SKINIPEDIA - Skin Encyclopedia: Clean Skin

CLEAN SKIN by The International Dermal Institute

Clean skin. Professional skin therapists recognize the fact that clean skin is the foundation for a healthy, great-looking complexion. Yet the average consumer really only has their skin thoroughly cleansed when they visit a skin therapist. A survey conducted by The International Dermal Institute indicated that the average female consumer spends less than 20 seconds actually cleansing her face each day, while male consumers are spending even less time!

It's no wonder that we hear complaints about dull-looking skin, breakouts, bumps under the surface and skin that does not reflect optimum health. We also know from analyzing skin in the professional treatment room that age also influences the cleansing routine. Clients under twenty-five years of age tend to over-cleanse and under-moisturize – obviously, this tendency is precipitated by the need to remove excess oil from the skin's surface. As you might expect, individuals over twenty-five tend to under-cleanse and over-moisturize. What does all of this mean? Very simply, the vast majority of people have dirty skin!

How Does Skin Get so Dirty?

As the protective layer that shields our internal organs from the environment, skin also helps contribute to the debris and waste products that sit on the surface. Cells from the outer epidermis and appendages situated in the dermis contribute to this surface debris on the skin. Embedded in the deeper dermis are sebaceous follicles and hair follicles. Both have an
associated sebaceous gland that secretes sebum, which is a mixture of fat and waxes.

Combine this with environmental pollution in the form of dust, chemicals and soot, then mix in make-up, waterproof sunscreen and the like, and you have the makings for some very dirty skin! This accumulation of debris will not come clean from an abrupt, inefficient, twenty second cleansing routine! An effective double cleanse routine with an oil-based cleanser is needed for the complete removal of debris and a thorough cleanse.

What Happens when Skin is Cleansed?

When we apply a cleanser, we generally use a gel-based, sudsy or milky cleanser. All contain surface active agents (or surfactants) that provide the primary cleansing action. During the initial cleansing process, surfactants emulsify the fat or lipid debris such as sebum, make-up, environmental hydrocarbons and sunscreens, allowing them to be solubilized in the rinse water. Meanwhile, the water-based portion of the cleanser solubilizes the water-soluble debris, namely sweat and some of the environmental pollutants. Considering the amount of material that potentially collects on skin, one might expect that the initial cleansing will only remove superficial debris and is certainly not adequate for a thorough cleansing. For this reason, The International Dermal Institute always recommends a second cleansing, or double cleanse, to thoroughly remove oils, dirt and grime from skin.

However, our studies have shown that even if one performs a double cleanse with a water-soluble cleanser, there still may be some oil-soluble substances left behind – particularly when cleansing an oily skin.

To be most effective in removing all oil, one should use a similar substrate. In chemistry it is said that like attracts like. Fatty, oily substances are best solubilized in lipid solutions. An example of this is the capability of mineral oil (or baby oil) to readily dissolve all make-up and oil from the skin. The problem with using mineral oil is that it cannot be rinsed away with
water. To remove the oil, an alcohol-based toner is required – but alcohol is not recommended for skin and is certainly not recommended for the eye area.

Think back to when cold creams were first developed to remove heavier oil-based make-up. They had to be tissued off, and then alcohol toners were applied to remove the oily residue. Eventually, water-soluble cleansers were developed and the need for alcohol toners subsided. One of the problems that we find at The International Dermal Institute is consumers are using heavier oil-based moisturizers and more water-resistant make-up and sunscreens that are not adequately removed with water-based cleansers. Combine this with how quickly the average individual cleanses and you'll find the recipe for dirty skin!

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