Cara Ho

We know what it is to be fit, so why don’t we approach our skin the same way? The skin has metabolic processes just like the rest of our body. It produces ATP via the mitochondria cell just like when we speak of fitness.

Yet somehow, along the way, the skin has almost become its own entity, an organ that somehow operates in isolation from our other bodily processes. We seek and sometimes even obsess over the pursuit of a flawless complexion with complete disregard of the fact skin, like your heart and liver is an organ and to this point, a very important one. It is not a piece of wood that you can keep sanding back every time it looks a bit worn.

Over the past decade, the cosmetic industry has been rife with resurfacing therapies like fraxel laser and cosmeceutical brands with their endless amounts of AHA’s, BHA, and Retinol putting the consumer, who feels, they are doing the right thing by their skin in a case of Skin-orexia; the pursuit of perfect skin leading to the internal starvation of skin. To the untrained eye a translucent complexion may look like healthy skin, however, if this is not, because you are, genetically blessed and is the result of multiple rigorous resurfacing dermal treatments in combination with overuse of active products, then yes, there is every chance your skin is suffering Skin-orexia. Our skin is made up of hills and valleys of living and non-living tissue. Our epidermal-dermal junction, where our top skin layers adhere to our bottom layers of skin are called rete pegs. Over resurfacing of the skin result in these rete pegs being dramatically flattened which is not a positive. Furthermore, cells are constantly being ‘born’ and dividing, that is cell division, and every time this process happens our telomeres on our DNA which are like the clear caps on your shoelaces, shorten. This is the process of ageing. What we essentially want to achieve is to have our skin internally functioning as younger skin, therefore having a skin bio-age younger than our chronological age.

So how do we look after our skin and have a clear and radiant complexion without long-term damage? The answer is progressive, not aggressive. Select dermal therapies that promote rebuilding the skin and providing it with the internal environment that it operates optimally at – the skin knows what to do you just need to give it the right nutrition and workout. Use AHA’s, BHA, and retinol in moderation and when you finish a bottle of product don’t just go online and buy the same one book into your dermal clinician or skin therapist for a skin review.