TriBella Facial Rejuvenation Benefits : The Ultimate Non-Surgical Aesthetic Treatment Key Components of TriBella Facial Rejuvenation TriBella combines three cutting-edge technologies in a single treatment session to deliver outstanding results: Photofacial (Intense...
The Peel You are Having When You are Not Having a Peel It is that time of the year again when our skin is letting us know the summer has been a little unkind. The telltale signs of hyperpigmentation are quite apparent on our skin. One of the most effective ways to...
Enzyme Exfoliation for the Winter Skin All skin types can benefit from enzyme exfoliation during the cooler months of winter, where hot showers and heaters create superficial dryness. Enzymes are a naturally occurring solution for this challenge by digesting and...
Brown Skin Spots On The Face And The Sun We all desire a clear and consistent skin tone. However, lingering hyperpigmentation is a constant barrier to achieving this. It impacts every skin type at every stage of our lives, especially when sun exposure, heat and...
Look into the Crystal Ball for 2024 The aesthetic profession is in constant flux, always evolving with the latest trends and technologies in health, wellness, and self-improvement. 2024 is no exception, bringing forward innovations that help us look and feel our best,...
Colour Correction, Skin Firming, Refinement and Radiance. What Treatment Do I Choose? Texture, tone and colour all play a huge role in defining the appearance of healthy skin. There are many treatments available to improve the texture and complexion of your skin by...
Trust Your Gut When it Comes to Your Skin In order for your skin to look good, it is dependent upon how you treat it from the outside and the inside. You may have heard the term gut-skin axis. Our skin is like a window to our gut, if you are suffering constipation,...
What Is Comedogenicity We have all used products where we end up with our skin blocked and spotty. These products can be anything from shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, makeup or self-tanning products when applied to the skin or hair. Ingredients creating blocked...
Men vs Women Are They Different? Do Men & Women Have Different Skin? Our largest organ, the skin, has many similarities between men and women, but there are also some key differences. Men's skin is recognised as different from women's by the top skin care...
Collagen Reduces Visible Signs of Aging There are three main fundamental building blocks to sustain the skin and reduce the observable signs of aging. These are Collagen, hyaluronic acid and calcium. The most common and plentiful of our bodies' proteins is Collagen....
Skin Peels - Revive & Renew Your Skin We are moving into the cooler time of the year, which means skin rejuvenation and the reduction of hyperpigmentation should be at the forefront of your mind. Skin peeling is one such technique for skin renewal, offering many...
Beauty Buzz, Healthy Habits and Wellness Having forced time off and working from home over the last two years has made more people think about their health and beauty issues. It is time to look at the body, mind, and spirit. The act of taking time to care for oneself...
There is a thought that we have more microbes on our body skin than we have human cells. The human skin provides the largest surface area for microbial growth and is host to millions of microbial organisms. The skin microbiome is dominated by members of 4 phyla: firmicutes, actinobacteria, bacteroidetes and proteobacteria.
There is a thought we should start perceiving the skin as an ecosystem composed of physical and living biological components occupying diverse habitats. When the skin’s microbiome is out of kilter, disruptions may occur resulting in an aged appearance, infections, skin disorders, reactive skin, redness and acne.
When it comes to the microbiome of the skin and mask-wearing there are 3 main factors disrupting the balance. These are friction, changes to the microbiome and an alkaline environment. These 3 factors are also seen in another common skin condition, nappy rash.
Friction from mask-wearing results in loss of the barrier function – which we discussed in last month’s article. Each day our skin endures the rubbing of our masks from talking and general moving throughout the day which results in the gradual sloughing of the outer layers of the skin. This is accelerated by the moisture on the skin from our breath. As the barrier of the skin is eroded, a greater amount of water is lost through the skin and it dries out and creates sensitivity, redness or an aged appearance. Remember to change your mask daily sometimes a few times a day if necessary. Also, review the quality of your mask. Friction may also be reduced by using a topical like Rhonda Allison’s Drop of Essence in your daily skincare routine. This emollient is plant-based which is also a good food source for a healthy microbiome.
Our skin is naturally slightly acidic on the pH scale, around 4.5-5.5. At this level, the skins barrier system functions optimally and the immune system is operating at an optimal level for healthy skin. The condensate of the breath has consistently been measured around a pH 8 – alkaline. When the skin is exposed to long periods of an alkaline environment with mask-wearing, it’s natural buffering, becomes overwhelmed and the skin starts to become unhealthy, and the microbiome and skin barrier is less effective. Ensure your skincare products at home are all pH balanced and suitable for your skin condition. These should be reviewed each season and perhaps more often in these challenging times we are living in, as stress also creates imbalances in the skin.
When we keep our skin cells healthy, we rely on external microbiotic life forms to work in harmony with and support our own healthy cells. These healthy cells form the human microbiome. The human microbiome is kept at the same slightly acidic level as the skin. As the skin becomes more alkaline the prevalence of overgrowths of various harmful kinds of bacteria and bacteria on the skin increases. Skincare products for home use and a healthy lifestyle both contribute to assisting a healthy skin microbiome which will in-turn assist with less irritation from mask-wearing.
Some of the benefits of a healthy and balanced skin microbiome are:
Looking after the microbiome of our skin is an extremely important consideration when it comes to caring for the health of our skin. As a result of preventative measures for Covid-19, our mask-wearing has benefits but it also comes with side effects for our normally healthy skin. Come into, or call the Clinic and ask us how we may be able to assist you with your skin concerns, we are happy to help.