Understanding The Layers Of Your Skin

When selecting products for our skincare routine, it can be hard to initially understand why there are so many different products for different areas of the face and body.

You might daydream of one magical product that can do it all, or fantasise about using your body moisturiser for your face.

This is why you shouldn't.

To put it as simply as possible, various areas of your skin differ in thickness. Imagine the skin on your face as being paper, your body cardboard, and your eye area delicate tissue paper. Applying a rich, emollient body lotion to your eye area would be too much for it to handle. 

Body lotions are usually formulated with thicker emollients, nourishing enough to keep your knees and elbows smooth, but too rich to apply to your face.

Face serums and moisturisers, on the other hand, cater to the common needs of our facial skin. The formulations of these products are designed to penetrate into the epidermis and even the dermis to create a visible change in our skin structure, helping treat skin concerns such as ageing, dull skin tone, and acne. 

While facial products call for gentler, thinner formulas, they also contain active ingredients that target many face-specific skin concerns such as ageing, texture and brightness. 

Then there’s the most delicate area of all, our eyes! Eye serums and creams are designed to cater to the most delicate area of all. In the same way that facial products use active ingredients, so do eye products. Eye serums and creams are more important than ever as it is the most common area for our first signs of ageing.

So what’s the difference between serums and moisturisers/creams?

This is where we go a step deeper. 

To put it simply, the difference is in the concentration of the ingredients. Serums are generally more concentrated and contain smaller molecules that can penetrate deeper into the skin. Creams are richer, primarily focused on moisturising the outer layer of the skin and providing protection. It’s like the difference between liqueur and a cocktail.

What are the layers of the skin?

Epidermis - The epidermis consists of 5 layers and is the skin that we can physically see. The outermost layer, the stratum corneum, is the strong physical barrier and our first line of defence against external aggressors. It is in the epidermis where our cells turnover and “age”. As we get older, this cellular action slows down, resulting in visible signs of ageing. 

Dermis - The dermis is where the magic happens! This is where we find structure in our skin. Collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, along with capillaries, keep our skin in place and provide elasticity, flexibility and volume. It’s also the layer in which hair follicles reside. 

Hypodermis - The Hypodermis (or the subcutaneous tissue) is the innermost layer of the skin and is mainly made up of fat cells. This is where our skin gets its cushioning and regulates the body’s temperature. It is an important part of the skin as it protects us from the cold and gives us protection from knocks or falls. 

So what should I be using in my skincare routine? 

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend using the following, from top to bottom:

AM

Cleanser

Eye Serum

Facial Serum

Moisturiser/SPF

PM

Cleanser

Eye Serum

Facial Serum (this may be different from your day serum)

Moisturiser (or Night Cream)

 

Now that you’re well-versed in the different layers and areas of the skin, you may be thinking about your own at home skin care routine. 

If you’d like to discuss what products would be best for your skin and how to use them, feel free to contact us here and chat with one of our experienced professionals.