Skincare – Page 2 – My 52 Week Project

Skincare Ingredients – Humectants

I know I’m ahead of schedule, but I was just too excited. Time to start looking more into the primary ingredients in the skincare world. First and foremost, I wanted to start with ingredients focused on moisturizing your skin, but I’m now updating this post because as I went through things, I realized there areContinue reading “Skincare Ingredients – Humectants”

Hyperpigmentation

When some patches of skin are darker than others, this is referred to as hyperpigmentation. It happens when melanin deposits occur in excess in certain spots in the skin Age or “liver spots” occur due to sun damage. These tend to get darker with more exposure to the sun to help protect skin from overexposureContinue reading “Hyperpigmentation”

Acne and Pimples

Each pore in your skin contains a hair follicle and sebaceous gland. Long story short, acne and pimples happen when your sebaceous glands become plugged up. Blockages occur when your skin is producing too much oil, dead skin accumulates in your pores, or you have a bacteria build-up in your pores. This generally happens inContinue reading “Acne and Pimples”

Aging Skin

Now that I’ve got a baseline of skin research under my belt, I want to start understanding what’s really going on with different skin conditions. Fighting aging seems to be where most of my skin-care budget goes, so I thought I’d start here. So what’s going on when our skin ages? As collagen production dropsContinue reading “Aging Skin”

Skin Appendages and the Subcutaneous Layer

There are several appendages located in the dermal layer of the skin: Sweat glands: Specifically, Eccrine glads. The glands create sweat which helps to cool off the body as it evaporates Sebaceous glads: Glands found all over the body secreting sebum into hair follicles. Sebum is an oily substance which acts as an bactericidal andContinue reading “Skin Appendages and the Subcutaneous Layer”

Dermis

Under the epidermis is the dermis, the thickest layer of your skin. It’s what provides strength and flexibility to your skin. It also the origin point of a lot of your skin appendages, such as nerve endings, sweat glands, and hair follicles (next post). Interestingly, most of the body’s water is stored in the dermis.Continue reading “Dermis”

Epidermis

Let’s start at the top. The Epidermis is comprised of the outermost layers of your skin, and provides the first line of defense. The most common cell type in the epidermis are keratinocytes. These cells are our protectors, protecting against infections, UV light. They’re produced in the deepest layer of the epidermis (the basal layer),Continue reading “Epidermis”

Start with a Plan

So, a few years ago, I decided that I didn’t like New Year’s resolutions. I just decided that if I wanted to improve myself, I should be doing it year-round. However, I like the idea of a fresh start, and I really like “projects”, so I decided to start doing in depth, frivolous, research projects.Continue reading “Start with a Plan”