Prevention Australia – June – July 2017

JUNE/JULY 2017 PREVENTION 91

“Some products can be incorrectly formulated,
not only allowing moisture to escape but literally
sucking it out of your skin,” says Peter Elias
professor of dermatology at the University
of California, San Francisco.
Our skin’s primary function on our body is to
act as a protective barrier, and part of this role is
preventing evaporation of water, which causes
dryness and inflammation.
“Normal skin looks good,” explains Dr Anita
Patel, a dermatologist from the Australasian
College of Dermatologists (ACD). “It can
self-moisturise, has the right colour
and you don’t have any redness,
pimples, dryness or itching.”
Skin that looks dry, with flaky
patches and an uneven texture,
is more than a cosmetic concern;
it can be a health risk. Repeated
irritation, whether from products
or environmental factors such
as allergens and pollutants, can
open up microscopic channels
in the skin, setting the stage for
further skin inflammation or
triggering or worsening serious
health conditions such as eczema,
psoriasis and even asthma,
according to numerous recent studies in journals
such as Clinical Dermatology.
Picture the skin barrier as a brick wall, with
the bricks being flattened skin cells, called
keratinocytes, and the mortar being a mix of
water, three essential fats (ceramides, free fatty

acids, and cholesterol), and proteins. “To have

a wall that’s functioning properly and doesn’t

have holes, the bricks must be laid down neatly,”

explains cosmetic dermatologist Rachael Eckel,

“and the mortar needs to be a very specific

concentration to stay solid.” Some moisturising

products can help strengthen that mortar, while

others can leave it weakened and vulnerable.

THE IMPACT OF TIME

Roughly 15 per cent of us are born with dry skin

due to genetics, with pores that are nearly invisible

and a tendency to develop scaly

patches. But for many of us, we

notice as we age that something

has changed in the skin that leads

it to appear dry.

That change most often appears

as roughness, caused by a slowing of

cell turnover that happens naturally

with age, starting in the mid-20s and

gradually increasing over time. Key

changes are especially likely to kick

in at around the age of 50, when the

skin’s slightly acidic pH can become

disrupted after years of exposure to

harsh cleansing and environmental

impacts, sun damage and pollutants.

As a result, instead of dead, dry keratinocyte cells

gradually sloughing of after six weeks, as they do

until your mid-20s, cells stick to the surface for

eight to 10 weeks, causing rough patches – like

haphazard piles of bricks rather than one neat layer.

This can make someone who has always had 

H

ave you noticed how dry your skin can get in the

cooler months? Gloriously long hot showers, exposure

to the harsh winter elements and our desire to stay

warm and cosy, can all take their toll on our skin,

stripping it of its moisture. While it’s true that skin

produces less oil as we age, there are many other factors

responsible for what seems to be simple dryness. And the

moisturising creams so many of us slap on, seduced by the

ads we see on TV or the breathless write-ups we read in fashion

magazines, may be doing nothing to address the problem. In

fact, these oten-expensive creams may be exacerbating it.

Too much

water in a

cream can

encourage

evaporation

from the

skin’s surface,

adding to

dryness.

E 2 7

AGE-DEFYING BEAUTY

If your

cleanser contains

a gentle acid, or if

you use a washcloth,

that may be all the

exfoliation you

need on a daily

basis.