Sensitive skin care

K PHYTO-CEUTICAL SKINCARE

Our focus with sensitive skin is to support the skins hydrolipid barrier, reduce inflammation and restore the skins microbial balance

Your skins hydrolipid barrier

The outermost layer, called the stratum corneum consists of tough skin cells called corneocytes that are bound together by mortar-like lipids. This is your skin barrier. Inside the skin cells, or “bricks,” you’ll find keratin and natural moisturizers. The lipid layer contains:

•cholesterol
•fatty acids
•ceramides

Without it, various harmful environmental toxins and pathogens could penetrate your skin and cause adverse effects inside your body. Additionally, without your skin barrier, the water inside your body would escape and evaporate, leaving you completely dehydrated. Your skin barrier is essential for your overall health.

The Microbiome, the skins first line of defense

Healthy microbiome = healthy skin

The skin microbiome has essential roles in the maintenance of skin homeostasis, the protection against invading pathogens, and the modulation of the immune system

The human skin harbours a wide variety of microbes that, together with their genetic information and host interactions, form the human skin microbiome. The role of the human microbiome in the development of various diseases has lately gained a large amount of interest in skin science. The microbiome and its interactions with the innate and adaptive immune systems could lead to a better understanding of inflammatory skin diseases. The knowledge on skin microbiome and its participation in the pathogenesis of several skin disorders: atopic and seborrheic dermatitis, alopecia areata, psoriasis and acne has also been focused in on.

The skin constitutes the external barrier between the human body and the environment. Variations in skin temperature, humidity, sebaceous gland density, and pH create different environments where bacteria, fungi, viruses, archaea, and mites can thrive.

The Microbiome is very diverse and is made up of over 1000 different species of commensals in moist sites, the most abundant bacteria are Staphylococcus (Firmicutes) and Corynebacterium (Actinobacteria). Oily sites harbour the least diverse population where Cutibacterium (Actinobacteria) species are the most common. Dry areas of the skin show the greatest diversity.

Your skin microbiome and gut microbiome are linked!

Alterations in the gut composition, the diversity of the microbiome, and abnormal immune reactions to the microbes may result in changes to the immune and regulatory functions of the gut. These changes may ultimately lead to local or systemic immune dysfunction affecting the skin.

Impacts on microbiome

Microbiota colonization begins at birth and its composition is influenced by the route of delivery. Afterward, the composition is determined by several intrinsic (including ethnicity, gender, and age) and extrinsic (lifestyle, hygiene routine, cosmetic use, antibiotics, geographical location, climate, and seasonality) factors

-Using harsh cosmetic ingredients on the skin often from cleansers, perfumes, makeup can disrupt the biome diversity

-Heat and cold shock can also influence Dysbiosis

-Who you spend time with can alter your biome

-UV radiations, ROS and excessive free radical exposure can harm the microbiome

-Poor nutritional choices, lack of diversity in diet

-Medications and illness

-Stress and high levels of cortisol will influence an inflammatory cascade which causes dysbiosis

-Lack of sleep = lack of repair

-Hot showers/extremes of heat can strip the biome

-PH the microbiome prefers a balanced PH this is why using stripping cleansers or products that do not maintain PH balance are so harmful, if your PH is out of balance pathogens can thrive

-Alcohol , smoking, processed foods, sugar

-Being overly hygienic can cause a lack of diversity in your skins flora

Dysbiosis refers to the lack of balance among microbial communities within certain areas of the body that may lead to the onset or progression of diseases. Several skin diseases such as atopic and seborrheic dermatitis, acne, alopecia areata, psoriasis and acne may result from dysbiosis.

The aim is to feed the beneficial bacteria and reduce over population of harmful pathogens!

What is our best mode of action to ensure we have a healthy skin flora

-Gut health is key ensure you are including diversity and wholefoods into your diet daily and limiting intake of processed foods, alcohol, sugar, trans fats, refined carbohydrates.

-Keep your body hydrated this will aid your digestive system

-Take a pre and pro biotic to help assist your gut

-Engage in regular exercise.

-Clean your skin with luke warm water only

-Ensure you are using well formulated and PH balanced cleansers ( K PHYTO-CEUTICALS cleansing milk and facial cleanser are both perfectly balanced and replenish the hydrolipid barrier with nutrients/antioxidants)

-Using a pre biotic in your skincare to restore the skin flora ( KPHYTOCEUTICALS phyto calming mist and phyto comfort lotion both contain pre and pro biotics ) and fast acting anti inflammatory botanicals to give immediate and long term relief to inflamed skin.

-Use a gentle exfoliant to lift pathogens hidden in dead skin build up. K PHYTO-CEUTICALS enzyme exfoliant with its pumpkin, bromelain and papain enzymes will gently break down protein bonds in dead skin cells breaking down into smaller amino acid fragments and aiding in their removal along with the sneaky pathogens hiding amongst them.

Ok so now you are a microbiome expert and you have all the tools you need to help sensitive/sensitised skins!