Written by: Ninka Baprawska
Skin is the largest organ in the human body. Its primary function is to keep us protected from the outside world, and it continually needs our attention in the form of a healthy lifestyle. Giving our skin a helping hand will result in supple and youthful skin for years to come.
During winter, you may experience excessive dryness, which causes the skin to lose its vitality, and frankly, is uncomfortable. To keep your skin feeling happy and supple all season long, you should incorporate a cream with Ceramides into your arsenal.
What are Ceramides?
Ceramides are lipids, naturally produced by our skin, and reside in the outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum (the layer of skin we see). Ceramides are the main component of the intercellular lipids between skin cells, which gives them a crucial role in the well-being of the skin.
What do ceramides do?
Ceramides protect our skin from water loss and environmental aggressors.
Imagine the skin as a wall with beautifully arranged bricks (skin cells). Ceramides consist of 40-50% of the brick holding material. The remaining “glue” is made up of cholesterol and fatty acids, forming the so-called intercellular cement, which is the water-lipid barrier of the skin.
Why do we need a topical ceramide cream?
During winter, our skin faces low humidity, colder weather, and heated homes, which often leave our skin feeling dry, rough, and irritated. Those conditions mean the barrier of your skin is compromised, and your skin has a hard time retaining moisture. Protecting your skin’s barrier is crucial, and ceramides are scientifically proven to strengthen and replenish the skin with hydration.
Not only climate influences the natural ceramides in our skin
Aggressive improper daily skincare, hot water, aging processes, UV rays, topicals, and systemic medications deplete the skin of natural ceramides, which leads to a weakened barrier. The skin cells in the outermost layer of our skin play a significant role in communicating with skin cells in deeper layers. When skin becomes depleted of ceramides in the outermost layer, it affects the appearance of our skin, but it also prevents our skin from functioning well in deeper layers.
What skin types benefit from ceramide cream?
Everyone’s skin needs a well-functioning barrier, meaning our skin needs to be able to retain hydration to be healthy. In fact, without the right ratio of ceramides, the skin’s barrier becomes impaired, causing dryness, irritation, and an itching sensation. These conditions may happen to all skin types, even acne-prone. Anyone suffering from dry-irritated skin due to any of the above circumstances must reach out for ceramide cream.
Ceramides for anti-aging
With age and the affects of stress, adverse external factors (environmental pollution, free radicals, UV rays), the number of ceramides in the skin decreases. The decrease of ceramides also happens during hormonal changes in women during menopause. Damage to the skin and reduction of lipids cause an increase in water loss, which gives adverse effects on the overall condition of the skin.
When the epidermis lacks ceramides, it becomes thinner and less elastic, causing signs of aging to become more pronounced. Regular use of a ceramide cream AM and PM, will supply your skin with necessary hydration, boosting your skin’s firmness, elasticity, and smoothness.
My favorite skincare with Ceramides
Over the years, many studies have supported the effectiveness of ceramides, and now more than ever, there are numerous products on the skincare market, which alleviate dryness and bring comfort to your skin from head to toe. Below are my favorite medical grade and aesthetician approved skincare products formulated with ceramides.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Soap Free Cleanser (foaming cleanser) $14.99
La Roche-Posay Hydrating Gentle Soap Free Cleanser (milky cleanser) $14.99
PCA Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum $115
SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore $128
SkinMedica Replenish Hydrating Cream $66
EltaMD Barrier Renewal Complex $50
EltaMD Moisture-Rich Body Creme $27
CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream $10.99
Ninka Baprawska (@ninkabskin)
Licensed Aesthetician
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