How to cleanse the skin without damaging it

Everyone knows that skin cleansing is the most necessary procedure for maintaining its health, beauty and youth. However, even a simple washing procedure can adversely affect the protective properties of the skin, since we wash off the layer of sebum from it and disrupt the structure of the acid mantle. If our distant ancestors could afford not to think about how to cleanse the skin, and not to wash at all, then in modern society cleanliness of the face is very important. In addition, problematic skin is subject to thorough cleansing, in which it is necessary to remove exfoliated cells and excess sebum. Of course, the skin needs cleansing after applying makeup. Before carrying out cosmetic procedures, it is absolutely necessary to clean the skin as thoroughly as possible, to facilitate penetration deep into the active components of the care. How to cleanse the skin and at the same time not damage it, what is needed for this, read on estet-portal.com.

How to cleanse the skin and what is commonly used for this

The most famous skin cleanser – it's soap. It is a salt of fatty acids and has an alkaline reaction. Upon contact with the skin, soap components can disrupt the acid-base balance, damage proteins and destroy lipids of the stratum corneum, and cause a violation of the epidermal barrier. However, today, synthetic substances are often added to the composition of soap, which create a neutral pH, as well as moisturizing additives.

Cosmetic cleansers – foams, milk and other cleaners – usually contain water, surfactants, as well as various stabilizers, plant extracts.

The principle of action of any skin cleanser is approximately the same and consists in the fact that it dissolves and removes water-soluble impurities, dissolves and emulsifies fatty particles.

This process involves surface-active substances (surfactants), whose molecules  have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. These substances are able to form foam and emulsify fatty films. Most cleansing cosmetics today have a pH close to the surface of the skin, and therefore practically do not irritate it.

If   we are talking about how to cleanse the skin of a problematic nature, then there are special tools for this – gels and tonics with antiseptic action. They may contain components that are quite aggressive for the skin – e.g. alcohols, acids.

Peculiarities of cleansing components and their capabilities in the cleanser

Most often, disruption of the epidermal barrier and subsequent skin irritation is due to the action of surfactants found in skin cleansing products. The fact is that, as we remember, the key structural element of the stratum corneum and cell wall – these are lipids, and it is on them that the fat-dissolving components of surfactants are primarily affected. However, there is some good news.

Surfactant components have very different skin penetration and protein binding abilities and therefore differ in the degree of skin irritation likely to occur.

Anionic surfactants have the highest irritant potential, an example of which is sodium lauryl sulfate. However, before assessing the strength of its likely irritating effect on the skin, the following factors should be taken into account:

• concentration level of the component in the surfactant formulation,
• the presence of ingredients that soften the effect of surfactants (for example, glycerin).

Another factor that plays an important role in how to cleanse your skin without irritating it is the level of acidity of the cleanser. Normally, the acid-base balance of the skin is 4.7 & ndash; 5.5, and if, for example, you wash your face with soap – and its alkaline level is about 10 – then this will cause the stratum corneum to swell and destroy its structure.

However, a highly alkaline cleanser may contain moisturizing additives that greatly reduce the risk of skin irritation.

When deciding how to cleanse the skin and what is the best product for this, it is necessary to take into account how this product is washed off the skin. This is especially important for sensitive skin. The fact is that irritation is often caused by those smallest particles of a cleanser that remained on the skin after washing and then continued to slowly migrate deep into the skin. Therefore, patients should be reminded that any cleanser applied to the face must be thoroughly rinsed with water.