Cleansing as the first step of skincare to reduce skin sensitivity

The role of the skin barrier and the microbiome

With approximately 40 percent of the industrialized world self-identifying as having reactive or intolerant skin, it is fair to say that sensitive skin is a common concern.

And while it often coincides with eczema, dermatitis and rosacea, many people with sensitive skin do not have an associated dermatologic disorder.

In patients with no associated condition, it is increasingly felt that our modern-day hygiene practices, including daily washing with harsh soaps and cleansers, are inhibiting our skin’s barrier function, leaving it vulnerable and sensitive to the outside world.

Skin is our body’s largest and most vital organ. No thicker than our hair, our skin helps to regulate our core temperature and functions as a gatekeeper to trap hydration in and keep allergens & irritants away.

To understand how daily washing and cleansing can lead to sensitive skin, imagine our outer most skin layer, also known as the stratum corneum, as a brick wall with the bricks as our skin cells and the mortar holding the bricks together, as our natural oils or lipids.

The stratum corneum is inhabited by a community of microorganisms, known as the skin microbiome, which helps maintain the skin’s brick wall architecture by contributing to its optimal pH range of 4 to 6. The microbiome also plays an important role in supporting the skin’s immune system by preventing pathogenic organisms from invading.

Harsh cleansers can damage both our skin's barrier function and microbiome by stripping our skin off its natural oils (mortar), resulting in our brick wall to weaken and break down. Our skin thereby loses its ability to protect and defend itself from environmental stressors, allowing bacteria and allergens to enter the skin, which will lead to sensitive skin. This is why it is very important to pay attention to a product's formulation.