The skin is often described as the largest organ of the body. It looks like a thin covering over the face and hands, but it carries several roles at once: a barrier against external irritation, the regulation of body temperature, the reception of touch.
In July, the hands are washed many times a day, they sweat, they sit in the draught of an air conditioner, they catch the sun. If there is a time to think about the skin of the hands, it is now, and two terms are worth understanding first: the skin barrier, and turnover. Both sit at the foundation of hand beauty.
This article explains the two in general terms, sets out why the hands lose their barrier more easily than the face, and describes the habits that protect it.
The stratum corneum as a barrier
The thin outermost layer of the skin is called the stratum corneum. It prevents the water inside from evaporating and keeps irritants and foreign matter from entering. A layer of almost no thickness guards the boundary between inside and out.
When the stratum corneum is well moisturised, the texture of the skin is even, it has a certain transparency, and the hands look fresh and firm. When it dries out, the texture becomes uneven, the transparency is lost, and the hands look older. Visible beauty and the work of the barrier are supported by the very same layer.
What keeps the stratum corneum moist is the balance between the water it holds and the sebum film that covers it. This relationship is what Soie means by the balance of water and lipids.
Turnover: the cycle of renewal
Healthy skin renews itself on a steady cycle. This is called turnover. The older stratum corneum sheds naturally while a fresh layer is composed beneath it. Healthy skin on the hands is skin in which this cycle is in order: clean, and comfortably, moderately moist.
A frank word here about what cosmetics do. A cosmetic product can replenish lost moisture, prevent dryness and keep the skin healthy. Soie does not promise to speed turnover or alter its cycle. What we address is the outermost layer: giving the stratum corneum moisture and leaving it smooth.
Why the hands lose their barrier so easily
Compare the face with the hands, and the hands meet every condition for a disturbed barrier.
- They are washed far more often. The hands are washed many more times a day than the face. Each wash removes the sebum film and upsets the balance of water and lipids. Hot water and harsh soaps add to the burden.
- They are constantly rubbed. Drying with a towel, gripping objects, turning pages. The skin on the back of the hand is thin, and friction itself is a strain on the stratum corneum.
- They are exposed to dry air and sun. The backs of the hands have little sebum and are never covered by clothing, so they take dry air, air conditioning and ultraviolet light directly. UV is considered a cause of dryness and dullness.
- Wet work and detergents. Hot water, detergent and soil dry the skin, and staying wet for long periods is a strain in itself.
None of these can be removed from daily life. That is precisely why the foundation of hand beauty is to keep replenishing the moisture that is lost.
It also explains a common experience: a face that is perfectly comfortable through the day while the hands feel tight by evening. The two are the same skin, but the hands have been washed perhaps ten times more often and have met far more friction and sun. The barrier of the hands is not weaker by nature; it is simply asked to do more, with less help.
Habits that protect the barrier
Protecting the barrier does not mean sealing the hands away. It means reducing the burdens that can be reduced and replacing what the unavoidable ones remove.
The protective habits are nothing unusual. Wash well, moisturise immediately afterwards, and protect during the day. Repeat these three at the natural turning points of the day.
- Use lukewarm water and a soap that is not harshly cleansing, and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with a towel rather than rubbing, leaving no drops behind.
- Immediately after washing, smooth a hand serum from the backs of the hands to the fingertips and around the nails. The minutes after washing or wet work are when moisture is lost most easily, so do not leave a gap.
- During the day, apply sunscreen to the backs of the hands and reapply roughly every two hours outdoors. Wear gloves for wet work.
Ceramides are known as moisturising ingredients that support the work of the sebum film in holding water within the stratum corneum. When the barrier is a concern, choosing products that contain moisturising ingredients such as ceramides is generally recommended.
If redness or itching persists, or if an area does not change however much you moisturise, do not rely on your own judgement; consult a dermatologist. What cosmetics look after is the daily keeping of healthy skin. The basics are gathered in our hand beauty guide, and questions about the skin in our hand beauty Q&A.
Soie's view
Starting from the fact that the hands are washed far more often than the face and lose their barrier easily, Soie (pronounced swah; French for silk) has always proposed washing and moisturising as a single habit. A soap that moisturises with every wash eases the strain on the sebum film, and a hand serum containing five ceramides and peptides (moisturising ingredients) gives moisture to the stratum corneum.
Protect the thin layer of the stratum corneum a little every day. The beauty of the hands, we believe, appears on top of that accumulation.
