Skin’s secretions


Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

by Supernova 2 comments

The amount of oil secreted by your skin determines your skin type, i.e. whether your skin is considered to be dry, oily, or normal. This oil that is secreted by skin helps the skin to form its lipid barrier, which is a combination of oil, sweat and dead skin cells that form a layer over the skin and protect it against bacteria.

Unlike your laundry, your skin should not feel ‘squeaky’ clean. It should not feel so clean that after cleansing and drying your face, rubbing your finger along your skin almost produces a noise similar to the one produced when you drag your bare feet against a newly polished floor. *squeak*

Using cleansers that are too harsh for your skin can remove this barrier completely and give your skin that squeaky clean feeling. When this lipid barrier has been removed, the skin then goes into emergency mode and attempts to restore this barrier by producing, and sometimes over producing, oil.

This lipid barrier decreases with age, which is why you would find that your skin gets less oily and more dry with age.

Huh.

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  1. Well stated!!

    [Reply]

  2. Supernova says:

    Thanks! :)

    [Reply]

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