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The fundamentals of skin

What is the skin's structure?

The skin is our first major line of defence. It is the interface between external and internal environments. Any changes to either of these environments has a significant impact on the skin.

The skin has a huge responsibility to play from a health perspective but we tend to put a lot of pressure on it from an aesthetic perspective. The personal relationship we have with our skin and how it makes us feel also plays an important role.

Our modern day lifestyles also put our skin into a compromised state. For example, indoor living, poor diets and products made with harsh chemicals.

This is why at Emma Lewisham, we have the utmost reverence for the skin. From a formulation perspective our job is to try and restore the skin to its optimal state of health. We aren’t trying to manipulate it to do anything that it shouldn’t already do. Our products work in harmony with the skin to encourage it to act in the way it was designed to.

Structurally, the skin has two key layers. The base layer is called the dermis. This is where your skin’s physical structure comes from, it’s the scaffolding. It is where collagen and elastin live. The dermis is what gives strength and integrity to the skin and is the area we are looking at targeting when we do any wrinkle resistance work.

“From a formulation perspective our job is to try and restore the skin to its optimal state of health.”

On top of the dermis is the epidermis – this epidermis has four layers (apart from on your palms and soles which have five layers).

Skin cells are born on the bottom layer and as they move through their life stages they migrate to the surface. Throughout these life stages they change in structure, function and identity, which in turn creates the four layers. Each layer is a different cell life stage.

In the epidermis, cells called fibroblasts live – a selection of our products target these cells as they produce collagen and other structural and hydrating molecules.

Melanocytes live on the bottom layer of the epidermis, products like our Skin Reset Serum target these cells to reduce the production and presentation of hyperpigmentation.

The epidermis

Close up of the layers in the epidermis

“We believe the secret to unlocking your skin’s potential is having a deep understanding and reverence for the skin.”

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