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Top skin health secret: Holistic skin repair

Having beautiful skin isn’t about using the most expensive product or chasing the trendiest miracle ingredient, but going back to the basics: the science of and maintaining healthy skin.

And when talking about skin health, beauty can be skin deep with so much happening on its surface. The outermost, protective layer of skin has the double duty of preventing moisture loss and baddies like irritants and pathogens from getting in.

A defect in the skin barrier leads to dry and sensitive skin—rough, sometimes itchy/scaly, and often reacts to new products (e.g. cosmetics, fabrics, fragrances)—calling for skin repair.

Dry & sensitive skin repair

Factors like ageing, cold/dry environment, and frequent handwashing especially with harsh soaps, can cause dryness and sensitivity. Awareness of what one’s skin is exposed to and making small adjustments like switching to a mild cleanser or wash could help with skin repair, hydration, preventing infections, and easing discomfort.

Another possibility is skin diseases like atopic dermatitis (AD) or eczema, “a recurrent skin condition that may be genetic and is often triggered by external factors like allergens or weather,” explains Dr. Ker Khor Jia, Consultant Dermatologist at Dermatology & Co Clinic and Past Deputy Head of Immunodermatology at National Skin Centre. “The cycle will continue; however, severity can be controlled by staying focused on skin barrier protection.”

This severity could mean long-lasting eczema flares that involve rashes, blisters, and “weeping” skin that crusts over. That’s definitely a sign to focus on skin health and to start building a daily regimen centred on skin repair.

Restoring skin health through skin repair

Healthy skin is beautiful skin, and it looks that way both to the naked eye and when taking a microscopic look at the skin barrier.

Imagine it as a brick and mortar structure where the bricks are water-holding cells, held together by lipids. The dominant lipid in that “mortar” is ceramide, which can have reduced levels of up to 30-50% in eczema-prone skin.

It’s that weakened wall that “predisposes skin to the entry of harmful bacteria and irritants, leading to consequences like itch and inflammation,” shares Dr. Mark Tang, Senior Consultant Dermatologist at The Skin Specialist & Laser Clinic and Past Head of Eczema and Wound Clinics at National Skin Centre.

With skin repair in order, ceramide replenishment is a key step. “Ceramides with lipids and cholesterol in the right ratio has been proven to be important in holding skin cells together as to build a strong protective barrier against eczema flares. Maintaining this barrier is a critical part of defence,” explains Dr. Joyce Lim, Senior Consultant Dermatologist at Joyce Lim Skin & Laser Clinic and Past Division Head of Dermatologic and Laser Surgery at National Skin Centre.

Looking for the best moisturiser? Find one that focuses on skin repair and complement with a complete, daily regimen.

A study¹ showed that a skin barrier repair emulsion with a 3:1:1 ratio of ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids used for three weeks resulted in high levels of satisfaction among 75% of participants with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis. That’s a skin repair win!

This optimal ratio for skin repair is core to Ceradan®, the #1 Top-of-Mind Moisturiser Brand among Singapore dermatologists.* Its extensive range of skin repair products with 3:1:1 Optimal Ceramide Science covers: cleanse, intensive treatment, moisturise, and child essentials for diaper and mosquito protection.

Don’t just moisturise, upgrade to a skin barrier restoration cream now. Know more about skin health and skin repair on Ceradan.com.

*IQVIA HCP Recommendation Tracking for Moisturiser 2018, private dermatologists