Your skin is the largest organ in your body. It’s also the heaviest. And, it’s a lot more complex than you would have ever imagined.
Most of us rarely consider our skin beyond how it’s looking, but if you really think about it, our skin is what’s holding us all together. Our skin is like the vault that does its best to ensure everything that’s precious—our internal organs and systems—stay safe and protected. Our skin also carries out the very important tasks of making us feel physical sensations and of regulating our body temperatures.
1,000 nerve endings.
650 sweat glands.
20 blood vessels.
That’s just for one square inch of skin. The average person has about 20 square feet of skin.
And if you want to ace your skincare game, you’ve got to look after all of that. At amaiaa, we believe beautiful skin starts with great skin health. And to achieve healthy skin, we believe it’s essential to understand what’s going on with all those layers, how they function and how you can look after them better. So we decided to break it down for you.
Your skin’s made up of 3 layers
The epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis, in that order, starting with the outermost.
The epidermis is responsible for your skin immunity, gives you your skin color and is where skin cell turnover takes place. The melanin in your epidermis, besides lending to your complexion, also protects you against UV rays. Your epidermis also contains keratinocytes, which act as a barrier against bacteria, fungi, viruses, heat and water loss.
The dermis is the busiest layer, with all the nerve endings, sweat glands, hair follicles, blood vessels and sebaceous glands. Basically, your dermis is what’s touching, feeling, sweating, bleeding (or not), stretching, producing oil, growing hair…phew! And that’s not all. The dermis also contains collagen fibres, which give your skin strength, and elastin fibres, which lend it elasticity. Essentially speaking, your dermis is where all the action’s at.
Many believe the hypodermis isn’t really a ‘skin’ layer as it’s made of fat rather than skin. However, this subcutaneous tissue has an important role to play in the story of your skin. It is what attaches your skin to your muscle and bone, stores fat that is not only an extra protective layer but also serves as a reserve for collagen and elastic and helps regulate your body temperature. The hypodermis is also where synthesis of the all-important vitamin D takes place.
The primary functions of your skin are to protect
It’s to store lipids or fats and water, as well as to regulate water loss, to detect temperature, pressure, touch, vibration and injury, to maintain homeostasis or a stable internal environment in the body, and to prevent nutrients from being washed off your skin. Sweat, goosebumps, and oil are all part of your skin’s defense mechanisms. When your body gets too hot, sweat helps it cool off. When your body temperature drops, goosebumps constrict the pores, preventing any more body heat from escaping. The oil on your skin’s surface is your body’s way of making your skin water-resistant, so you don’t lose essential nutrients your skin needs to function well.
As you get older, your skin starts to weaken.
The long-term effects of sun, environmental factors, various wounds and diseases through your lifetime, begin to slow down your skin’s healing process and also make the layers of your skin thinner and less elastic. And this is where your skincare kicks in.
Looking after your skin will build skin resilience.
Your skin’s lipid barrier plays an important role in bolstering your skin immunity, in the long-term. And that’s why facial oils should be an integral part of your skincare routine. Oils are occlusive, which means they prevent moisture from leaving your skin, locking it all in. If you’re using a face oil as a final step in your regimen, it acts a sealant for all your other products, intensifying their benefits. The beauty of using oils lies in the fact that you can use them in combination with other products as well as on their own, and they’re well-suited to a morning as well as bedtime routine, and work for all skin types.
Your skin also needs a smorgasbord of nutrients, from antioxidants and polyphenols to fatty acids, to retain its youthfulness, all of which our atma and saya oils provide through their nourishing, carefully-curated blends. In fact, argan oil, an important ingredient in our atma oil has anti-inflammatory properties and is rich in vitamin E, an essential nutrient in the fight against ageing skin.