Importance of the pH of your skin

One of the most important functions of our skin is to protect our ‘inside’ from the external environment, acting as a barrier and filter between the ‘outside’ and the ‘inside’. In addition, the skin is involved in the regulation of our body temperature, such as when we have a fever or are doing a great physical effort, we tend to sweat, which is the body’s way of trying to lower the temperature.

Another important role of our skin is to protect us from harmful substances that enter our body and in the elimination of toxins. This takes the workload off our liver and kidneys to filter out the byproducts of our body’s metabolism. The skin also breathes!

Hormones, sweat glands and pH

The pores in our skin are made up of a combination of sebaceous and sweat glands (sebaceous and sweat glands) that help keep our skin healthy and elastic. Excessive sebum secretion is often associated with oily skin and acne. This is particularly common in adolescents as increased levels of sex hormones stimulate sebum production and secretion. When in balance, the combined excretion of oil and sweat from the skin’s pores has a pH of about 5.5.

The Acid Mantle, Age and the importance of skin pH

This slightly acidic layer, also known as the “Acid Mantle”, is our body’s first defense mechanism against invading bacteria and is not a favorable environment for bacterial growth to occur. This layer of defense develops at puberty, which is why children are more susceptible to diseases, viruses, and fungal infections like ringworm. The pH of children’s skin is closer to neutral (pH 7).

At puberty, however, we begin to produce more hair on our bodies. Hair follicles have an associated sebaceous gland or glands that become activated as hair growth increases, causing changes in skin pH. The hormones that control sweating are also activated and the entire skin surface of a teenager is totally different from that of a young child. This is the way our body increases our defense system.

The pH of normal, healthy human skin is between 4.5 and 6. However, this varies with age. Newborns typically have a pH closer to neutral (pH 7) that quickly turns acidic to protect young children’s skin.

From our late teens to early 20s, our acid mantle is well developed and provides good protection against potentially damaging external environmental factors. Our skin generally looks healthy, heals quickly when injured, and seems to take care of itself.

However, over the years, the pH of the skin becomes more and more neutral and therefore more susceptible to bacterial growth. This reduced acidity kills fewer bacteria than before, leaving the skin susceptible to bacterial growth and infection. The skin weakens as a result and begins to develop problems with increasing age. (Interestingly, the pH value rises beyond 6 when a person is suffering from a skin problem or skin disease.)

The aging process of the skin causes biochemical changes in collagen and elastin, the connective tissues underlying the skin, which give the skin its firmness (collagen) and elasticity (elastin). Rates of loss of skin firmness and elasticity differ from individual to individual, depending on their genetic makeup, general health, excessive sun exposure, skin care regimen or lack thereof, and other factors.

As the skin becomes less elastic, it also becomes drier; the underlying fatty tissue begins to disappear and the skin begins to sag. Our skin is less flexible and wrinkles begin to form. At this stage, our skin is more easily injured, heals more slowly, and tends to dry out more quickly.

The role of pH in acne

As described above, the pH of the skin is important and maintaining a slightly acidic pH of around 5.5 is critical.

The pH value of the skin is one of the main contributors to acne and other skin problems. Propionibacterium acnes is a bacteria that normally lives on the skin and is a normal bacteria found in all people regardless of the presence or absence of acne.

However, in acne-prone people, the number of p.acnes it increases a lot. It has been found that the growth of this bacterium is highly dependent on the pH value of the skin and its growth is minimal at the normal skin pH of 5.5. A slight shift towards alkaline pH would provide a better environment in which it can thrive.

Importance of skin pH: what to do and what not to do

One of the main culprits that radically alters the pH of the skin is soap. Common commercially available soaps are highly alkaline (pH range 9-11) and raise the pH of the skin to be much more alkaline. This can be adjusted using products such as Wildcrafted Herbal Products’ Wild Herb Toner or Milk of Roses Toner, depending on your skin type. These toners restore the normal pH of the skin and therefore provide an environment that does not support the growth of bacteria. In addition, soap dries out the skin, due to its high alkalinity.

Therefore, if you choose to use a commercially available soap, you must restore the pH of your skin to prevent moisture loss and bacterial overgrowth. It is important to remember that this applies to the entire surface of the skin, not just the face.

Instead of using regular soap, you should use products like Wildcrafted Herbal Products’ Skin Renewal Gel, which cleanses the skin, removes dead cells and leaves the skin’s pH where it should be. Next, with the use of a toner, the open pores will be closed, preventing blackheads and moisture loss from the skin.

Other factors that influence the pH of the skin

Another factor that helps regulate the pH of the skin is the microflora present on the skin. Staphylococcus epidermis participates in the breakdown of fatty acids and is therefore partly responsible for the acidic pH of the skin. The use of ordinary soap not only changes the pH of the skin to be more alkaline, effectively removing the protective acid mantle, but also kills the bacteria responsible for creating, at least in part, the acidic pH of the skin, a double blow. .

Therefore, it is of great importance to have a good skin care regimen in which high quality natural skin care products are employed. There are a couple of simple steps to follow before buying a particular brand of natural skin care products.

• Identify the types of skin on the face. There are usually two or more. One type of skin is usually isolated from the T Zone (forehead and nose), the other is applied to the rest of the facial skin.

• Carefully select your natural skin care products. It is not enough to choose products that add natural ingredients to an otherwise unnatural cream or lotion base, as is the case with many supermarket brands. READ the label carefully, ask questions, and if you’re buying the products online, make sure there’s a warranty that gives you time to evaluate the products before they need to be returned for a refund.

• Look for manufacturers that have qualified herbalists or naturopaths on staff. These people are generally not supportive of the use of artificial ingredients because it goes against everything they teach their patients, friends, and family. – For the most part, it is a pretty good indication that the products are pure, when natural therapists are in charge of formulating the products.