Why is there mud on my face?

When washing our face every day, we all rub it with our hands to keep the facial muscles clean, but why does mud appear on the face? It is normal to feel mud when we take a shower. This mud is actually the old keratin in our body and the product of our skin's metabolism. It is normal for mud to fall off naturally. If it falls off, it will cause changes in the skin and even cause acne.

In fact, the "mud" that is rubbed off is mainly the aging keratinocytes on the surface of the skin, which is a precious part of our skin barrier. Exfoliating and removing too frequently and forcefully is tantamount to "demolishing" the skin's natural barrier, which can easily cause dry, itchy, sensitive and even inflamed skin. Why do I say so? Because the skin barrier is the guardian of healthy and beautiful skin, and its quality determines the quality of the skin.

So, what is the skin barrier?

The skin barrier is mainly composed of the sebum membrane and the stratum corneum. It mainly plays the role of maintaining skin moisture, preventing water loss in the body, and resisting the invasion of foreign objects into the body.

Structure of the skin barrier: sebum membrane and stratum corneum

① The skin’s natural moisturizer—the sebum film

The sebum film is mainly a mixture of sebum and sweat, covering the surface of our skin and is only 0.5 microns thick. Although it is so thin, it plays an important role. It can be said to be a natural skin care cream synthesized by the body itself. It can retain moisture in our skin, prevent moisture from evaporating, and inhibit the growth of other harmful bacteria on the skin surface.

② The “wall” of the skin—the stratum corneum

The stratum corneum is the most representative of the barrier structures. A healthy stratum corneum has a strong ability to retain water. Even in an environment with zero humidity, the skin will not dry out, and of course it will not feel tight! Its average thickness is only 0.02mm. It is equivalent to the thickness of a piece of plastic wrap.

Isn’t it amazing? It is so thin, yet it plays the important role of protecting the skin and creating healthy skin. In fact, the structure of the stratum corneum is relatively simple. It is composed of multiple layers of keratinocytes and intercellular lipids.

American scholar Elias PM once proposed the famous brick wall theory, figuratively named it "brick wall structure". Keratinocytes are considered "bricks" and intercellular lipids are considered "mortar". The stratum corneum is a "wall" made up of these two substances, thus forming a natural protective barrier for the skin.

A healthy skin barrier, with keratinocytes densely connected together, can maintain skin moisture in an ever-changing external environment, prevent the evaporation of water in the body, and resist the invasion of foreign matter. Looks moisturized, delicate and shiny.

How tragic is it when the skin barrier is damaged? If one day, due to the environment, improper care and other reasons, the sebum membrane and stratum corneum are damaged, the moisture of the skin will start to run out in large quantities, and external irritants will easily penetrate the stratum corneum, causing problems such as redness, itching, and stinging from contact with skin care products.

Damaged skin full of holes. This is how you develop dry and sensitive skin.

What is it like to have dry and sensitive skin? A girl said: Not to mention lotion, even when my hair touches my face, I feel a burning sting... That's right, it is very easy to be stimulated by the outside world and the skin is easily damaged.

So, how do we build a strong skin barrier?

Because the skin is subjected to various tests on the front line every day, the chance of skin barrier damage is greatly increased. How to build a strong skin barrier?

① Don’t be “water-blind”

This is a great way to improve the skin barrier! Our skin comes into contact with water every day and is most susceptible to water quality. If you feel tight and dry every time you wash your face after removing makeup, be alert to whether the water is too hard. The tight feeling is your skin sending you an SOS signal!

Water can be soft or hard. The most suitable water for cleansing the skin is soft water that contains no or very little calcium and magnesium ions. The reality is that tap water in most parts of the country is hard water. Washing your face with hard water all year round will quietly and continuously weaken the skin's barrier function and accelerate skin aging.

② Clean properly

Do you feel clean only when you wash your face until it makes a squeaking sound after removing makeup? Do you feel dry and comfortable only when you use strong oil control and strong cleansing products in a large oil field?

Don't be easily fooled by your own feelings! In fact, this will wash away too much sebum film, leaving the skin in a defatted state, and the intercellular lipids that have a moisturizing effect will be lost.

③ Infrequent exfoliation

In fact, many skin problems are often caused by ourselves. What we think is "careful maintenance" often brings severe damage to the skin barrier. For example, frequent use of exfoliating products is a representative behavior.

Don’t be obsessed with the smooth feeling after exfoliation anymore. Don't exfoliate blindly. For sensitive skin, do it once every two weeks, and for non-sensitive skin, once a week is enough. Also, avoid using coarse exfoliating creams and highly irritating exfoliating tools. Only by maintaining a healthy stratum corneum can you have good skin.

④ Moisturize thoroughly

Moisturizing is the basis of skin care and also the top priority. Improving skin moisture content is the key to strengthening the skin barrier. The indoor humidity should be kept at no less than 40% as much as possible, and low-irritation auxiliary moisturizing skin care products should be selected to achieve the best results.

⑤22:00~2:00 Get enough beauty sleep

Normally, the skin regenerates and sheds cells in a cycle of about 28 days, and this process is most active between 10 pm and 2 am.

The secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin is also most active during this period. Ensuring sufficient deep sleep during this period will help maintain a strong skin barrier and reduce skin moisture loss.

If you want to have good skin, you must first have a good skin barrier. So if you love beauty, don’t forget to protect your skin, repair the sebum film, and make your skin more and more hydrated and plump.