free fatty acids, Triglycerides, wax, squalene)
Sebum is produced in response to the male hormone Testosterone (and its more active form dihydroxy testosterone). Receptors for this hormone exist in the skin and when stimulated, produce SEBUM.This substance has mild anti fungal and antibacterial action and the oily layer on the surface of the skin helps to keep the skin smooth, soft and supple. However SEBUM does not appear to be essential in human beings for these properties. It seems that production of SEBUM is a leftover of evolution. This is well demonstrated by the fact that babies and young children have smooth and supple skin and yet their sebaceous glands are underdeveloped.
Your skin is under attack from various environmental factors and you need protection from these. This is the reason we apply various skin care products to help protect and repair any damage that results from factors such as Ultraviolet light, infrared radiation (Sun), chemical pollution, heat, including central heating, wind, Insect bites.
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Different Skin Types
Your facial skin type depends on how active your sebaceous glands (the oil producing glands) are. The face has the highest population of large sebaceous glands on the body. The oil production is also dependent on your age, time of the month and season. Your skin loses moisture to the atmosphere continuously through the horny layer and sweat glands and in order to maintain the protective barrier property. The rate at which this moisture is replaced from within the skin also determines the natural state of your skin. back to top
Oily Skin
Excessive production of SEBUM by the large sebaceous glands on the facial skin leads to oily skin. This excessive sebum production is thought to be due to over sensitive receptors in the hair follicle to the hormone Dihydroxy testosterone that controls sebum production.
The tendency towards oily skin is an inherited trait and is made worse by additional factors such as diet, stress, certain chemicals and exposure to the sun. Since sebum production is under direct hormonal control, the menstrual cycle can cause a flare up at certain times of the month. Similarly, taking the oral contraceptive can also lead to hormone mediated oilyness and this applies during pregnancy, when a flare up of ACNE is not unusual.
Frequent and effective cleansing with a suitable product is necessary in order to keep the amount of sebum on the skin to a minimum. This will help avoid production of spots and pimples.
Lotions or Emulsions made with oil and water (Oily cleansers) should be avoided. These products leave a layer of oil on the skin surface and will aggravate spots and pimples and prevent the free flow of sebum by causing blockage of the pores. Cleansers that FOAM or FROTH are suitable for the easy removal of oilyness without excessive drying.
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Face masks are suitable for acne prone oily skin
Exfoliating lotions WITHOUT any gritty substances should only be used on oily skin.
Exfoliating facial scrubs with gritty, sandy materials incorporated in these products should be avoided. These scrubs are likely to disrupt closed comedones and lead to bleeding and inflammation, which can cause scarring.
Cleansers for OILY SKIN should be oil free and should foam or froth a lot to aid removal of the oily film on the skin. The best washes are Gel based.back to top
Dry skin and Sensitive Skin
This type of skin is usually parched and feels tight and uncomfortable and often itchy .Repeated moisturization is necessary to obtain some comfort.Pores on this skin type are almost invisible.
Water in the horny layer of your skin keeps it soft and supple. When this water reservoir is depleted faster than it can be replenished from the deeper layer of the skin, the stratum corneum dries out; leading to skin that feels tight, rough and itchy with more wrinkles and large flaky scales visible. Severely dried out skin can be inflamed with redness and cracking. Environmental factors such as exposure to the sun, wind, cold, central heating will enhance moisture loss leading to drying out of the skin. In addition, excessive use of soaps that remove the protective oily layer off the skin surface will also cause drying. You might notice that after washing your face with soap the skin feels tight. This is thought to be due to loss of the sebum layer as well as a residual film of the soap substance. This film is often removed by application of a TONER or SKIN FRESHNER.
Cleansing creams, lotions and milks are suitable for cleansing Dry skin. These products are described as oily products and usually leave a layer or thin film of oil on the skin surface, which leaves the skin soft and supple, and also help prevent loss of moisture from the surface of the skin and so maintain the integrity of the NMF.
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Normal Skin
This skin type is usually smooth (the skin pores are hardly visible) and firm to the touch.
Sebum production in this skin type is normal but can be influenced by outside factors such as soaps and other chemicals you may apply on it.back to top
Combination Skin
This skin type is quite common because none of us are perfect! It is characterized by a tendency towards an oily or greasy area around the nose, cheeks, chin and forehead (the T-ZONE). Skin on other areas can be either dry or normal.back to top
Mature and Sun damaged Skin
Mature skin can be much drier and thinner in texture than young normal skin .Damage from the sun can be visible(sun spots) and the skin can be transparent and flaky with loss of tone and elasticity.The production of SEBUM is drastically reduced and the natural moisturizing factor in the horny layer of the skin is not replenished with moisture efficiently,leading to dehydrated and sluggish skin,making fine lines and wrinkles appear more prominent.
Natural ageing and ageing of the skin from exposure to the sun leads to thining of the skin with loss of elasticity,causing the typically wrinkly look. This does not mean that the skin has stopped functioning.It has merely SLOWED DOWN.
Mature skin therefore needs special attention so far as EXFOLIATING is concerned.Peel-off masks are quite safe for use on thin skin.You just use them LESS OFTEN since the skin is replaced at a slower rat than it is in young skin.back to top
The Clogged Pore
An occlusive sticky plug blocking a hair follicle and usually made up of dead skin cells, sebum and bacteria.
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Comedones
are clogged pores. (The hair follicle is a pore). The plug can be made up of a sticky mixture of dead skin cells, sebum or its fatty acids and bacteria. These plugs prevent the free flow of sebum or oil out of the follicle on to the surface of the skin, leading to distension (widening) of the follicle and accumulation of the sebum under this plug. When this plug is still covered by a thin layer of skin cells it is called a CLOSED COMEDONE.These comedones often appear white due to the fact that they are filled with a plug that is pussy and cream in colour.
When the plug is not covered by skin cells and open to the air it is called an OPEN COMEDONE
These appear black due to the fact that they are open to Oxygen in the air and also due to the skin pigment Melanin being mixed up in the plug that is blocking the pore.
Open Comedone: a blackhead
Closed Comedone: a whiteheadback to top
Spots
A spot is formed when the pore or follicle being blocked is inflamed or infected by bacteria present on the skin. Inflammation is usually due to acids produced by the bacteria by their action on the Sebum.The pore appears large and raised due to being filled with the plug and also due to the fact that these acids cause the lining of the hair follicle or pore to produce more skin cells than normal. This is called HYPERKERATINIZATION and merely means that the lining of the follicle thickens abnormally, leading to a larger, raised, inflamed, red looking spot.
A Pimple is an inflamed (red) plugged poreback to top
Comedogenicity
It is a well known fact that certain chemicals and other material used in the manufacture of cosmetics can cause and aggravate existing ACNE.These substances are called “comedogenic” materials. However, since the end result is the production of an ACNE flare up, these substances are often described as “ACNEGENIC”.
An acnegenic substance has the ability to cause and aggravate both COMEDONES and ACNE (pimples)
If you wish to avoid cosmetic products that may cause or aggravate ACNE look out for any of the following ingredients on the list on any product label for acnegenic materials:
Butyl stearate
Cocoa butter
Coconut oil
Grapeseed oil
Isopropyl isostearate
Isopropyl myristate
Isopropyl palmitate
Isostearic acid
Lanolin
Oleic acid
Oleyl alcohol
Octyl palmitateback to top
Exfoliating
Exfoliating is the removal of the top dead layer of skin cells that would normally be shed naturally by various methods,traditionally involving some form of scrubbing.Regular exfoliation helps remove tiny flakes of skin,leaving the skin deep cleansed and looking fresher and smoother.This process improves complexion and increases skin radiance since it reveals a new,shiny,velvety,smoother layer of skin which shows off the “pink”of blood better.Exfoliation is almost like removing an opaque mask to reveal the new skin beneath.
Exfoliating also helps to fade pigmention spots,removes dead cells embedded in pores on the skin and improve evenness of skin surface.By revealing the new layer of skin,exfoliating also prepares the skin better for moisturising,especially with moisturisers containing nutrients and anti-ageing agents which would be better absorbed from a new layer of skin.
Exfoliating scrubs containing detergents and an abrasive substance helps remove dead skin cells from the body but can leave the skin quite sore and inflamed due to the abrasive action.The abrasive action is not specific to the dead layer of skin and can affect the new deeper layer of skin as well.If facial skin is
examined using a microscope after using an abrasive facial scrub,scratches on the surface are visible.By removing dead skin cells,exfoliating helps remove one of the sources of the plugs that form blackheads within skin pores. back to topAbout Oily Skin
Oily skin is a problem associated with puberty and the condition improves as we get older,but unfortunately,not for everyone.Oily skin is inherited and has nothing to do with what you eat.The excessive production of Sebum(oil) is linked to inherited,overactive oil glands in your skin (sebaceous glands) which respond to an abnormal level of the hormone Testosterone in the body. If your skin looks shiny and feels greasy and sticky,you have oily skin.You will find that within a few hours of cleansing,the greasy feel returns.Use a magnifying glass to observe the skin. You will notice that the pores on your skin appear large and crater-like.
What is Sebum(oil) and why does your body produce it?
Sebum is the natural moisturiser for your skin.It flows continuosly from within your skin to the surface and forms a thin film of oil to help keep the skin soft and supple by preventing the loss of moisture from the surface. back to topExcess oil production
The sebaceous glands which produce Sebum are attached to the hair follicle,of which there are millions in the skin.The follicles are tubelike structures through which the Sebum flows from within the skin on to the surface of your skin.The follicle acts as a pipeline to the surface of the skin and can be observed as a pore on the skin.The oil flows to the skin surface in this tube.
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”Open” pores,"closed “ pores,blocked pores,pore size
The follicle leads from within the skin to the surface of the skin and may contain a hair within it.The “hole” on the surface of the skin through which the hair emergies is the “pore” and oil flows on to the skin surface through this pore.
Pores do not have doors that “open” and “close”,but this is a descriptive way of describing how they work.The diameter of the tubule forms the pore and when the tubule dilates(widens) it gives the impression of being wide open.When the tubule contracts,it gives the impression of tightening and “closing”.The excessive production of oil and its flow causes the oil glands to enlarge and cause an enlargement of the tubule which in turn causes the pore to appear larger and crater like.This causes the skin to look and feel coarse and thick in texture.Since the size of your pores is inherited,it cannot change.You can make them appear smaller by keeping them empty of plugs that are formed by the accumulation of sebum,dead skin cells and Bacteria, so that the oil can flow freely.Regular exfoliating can help keep the pores deep cleansed and empty.
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Clogged pores,Blackheads and Pimples.How to keep pores unblocked
Under normal conditions,the Sebum flows on to the surface of the skin freely and everything functions well.However,if for any reason the follicle or tubule through which the oil flows is blocked,this can lead to the pore getting clogged up,leading to a Blackhead and eventually spots and pimples.Accumulation of dead skin cells,oil and bacteria in the tubule leads to a sticky plug being formed and this causes accumulation of any further oil production which cannot flow on to the skin surface.This causes widening and enlargement of the tubule and so a large pore.The plug is black in colour due to the pigment Melanin found in the skin cells.It takes upto nine months before a blackhead appears on the surface of the skin.Blackheads are common on the face but can also be found on the back and chest.Excessive cleansing will not remove the blackhead once it has appeared.This is due to the fact that it is made of compacted dead skin cells,oil and Bacteria and deeply embedded in the follicle(tubule).It is not possible to dissolve or melt the blackhead with any product.It has to be physically removed or “pulled”out of the tubule.Some dermatologists will perform this procedure using special instruments,but it is advisable not to try pressing them out as this causes the plugs to enter deeper layers of the skin leading to inflammation and infection and eventually to spots and pimples.
The best approach is to prevent the formation of blackheads in the first place by eliminating the causes.ie:Sebum,dead skin cells and Bacteria by daily washing and regular exfoliating.
This is best achieved by using an effective peel-off face and body mask regularly to exfoliate and remove the source of blackhead forming material.
back to topThe “T” Zone
The centre of your face is usually oilier and shinier than other parts of the face.This area is refered to as the T-zone.This area is located across your forehead,down the nose and part of the chin.it is called the T-zone because it forms the shape of a “T”.
This part of your skin produces more oil because there is a concentration of sebaceous glands in this area.The texture of the skin in this part of you face is coarser due to the enlarged crater like pores.This area is also more prone to blackheads and pimples.
back to topAdd Devina`s choice to your skin care regime
Acne is best treated and prevented by addressing ALL the factors that lead to the formation of lesions. Therefore it is logical to combine treatment with products that address different causative factors(sebum, bacteria, dead skin). The action of each preparation will be ADDITIVE and lead to a more effective and faster result than can be achieved by a single product alone. It is usual to apply one product in the morning and a different one in the evening. However there are also products available that contain TWO of the active agents in the one application. All sufferers want instant results. You can help yourself by using this technique.
Complement, augment and enhance your existing acne treatment by taking advantage of the fact that by adding a product that addresses a different causative factor to your regime will enhance the existing treatment synergistically (An additive action) by producing FASTER and more EFFECTIVE results. Add DEVINA`S CHOICE peel-off face and body mask to your existing medical treatment for acne to enhance its effects. back to top |
