Ceramides, And Why They're So Important For Your Skin
Just like fat makes food taste better, ceramides make your skin better, keeping it well-moisturized and looking youthful. Your skin naturally makes them. They have incredible moisturizing benefits and help reduce signs of aging such as fine lines, as well as aggravate skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis (eczema), rosacea or acne. Bad news is: we all run out of ceramides as we get older. Good news is: topical ceramide in skin care works. Second good news is: we have a few really good options to suggest.
Ceramides are lipids naturally made by the skin, and they are a crucial part of the stratum corneum, the outer protective layer of skin. The analogy dermatologists usually use to describe the stratum corneum is bricks and mortar: where your skin cells are the bricks, the lipids between them—which include ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids—represent the mortar. When this structure of the stratum corneum is intact, it keeps hydration in and helps protect against anything that might irritate your skin. When it isn’t working properly, it lets water out (a process called transepidermal water loss, or TEWL) which can cause your skin to dry out and possibly become more reactive to irritants.
Unfortunately, our bodies naturally make less and less of these intercellular compounds as we age. By the time you are in your 30s, you have lost about 40 percent of your skin’s ceramides, and by your 40s, you have lost 60 percent of your skin’s natural ceramides.”
Thinning of the skin is a direct result of declining levels of ceramides affecting the elasticity and toughness of the skin, which results in the heightened appearance of fine lines — especially around the eyes and cheeks. In people with dry skin and conditions like eczema, rosacea, and even acne, we know that ceramide levels in the skin are lower than they should be. This contributes to dryness, sensitivity and skin inflammation.
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Using Natural Human-Type Ceramide created through Japanese soy fermentation process, Crème Rejuv + is a rich and fast absorbing day cream that will suit dry skins.
Formulated with award-winning Neodermyl® technology, this powerful, concentrated blend of peptides, ceramides and botanicals helps to smooth, firm and hydrate the skin.
Featuring 3 different types of ceramides combined with hyaluronic acid, Nourish Moisturizer is ideal to nourish combination and oily skin while helping regulate excess oil.
Key benefits of ceramides
Restore and lock moisture
Reduce appearance of fine lines
Help with skin conditions
What science says
In a 2002 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in which researchers gave 24 children with atopic dermatitis a “ceramide-dominant” emollient, the majority of patients (22 out of 24) saw significant improvements in their symptoms and a decrease in TEWL within three weeks of treatment with the emollient.
Where your skin cells are the bricks, the lipids between them—which include ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids—represent the mortar.
Frequently asked questions
What are ceramides?
Ceramides are lipids naturally made by the skin, and they are a crucial part of the stratum corneum, the outer protective layer of skin. When this structure of the stratum corneum is intact, it keeps hydration in and helps protect against anything that might irritate your skin. When it isn’t working properly, it lets water out (which can cause your skin to dry out, show sins of aging and possibly become more reactive to irritants.
Do skin care products with ceramides really work?
The weather, dry central heating and general low-humidity environments, air pollution, UV rays and sun exposure depletes ceramides in the skin; applying ceramide containing products to the skin helps replenish ceramide levels in the skin in general, and all skin care products work (the high quality skin care products work better than the low quality products, but this is true with all skin care products). Ceramides can be applied day or night, typically in the serum step of your regimen. They can also be used throughout the day.
Can ceramides treat acne?
They can help a lot. Acne medications — retinoids, for instance—often come with notoriously annoying side effects, like redness, flaking, and irritation, that make it hard if not impossible to stick with treatment. Research has shown that treating patients with a ceramide-containing moisturizer at the same time can help counteract those effects and help people stick with their acne medication.
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