The Stratum Corneum is the outer most part of our skin, made up of approximately 20 to 30 layers of dead, but not inactive, cells. Unfortunately, this layer hasn’t been very well understood until quite recently and so in an effort to ‘freshen’ our skin, we often remove it.
But this practise of over exfoliation has now come under question because it has been discovered that this layer is responsible for keeping our skin beautiful.
So what does this part of our skin do for us? Essentially it protects the delicate skin cells beneath from prematurely ageing, it helps our skin hold on to precious moisture and it also talks to us!
Yes, you read correctly, this so-called dead layer is capable of communicating with the lower live cells in your skin. It tells these deeper layers what is happening at the surface, what the weather’s doing (humidity levels), whether we need to be prepared for attack (bacteria and allergens), what supplies it requires and if it is in good working order or not.
This is an important part of your skin being able to adjust its response to protect itself from the ageing effects of the environment. So we really need it to be present in order to keep our skin looking good now and in the future. Think about this next time you are tempted to scrub it off and rinse it down the bathroom sink.