A friend of mine has recently been touting the benefits of
face oils over regular cream moisturizers, and I’m wondering if
there is any truth to her ravings. If so, what kind of oils should
I be slathering on my face?
The bigger truth is that there are many ways to moisturize, and it
all comes down to personal preference. Oils, creams, ointments,
sprays, and roll-ons all vary as vehicles that carry the main
ingredients. When thinking about skincare products, there are
active ingredients and there are vehicles. Moisturizers are complex
combinations of occlusives, humectants, hydrocolloids, and
emollients. They block water from evaporating out of the skin, suck
water up into the top Gore-Tex-like layer of the stratum corneum,
seal the skin, and fill in the cracks. Face oils and regular cream
moisturizers are often a mixture of these categories, so as to
provide the best skin barrier. You don’t even have to understand
the basics about the skin’s anatomy to know that well-moisturized
skin is more beautiful and much healthier than dry skin. New face
oils are better at moisturizing than the baby oils of the past
because the blend of water-retaining ingredients is more advanced
than ever before. However, the occlusive components to face oils
offer about 50 percent efficacy against water loss from the skin,
compared to the 99 percent efficacy of petrolatum ointments. For
those of you who do not suffer from tight-feeling dry skin, that
may be perfect. I still prefer a silky, thick cream, or sometimes
even a greasy ointment, on my skin to an oil. Even so, for a nice
face oil, check its clarity and shine on your skin before you buy
it. Check that it has mineral, coconut, or vegetable oil of some
kind as the occlusive agent. Look for glycerin, too. Glycerin
reduces transepidermal water loss up to 30 percent, and it is a
humectant that draws water in. Other humectants are sorbitol,
propylene glycol, urea, sodium lactate, and vitamins. Soy and
oatmeal proteins may help, especially for dermatitis. If you want
to be totally up-to-date, take note that new water channels called
aquaporins have just been discovered in the skin. Aquaporins exist
in rest of the body and transport water in and out of cells. In the
skin, they also transport urea and glycerol. So when you pick up
that tantalizing bottle of face oil off the shelf, turn it around
and squint at that super-fine print. Scan the ingredients for the
key words “glycerol” and “urea,” plus a few choice ones listed
above.
Ellen
Marmur, M.D., is the Chief of Dermatologic and Cosmetic Surgery
at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. A skin cancer
survivor herself, Marmur specializes in skin cancer surgery,
cosmetic surgery, and women’s health dermatology. She recently
published Simple Skin Beauty, a book that focuses on how
to maintain the health and beauty of your skin at every stage of
life.
Photo: Jonathan Kantor/Getty Images
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