SINGAPORE: Most might assume that sensitive skin is mainly due to in an intake of the wrong food, or the application of the wrong product.
However, the main reason for sensitive skin lies on the surface of the skin, and what that layer is subjected to from the daily environment.
In a sensitive skin survey held by Curél, the dermatological research oriented brainchild of Japanese chemical and cosmetics giant Kao, almost half of the respondents from various countries claimed to suffer from sensitive skin.
And within this number, Singaporeans make up a whopping 70 percent.
Part of the reason lies in Singapore's tropical climate –from wet and rainy, to sunny but humid – coupled with hours spent in drying air-conditioned environments whether at work, home or even shopping.
More precisely, as explained by Curél's skincare expert Koicihi Ishida, skin in the Singapore environment is subject to "enhanced blood circulation and skin dryness due to the rapid change of the temperature and humidity within a short time frame".
"At high temperatures and humidity, skin cells swell when sweat is produced, reducing the skin's barrier function" he explains.
"On the other hand, low temperatures and a humidity level of 50 percent or less will cause the skin's moisture to decrease directly and become dry. Either way, the skin becomes sensitive and easily irritated."
In other words, the root of the problem of sensitive skin isn't skin deep.
In fact, it lies with the outermost layer of the skin, known as the stratum corneum (SC).
It is the first barrier between the skin and the external environment, and offers protection to the underlying tissue from infection, dehydration, chemicals and physical stress.
The top layer stratum corneum is largely held together by ceramide.
According to Curél, about half of all sensitive skin cases is due to the SC's impaired function, making it the main cause, as well as solution, to various sensitive skin conditions.
As skin expert Ishida points out, sensitive skins possess low levels of ceramide, a key element in the SC.
In developing a skincare range that targets sensitive skin, Curél therefore focused its attention on ceramide and replenishing the skin's supply of this intercellular lipid.
Tackling the problem from within also helps, with an intake of naturally occurring ceramide in food stuffs such as soya beans, spinach, rice, wheat flour and the high-fibre, jelly-like konjac or konnyaku, as the product is known in Japan where it's often served in oden or as noodle strips.
Ceramide works by fusing with the skin's moisture and oil to prevent moisture loss while holding skin cells together, similar to a brick and mortar structure that creates a barrier function for the SC.
With ceramide care, sensitive skin is directly treated to improve and replenish the impaired SC barrier which will in turn suppresses the sensitive symptoms and conditions, making the skin more resistant to external irritants.
But this is not a one-hit, one-week solution as the experts will point out.
The newly recovered skin can revert to its troubled state without proper maintenance, or in the case of more serious skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, where ceramide drops to its original low state.
The Curél skincare range for sensitive skin runs a gamut of applications, from face and body to scalp and hair, and everyone from adults to babies, are supposed to be able to use the products.
How could so that be so?
"Although the two skin types may differ in thickness, appendices and sensitivity, the fundamental structure and function of the skin is common for the young and old of both sexes," explains Ishida.
"For the elderly, they have dry skin due to old age and it's usually accompanied with itchiness, which can be seen especially on the lower thigh area. In many cases, their SC's barrier function is damaged."
The same concept of reinforcing the SC's protective function applies to babies and the young, as the risk of sensitive skin is in fact higher in the young, than when a person ages.
"After birth, a baby's skin tends to be influenced by the environment and thus its skin condition might worsen as it is naturally delicate and sensitive," Ishida points out, while adding that "it is proven by the mild skin care from an early stage that a baby can maintain the healthy skin after growing up."
"Therefore, it is important to have a skincare regime from an early stage to prevent skin issues during their growing up process" he advises.
So even if you don't suffer from sensitive skin, there's little reason not to protect your skin the way it has been protecting you all this while.
-CNA/fl
