We’re stocking on our skin TEWL Kit!
Portland has been celebrating summer’s early arrival this year, and as a Be Smooth client, we know that YOU are using and reapplying your sunscreen right?
And maybe you’ve added a nice antioxidant-rich serum into your morning regimen to further protect against the sun’s UV damage?? Good!
There’s so much we can do for the health of our body’s largest organ, and we want to share yet another tip for keeping it in great condition during the summer months!
What is TEWL?
Our skin is porous, kind of like a sponge, and in the same way it absorbs ingredients in skincare products, it’s susceptible to losing water that circulates to it from inside the body, especially as the surrounding environment dries out due to rising temperatures and drops in humidity.
When this happens, it’s called transepidermal water loss, or TEWL.
It’s a big word, but also a big deal! You see, most of the organs in our body get their nutrients from blood in order to perform healthy body functions. But without access to the same kind of blood flow, the skin and its many cell layers rely on getting nutrients from the body’s water content instead. You can see how important it is to hang on to that water.
Fortunately, preventing TEWL is as simple as using a moisturizer. Your moisturizer to be effective against TEWL must contain “waterproofing” ingredients as well as “water quenching” ingredients.
To create a barrier on the skin so water cannot evaporate look for ingredients such as Cocoa butter, petrolatum, and many different kinds of natural oils. To quench the skin with extra water use ingredients such as Hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and glycerin.
Wanna take it one step further?
The aquaporins of the skin:
The epidermis, the uppermost layer of skin, is wholly devoid of blood vessels. Instead of drawing its nutrients from blood, like most other organs of the body, the epidermis is nourished by circulating water.
As the water supplies the nutrients, it also moistens and lubricates the skin.
Thirteen different aquaporins (AQP0 to AQP12) have been identified in the human body, but it was only until quite recently that aquaporin AQP 3 was identified to be present and active in the epidermis. The regulation of water flow by aquaporin AQP3 plays an important role in regulating dryness, skin elasticity, and skin barrier functions.
Increasing aquaporins:
Researchers discovered that Pomegranate Extract, stimulates the aquaporin AQP3 in the skin. By introducing Pomegranate Extract into formulas, skincare products effectively increasing the number of water channels in the skin and encouraging the maintenance of a moist, plump skin by helping water to flow more effectively.
Keep your skin hydrated this summer, try our Bioderma hydrating serum
