Nothing quite screams an impaired barrier function like dehydration!!
Harsh winds, extreme heat and wrong product usage are just a few of the main causes of an impaired barrier function.
What does this mean?
Our outer layer of skin – the Strateum Corneum – when healthy is stacked and organised like a well tiled roof allowing minimal damage to the inside in turn minimal water loss. When the yellow weather warning comes and blows a few tiles off the roof this allows pollutants and atmospheric aggressors to wreak havoc and ruin all the goodness inside!
Our healthy barrier is there to protect from penetration of UV and pollutants, but it also protects us from water loss which will lead to dehydration. We call this Trans epidermal Water Loss and leaves our skintight, uncomfortable and generally quite dull in appearance. One of our favourite buzz words of 2020 was Hyaluronic Acid as people started to realise its role in hydration. However, the wrong hyaluronic acid on your skin can cause further damage. We need a light weight low molecular HA. HA binds moisture therefore if it sits superficially and does not penetrate deeper the product can indeed end up pulling even more moisture out of your skin – talk about counterproductive right!!
Ultraceuticals HA (Hydrating B2 Serum) works biomimetically with all the moisturisers to mimic the skins natural moisture and insuring to lock that moisture in and truly nourish and hydrate the skin.
The queen ingredient and my personal favourite is our fabulous retinol – which should be given the recognition it deserves where eradicating dehydration is concerned! Retinol will increase the ceramide production in your skin and therefore further improve your barrier function and ensure as little water loss as possible as well as all the other many benefits Retinol will give us like Anti-ageing, anti-acne, stimulate collagen production, increase cell turnover and many more. With retinol our Queen the only King for our lady is SPF – None of the above or what you invest in skincare wise is relevant if we don’t protect what is ours. Yes, even on our lovely Emerald Isle we need to protect our skin 365 days a year, remember we are protecting in the darker months from UVA which are the rays that age and ravish our skin and we get this damage from light bulbs, computer screens as well as needing a layer of protection when out on our daily but now very cold walks! One of our most sought-after products has been UC range of SPF offering matte, dewy or tinted there’s something to suit all skin types and preferences.
Our go to products these cold winter days are Ultraceuticals Hydrating B2 Serum paired with the UC Moisturiser that suits your preference of product weight, Osmosis Calm and Ultra A Mild – both introductory retinol serums. So, its goodbye to dehydration and hello to dewy, healthy skin for 2021!
by Jenny Rabjohns