Are Lipid Ingredients the Secret to Treating Dry Skin

Does your skin feel one size too small?

Maybe it is dry, flaky, and dull?

And it seems like no matter what you do, it has lost its lustre.

Then, chances are, your skin is lipid dry.

This article will explore lipid ingredients and how they can help your skin.

What are lipids?

These protective oils from your skin’s protective barrier function work as emollients, softening your skin and providing elasticity.

The stratum corneum, your outer layer of skin, sits between lipid layers known as the lamellar bilayers.

If these bilayers do not function correctly, your skin is susceptible to irritation, dryness, and other skin conditions.

This study (1) shows how predisposed conditions such as dryness, eczema, and sensitive skin can knock these bilayers out of balance.

Our article on barrier cream does a great job of explaining this in more detail.

Dehydration

Another problem with bilayer dysfunction is water loss from the skin, which can present as dryness, roughness, and inflammation.

H₂O Hydrating Skin Shot creates a water reservoir within the bilayers, addressing the cause rather than simply treating the symptoms.

Yet another reason for this imbalance could be the overuse of harsh ingredients like astringents or surfactants.

These ingredients are known to disturb the bilayers in your skin, a term referred to in the industry as “the washout effect.”

Lipids that repair your skin

These ingredients fill holes in the intercellular cement, preventing water loss in the skin’s tissues.

Glycosphingolipids: These are composed of sugar, monosaccharides, and fat. They form an essential component of cell membranes and ceramides.
Glycolipids: This helps to coat the cellular walls; they form a barrier that holds skin and water content in place
Phospholipids: These are great for sensitive skin. They are composed of glycerol, fatty acids, and phosphate. Phospholipids are essential for the form and function of our cell membranes. They help to provide a stable structure that surrounds the cell, and an excellent example of a phospholipid is soya lecithin.
Ceramides: These are an essential structural component of our skin. They are naturally occurring and help with water retention and cellular regeneration; they restore the skin’s barrier function, which is perfect for dry skin.

This study (2) shows the role of ceramides in skin health.

Skin-restoring ingredients

Fatty acids

These are a complex mixture of components that help to create the acid mantle, which protects the skin from oxidative damage

Follow this link to find out more about fatty acids.

Botanical oils

• Rich in gamma linoleic acid, fatty acids are perfect for repairing the skin
• They keep the epidermal layers intact. Borage seed and evening primrose oil are great examples of such oils
• Avocado oil has improved properties due to its high levels of phytosterols
• Sunflower seed oil naturally contains repairing ceramides

Cholesterol

• It helps to make up the skin’s barrier function
• As a dry skincare ingredient, it works as a stabiliser, emollient, and water-binding agent

All of the Naked Chemist products have been created with barrier-repairing ingredients to ward off signs of premature ageing and sensitivity.

To conclude, The Naked Chemist

As you can see, using specific ingredients to treat dry skin is essential for restoring a youthful glow.

You need to repair your protective barrier using lipid ingredients, especially when combined with emollients.

It would help if you approached your dryness and sensitivity from several angles because we are all metabolically different.

What sets one skin type off may not have the same effect on another person’s skin.

So, pair tried-and-tested anti-inflammatory botanicals with lipids to help treat your dry skin effectively and repair your barrier.

The result. Revitalised skin that is balanced and healthy.

References

1. A study on epidermal surface lipids

2. Ceramides and barrier function in healthy skin