In dialogue with the skin

The structure and needs of the skin.

Urs Pohlman, the founder and developer of ananné active ingredient cosmetics, is committed to doing something good for the skin in the long term. In this blog post, the expert explains the properties of our skin and how a dermatologist enters into a dialogue with it.

Our largest organ

The skin is the largest organ in the human body. As a doctor of integrative medicine, I want to take this into account and have been in close dialogue with the skin for many years.

The skin is not only our largest organ, but also the one we take for granted, which means that we take many things for granted without thinking deeply about their function and performance. The skin "just works". This also plays a role in skin care. Like many things that seem obvious, the skin is often underestimated, even "overlooked". It forms the surface of the body, covering around two square meters (in a normal-sized adult) and carries out a multitude of vital functions in a small space.

It forms the body's boundary to the outside, is a sensory organ, serves to regulate temperature and is an important part of the immune system. The trained eye can read so much from the skin that one could almost speak of a window into the inside of the body. As a practicing doctor, I also analyze the facial skin during the anamnesis, as emotions (tension) and skin diseases, especially on the face, are closely linked to visible physiological and psychological reactions.

A face can speak volumes

The face itself is a unique region of the body. No other living creature expresses itself through its face like humans do. The mobility of the face serves the purpose of expression and communication.

It is therefore obvious that special attention should be paid to facial skin. It is noticeable that skin diseases have increased significantly in the population over the past few decades and that this correlates with the apparently better care provided by "civilized and wealthy" societies. Some of the reasons for this are already known - for example, insufficient sun protection or incorrect care - and could be remedied relatively easily. This requires a certain change in behavior, comparable to sensitivity to the quality and origin of food, which has already made significant progress in most population groups.

Most behaviors do not require a great deal of effort. A lot of things become immediately understandable when you know something about your own skin and how it works, or simply pay a little more attention to it in your daily care. So it is only right that as a consumer you have the right to know what is in the wide range of care products available.

Skin type and condition

The skin is an independent organ like the kidneys, heart and lungs. It is a miracle of nature and simply works. In dermatology, a distinction is made between skin type and skin condition, which are influenced by external and internal influences.

The skin is closely correlated with the digestive system: if something is wrong in the margin-intestinal tract, this becomes noticeable and visible, for example, in impure or slightly inflamed skin.

Therefore, it is important to pay special attention to the skin when caring for it, skin type and the skin condition to analyze and know.

With the skin type The genetic disposition is also described taking into account the respective age. When classifying the skin type, we base our assessment on the amount of melanin pigment produced in the individual skin. Melanin absorbs UV light and prevents UV light from penetrating the dermis (=deeper layer of skin).

However, the melanin stored in the skin cannot completely absorb the UV light. The natural protection time is defined differently for each skin type.

The skin condition results from the current situation of the organism (endogenous = coming from within) and the external (exogenous) variable factors. We usually distinguish between the so-called T-zone (forehead and nose) and the cheek area. The characteristics can be of varying degrees of intensity and vary depending on factors such as climate or hormone status.

Of course, the quantity and quality of sebum production and the individual's predisposition also play a significant role. The condition of the skin is a snapshot that can return to normal or worsen once the factors change.

At the skin care At ananné we also speak of phytomedicine. This means that we work with plant-based active ingredients. I find it fascinating that plants produce certain substances that are linked to processes in humans and have a positive effect on them.

The different layers of skin

There are three layers of skin: the visible epidermis, the dermis underneath and the subcutaneous tissue. Each layer has its own characteristics and functions. The skin includes various glands (sebaceous and sweat glands) and all hair as well as fingernails and toenails.

What initially appears to be a multitude of different details is in fact a finely coordinated ensemble of processes that balance the internal state of the organism and the conditions of the environment and mediate in a balancing manner. In sum, all processes lead to the preservation of the entire organism and do so by stabilizing the balance of all the organism's life processes. The skin has an astonishing ability to buffer tendencies or stressful situations and thus keep the organism stable.

Epidermis

It is also called epidermis or cornea and is, in addition to the mechanical protection for the moisture regulation responsible.

It regulates water loss through the skin, the trans-epithelial water loss, which provides important guidance for supplementary skin care. If the water loss exceeds the moisture coming from the dermis, the surface of the skin dries out. The horny layer of the skin then hardens in places or can even crack because it loses elasticity when it is dried out.

This layer is not supplied with blood and its lower layers are supplied with nutrients by the underlying cell layers of the dermis.

The epidermis has a slightly acidic environment around a pH of 5.5, which varies slightly from individual to individual. bacteriaThese bacteria do not damage the skin, but rather protect it from the settlement of potentially harmful germs. They keep the supply of nutrients low, so that foreign bacteria find relatively unfavorable living conditions. In this way, they stabilize the skin environment and represent a component of the immune system.

Dermis

Sie wird auch Corium oder Lederhaut genannt. Zu den Hauptfunktionen der Dermis gehören die Aufnahme der Sinnesreize und der Stoffwechsel, vor allem aber die Temperaturregelung. Die Aufnahme und Verarbeitung von Nährstoffen und regenerative Prozesse
in den Zellen spielen in dieser Hautschicht eine zentrale Rolle. Ein Netz, aus elastischen Bindegewebsfasern und dem Kollagen, bildet die Grundstruktur der Dermis. Sie ist durch fein verzweigte Äderchen, einem Kapillarnetz, durchblutet.

In this layer also comes the hyaluronic acid naturally produced in the body which are types of sugar that bind water and thus have a volume-filling property. Hyaluronic acid is therefore one of the substances that fill the skin's relief from the inside.

Subcutis

The subcutaneous tissue consists of a loose connective tissue network in which mainly fat cells are stored, whereby one can distinguish between building fat and depot fat differs.

Depot fat is food reserves, while structural fat has functional properties (for example, in cushioning the soles of the feet) and is anatomically broken down by the body very late, even in periods of hunger. The heat-insulating properties of body fat play an important role, especially in cold living environments (for example, in northern latitudes).

Structurally, the subcutaneous tissue is not very complex and is closely linked to the metabolism of the entire organism, namely digestion. The organism stores energy reserves in depot fat.

There are also gender-specific differences in the subcutaneous tissue, on the one hand in the distribution of fat, visible in the different body types, and on the other hand in the influence of the “female” hormone estrogen on the tissue structure. This hormonal effect is ultimately reflected in the cellulite, which predominantly affect women.