Q. I am in my early forties and have been using soap and water to cleanse my skin for a few years now. I have read that this is not a good option and have noticed my skin has become drier lately. Why is using soap so bad for your skin and could this dryness be because of this soap use?
A. Thank you so much for asking this question you have hit upon a very raw nerve with me as a skin therapist. When people say to me ‘I just wash my face with soap and water’ it’s a bit like me saying to a football fan ‘It’s only a game’.
To explain this to you properly I’m going to have to take you, momentarily, back to your chemistry lessons and talk the Ph scale.
Now you see our skin has a naturally acidic Ph and contrary to popular belief this is anything between 4.5 and 5.5. The reason for this is to maintain a protective environment against harmful bacterial invasion and to keep the lipids in the skin balanced and well equipped to transfer the nutrients and toxins in and out of your skins cells.
Any soap, even those with ‘a ¼ moisturising cream’, as the familiar ads say or ones that claim to be gentle enough to ‘use on a babies skin’ will have alkaline properties with the Ph typically being around 10/11!
This will instantly raise the natural Ph of your skin and therefore make it a perfect breeding ground for bad bacteria to attack resulting in infections and spotty outbreaks. The skin will rapidly lose water and lipid (fat) content and may show signs of dryness, this being a combination of visible dry, flaky patches and a ‘tight’ feeling to the skin after washing making you feel desperate to reach for your moisturiser.
All of this will lead to a skin that is unbalanced and that may be more susceptible to reacting to products, changes in climates or just touch. The skin will ultimately age quicker and will undoubtedly encounter problems.
If you like to use water on your skin, as I do, then opt for a Ph balanced cleansing wash. I love and recommend MD Formulations, £24.00 wwww.u-treatments.co.uk, facial cleanser which can be used with water and give you the regenerating properties of Glycolic acid a fruit acid derived from sugar cane.
If you would like a skin health programme tailored to nurture your skin back to health then call me Louise on 07810 872 633 or email: enquiries@u-treatments.co.uk
www.u-treatments.co.uk
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