The Effect of Lipids on the Skin
- In adults, stratum corneum, or the outermost layer of the skin, consists of 25 to 30 layers of flattened dead cells, called keratinocytes. The dead cells are regularly shed and replaced from below by the help of lipids molecules.
- Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory and pruritic skin disease often appearing on the face as patches of reddish and scaling skin. It occurs due to the breakdown of the skin stratum. Lipids secreted by stratum granulosa (one type of cell found in human skin) are intra-layered with the dead cells of the epidermis that help to restore the breakdown of the outer skin layer.
- Dry skin disorder can be caused by an impaired stratum corneum (SC) barrier function and is characterized by an increased trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), resulting in skin dehydration. The American Journal of Medicine claims that lipids could play an important role in the restoration of disturbed skin barrier function, including dry skin disorder.
- Lipids are a simple and effective way of fighting wrinkles. The July 12, 2009, issue of the Journal of Lipid Research revealed a new role of lipid molecules in protecting the skin against aging effects.
- Natural lipids contain a high level of nutrients that are essential for skin, such as essential fatty acids, phytosterols and vitamin E. Thus, lipids play a very important function in skin maintenance, sun damage, sun protection, eczema, and rosacea (i.e. skin disease of adults).
