ASCP Skin Deep

July | August 2014

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20 ASCP Skin Deep July/August 2014 Understanding the skin barrier is essential for an esthetician. Supporting this important system is the first step in correcting any inflammatory skin condition: acne, rosacea, and a host of others. An amazing body of scientific discovery on the topic of corneobiology —the study of the skin barrier—has been produced by researchers such as Peter Elias, Richard Gallo, Albert Kligman, Hans Lautenschläger, Lars Norlén, and others. One of the things this research reveals is that dermatologists, estheticians, and other skin care professionals may unwittingly be recreating the inflammatory processes they are trying to treat. We routinely strip away the skin's first line of defense, the acid mantle, as a side effect of our treatments and, too often, we do not pay enough attention to restoring it. Any time you see redness in the skin, it is a sign that the skin barrier has been compromised. The Skin's Barrier Functions The role of the stratum corneum (the skin's outer layer) is to protect us against environmental hazards while preventing water loss from the skin. It contains an entire set of defenses—Kligman counted 16 separate types of barrier function operating within this skin layer. All are interconnected, co-regulated, and interdependent. If one barrier function is compromised, others will also be affected. The barrier function that most estheticians are familar with is the permeability barrier, which prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and, in the other direction, prevents allergens, irritants, microbes, and pathogens from entering the body through the skin. To understand how we can support this permeability barrier and repair it when it becomes damaged, we need to know a little about three lipids that are found in the stratum corneum. SCIENCE Skin Barrier Supporting skin's most important function BY KATHRYN MAZIERSKI

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