Sensitive Skin (Part I)
From scalp to toes, it’s all skin. Some of it is modified (thick skin on heels, for example) some of it is thinner than in other places (scalp, eyelids). But as living tissue (except for the top layers – that’s all dead and even though it’s constantly shedding cells), it’s not inert. This post is about to the nature of the top layer of skin – and why you need to protect it. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 A little skin architecture: ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 The Stratum corneum is the top layer of skin and if you have sensitive skin, this is the place where your efforts can make the most difference. Don’t think of it as a pile of dead skin cells – it’s way more active than that. Imagine a brick wall. The corneocytes are the bricks made of protein (lots of keratin – like hair) which can hold a lot of water. There are around a dozen layers of these, linked by proteins at the outer layer of the corneocyte and surrounded. These protein bonds are the “mortar.” Lipids and ceramides and other compo...