Myths About Moisturisers

Does “moisturising” come as second-nature to you?

Is this habit a good or bad one?

The media and advertising geniuses have certainly done a good job at convincing us that moisturizing is a good habit. Catchy marketing slogans like “botanical hydration,” “firming and wrinkle defying” and “rich and creamy,” have appealed to the vast majority of us as we run to buy the latest over-the counter miracle cream. Unfortunately, the majority of these creams cannot live up to their claims. The truth is package and marketing is most of what your money goes towards rather than the correct ingredients.

Why do we religiously apply moisture cream?

If you suffer from dry and sensitive skin, the answer is tri-fold. First the continual use of moisturizers has left your skin dependent and addicted to emollients. Next the ingredients contained in your moisturizers are more often than not causing mild irritation and disrupting the lip barrier of the skin. All of this combined with an improper diet and environmental factors, has a detrimental impact on your skin. It can no longer produce enough sebum oil and is devoid of the necessary components for repair. Applying a moisturizer can elevate the feeling of dry and sensitive skin but you are not treating the root cause of dry and sensitive skin – the moisturiser itself!

Here comes the science bit…

The rate at which normal skin produces new cells ranges anywhere from a 30-40 day cell turnover cycle. When the lipid barrier is functioning normally your skin is resilient and well hydrated. However, when skin is continually covered by an occlusive or emollient this cycle can take twice as long, leaving the skin compromised and unable to carry out normal functions like exfoliation and lipid production.

This has three main effects on the skin;

  1. Natural Barrier Function shuts down.
  2. Increase dryness and sensitivity.
  3. Premature Aging Skin.

 

We cannot remember what our skin felt like before the use of moisturizers. We forget that dry skin and sensitive skin is DAMAGED SKIN. If you continue to use moisturizers you are treating damaged skin with the exact product that is causing dryness and sensitivity in the first place.

Manufacturers have furthered to wreck havoc on our delicate skin by way of the ingredients used in their “miracle” creams. Nearly every moisturizer on the market contains some form of irritating or comedogenic ingredient.

Check your moisturizer against the list of known irritants and comedogenics.

Propylene glycol, Glycolic acid, Mineral oil, Petrolatum Talc, Lanolin, Parabens and Sulfites are just to name a few.

Each of the above  ingredients will either clog the skin’s pore or brings about  inflammation.

Other factors to consider?

Harsh weather conditions and the sun, can certainly have their way with our skin if we are not careful. The sun is amongst one of our most harsh and unforgiving skin harming culprits. Next in line is our daily lifestyle. Smoking, alcohol, stress and improper diet lacking in whole fruits and vegetables, promotes free-radical damage and eventual pre-mature aging. Not even the mightiest of moisture creams could reverse that.

How can I protect and prevent inflammation and damage to my skin?

The first step is to discontinue the use of our precious moisturizers. Allow your skin to return to equilibrium. This means the function of your natural skin barrier will return and your skin can exfoliate and shed properly again. This is achieved by using active and simulating ingredients, like L-retinol, that will communicate at the molecular level of the skin for repair and rejuvenation.

Most importantly do not forget to protect the skin from sun.

for more information either visit skin herts or ring 07849 279588