The negative effects of modern skincare iol.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iol.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Esse skincare: Take a walk on the wild side georgeherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from georgeherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pollution. Over-cleansing. Too much time indoors. Modern life wreaks havoc on our skin’s microbiome, the ecosystem of microbes that’s crucial for healthy, youthful skin.
‘Your microbiome is your skin’s invisible armour,’ explains Trevor Steyn, biochemist and founder of Esse Skincare UK. ‘It is critical for skin health in much the same way as your gut microbiome is important for intestinal health. A balanced skin microbiome keeps the skin’s immune system in check and reduces sensitivity.’
Normally, our skin microbes like nothing better than to be left to their own devices to feed on natural oils in our ‘acid mantle’, the upper layer of skin that forms a barrier against the outside world.
The green-fingered among you will have already heard about rewilding. A conservation term used to describe efforts to restore nature (and all of its ecosystems) to the point where it takes care of itself, it has yielded great results in the battle to increase biodiversity and reduce the impact of climate change. But forget whatâs outside, today weâre talking about rewilding your skin, a technique thatâs as good for your face as its conservation counterpart can be for the environment.
Rewilding the skin is all about fostering the skinâs microbiota (which make up the microbiome), the millions of powerful bacteria that protect and nourish our skin. âFor the last two million years, humans have been in intimate contact with nature,â explains Trevor Steyn, founder of live probiotic skincare brand Esse. âBy living in such a way, a large number of very diverse microbes come into contact with skin all day every day. If you look at hunter-gatherer communitie