On the Importance of Moisturizing to the Skin

Although we are usually moisturizing, it actually has no effect. In fact, moisturizing is very important for the skin. Do you want to moisturize? Let me tell you my secret!

Importance of skin moisturizing

As we all know, almost 70% of the human body is water, and we all know that one of the basic maintenance of skin is moisturizing. Newspapers and media talk about moisturizing almost all year round, and almost all major skin care brands will launch exquisite moisturizing products, which shows the importance of moisturizing. Why is moisturizing so important? Where is the moisturizing? The following will be briefly introduced:

The main function of moisturizing is to keep the normal water content of stratum corneum. To make a simple analogy: the stratum corneum is like a sponge. After the sponge is filled with water, the softness and plasticity will increase. But if the sponge is dry, it will not only become hard and rough to the touch, but also reduce its shaping ability, and it is easy to break when it is bent by external force. Generally, the water content of normal stratum corneum is about 20 ~ 35%. When the moisture content of the stratum corneum is lower than 10%, the stratum corneum will be in a dry state. At this time, the skin will become rough and soft, easy to feel dry and tight, and the brightness of the skin will be relatively reduced, resulting in dullness and dullness. Moreover, when the stratum corneum is short of water, keratinocytes can not be metabolized normally, and it is easy to produce phenomena such as keratin thickening and peeling off debris. Therefore, when the skin is short of water, not only the overall skin feeling will be greatly reduced, but also the metabolism of old keratin will be abnormal, which shows that moisturizing is very important for the skin. If the skin is well moisturized, it can not only increase the soft and smooth touch of the skin, make the skin look bright and transparent, but also strengthen the barrier function of the skin, and keratin metabolism can also be carried out normally. In other words: Moisturizing skin will not only become beautiful but also be healthier!

Self-moisturizing mechanism of skin

Keratinocytes are produced from the basal layer, when the water content in cells is the highest (water content ≒70%).

Here, the water in the cells is brought by the blood vessels in the dermis, so there is no water shortage. Slowly, keratinocytes will metabolize and differentiate upwards, and the water content will gradually decrease. When they reach the granular layer, keratinocytes will enter the final differentiation stage, wither gradually, and the water content in cells will drop rapidly (water content ≥ 50-60%). Therefore, protein in the induced cells will be decomposed into natural moisturizing factors to keep the remaining water, and a compact protein keratinized cell envelope will be formed around the cells to slow down the water. In the granular layer of epidermis, keratinocytes also release lamellar bodies to the intercellular substance. Because there are quite a lot of polar oil components in the lamellar body, these oil components will accumulate between keratinocytes, forming a regular multi-layer water-retaining and water-locking film, further blocking the loss of water. The keratinocytes in the stratum corneum are also connected with each other through desmosomes, which are closely arranged into staggered sheets, further enhancing the effect of water retention and water locking. However, when the keratinocytes reach the outermost layer, they have retired (water content ≒20-35%). When the water content of the stratum corneum is in a normal state, proteolytic enzymes will decompose the cytoskeleton, so that these old discarded keratinocytes can be metabolized smoothly to maintain a good water constant state of the epidermis as a whole. Why do keratinocytes need such complicated mechanisms to keep water? The main reason is that the water content of cells in the body is much higher than the external environment, so the water is easily lost to the outside world. In order to prevent the constant loss of water in the body and keep enough water in the epidermal bottom cells, keratinocytes will produce a quite special protection mechanism in the later stage of their differentiation to achieve effective water retention function. Although all the cells in the stratum corneum are dead cells, the stratum corneum plays a very important role in moisturizing the skin, and the function of the stratum corneum screen wall will greatly affect the health of the skin, so the stratum corneum plays a very important role in maintaining the overall moisture of the skin. Simply put, only a healthy cuticle can have a normal and effective moisturizing mechanism, so how to care for the skin, so that it can be metabolized normally and not be damaged, so that the cuticle can maintain a normal metabolic cycle is the most basic requirement of moisturizing work, and a large number of moisturizing products are not needed for external use to have a moisturizing effect.

Three elements of perfect skin moisturizing

Simply put, skin care and moisturizing = "hydrating", "retaining water" and "storing water". The so-called "hydrating" means giving the skin enough moisture at the right time. The function of "retaining water" must include two key factors: "absorbing water+locking water"; Finally, the most important part of moisturizing is to improve the ability of skin keratinocytes to "store water". Simply put, external moisturizing products help strengthen the internal moisturizing effect, thus achieving complementary effects.

Protecting the skin is the basis of moisturizing.

We know that the stratum corneum of skin has a set of effective methods to moisturize itself, but nowadays people often suffer from dryness and lack of water due to improper beauty or maintenance or improper use of skin care products, which leads to skin inflammation and allergic reactions and destroys the self-moisturizing ability of stratum corneum. For example, excessive exfoliation or cleansing or rubbing can cause damage to the stratum corneum. In addition, the long-term damage of ultraviolet rays and excessive use of compound skin care products will also affect the self-metabolism regulation ability of the stratum corneum, so the stratum corneum will become more and more unhealthy, and it will become more and more difficult to bear the changes of the external environment, and the skin will become more and more prone to dry and sensitive phenomena. At this time, no matter how expensive and advanced moisturizing products are used, it is difficult to restore the original state of the stratum corneum. Care for the skin from the "root" first, and then use external moisturizing products to get twice the result with half the effort. Therefore, the best way to care for the skin is not to hurt it easily. Only healthy skin has a normal stratum corneum. At this time, coupled with moderate and appropriate moisturizing, everyone's skin will be full of moisture all year round.

7 kinds of moisturizing fruits and vegetables are tender and smooth.

First of all, aloe vera

Beauty efficacy: moisturizing, calming skin and anti-allergic.

Aloe pulp can be directly applied to the face, and can also be used as moisturizing spray after juicing, which has a good effect after sun exposure.

Second, lettuce.

Beauty efficacy: astringent pores, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle

Lettuce juice can be applied to the face, and can be used as emulsion after dilution, which can tighten pores and moisturize the skin.

Third, cucumber.

Beauty efficacy: whitening, calming, moisturizing and anti-inflammatory.

Cucumber can be applied to the face after juicing, and can also be used as cosmetic water, which can calm the skin, diminish inflammation and whiten the skin.

Fourth, watermelon.

Beauty effect: calm skin, whiten and moisturize.

Squeezing the white pulp of watermelon can be used as lotion, and mixed with flour can be used as mask, which can make the skin tender and smooth.

Five, lemon

Beauty efficacy: whitening, wrinkle removing and acne removing.

Lemon juice can be mixed with other ingredients to avoid being directly applied to the face, and the whitening effect is excellent.

Six, grapes

Beauty efficacy: eliminating dullness, whitening and anti-aging.

Mashing grapes with skin and pulp and adding a little fresh milk to your face can prevent skin aging.

Seven, celery

Beauty efficacy: anti-aging, anti-wrinkle and skin activation.

Celery can be applied to the face after juicing, and can be used as lotion after dilution to prevent skin aging.