How to Get Balanced Skin
Saturday, April 16, 2011
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Most of us devote a lot of energy to the pursuit of balance: attempting to equalize time spent at work versus having a life; being present for families, friends, and bosses; trying not to fall over mid-side-plank in yoga class. When it comes to our skin, however, it’s probably not something we pay a lot of attention to. For example, how many of us know what “pH Balanced”—a marketing slogan skin-care companies have used for decades—really means? The definition itself doesn’t help much: pH stands for “potential of hydrogen”—that is, the measure of hydrogen ion concentration in a substance. The scale, devised by a Danish chemist in the early 1900s, ranges from 0, which is the most highly acidic (e.g., battery acid), to 14, which is the most alkaline (e.g., drain cleaner). Seven, the pH of water, is neutral. The human body maintains such a specific balance between acidity and alkalinity that an off-kilter pH might be connected to a host of unhealthy woes, ranging from dry, rapidly aging skin to acne, inflammation, and, some argue, fatigue, weight gain, and susceptibility to disease. Supporting this notion, an array of diets and topical products has sprung up, promising to restore that mysterious and oh-so-delicate balance.
Externally, pH plays a fundamental role in the skin’s barrier, called the acid mantle, which is formed by secretions from sweat and sebaceous glands as well as the breakdown of fatty acids by beneficial microflora. This barrier functions like an invisible veil that keeps the good stuff (lipids, moisture) in and the bad stuff (pollution, bacteria) out. As the name indicates, the acid mantle is at its strongest—and therefore most naturally balanced—when the skin is slightly acidic, with an optimum pH of about 5.5. “You need some acidity to inhibit bacterial growth on the skin,” says dermatologist (and director of the New York Institute of Aesthetic Dermatology and Laser Surgery) Howard Sobel, MD, “which is why skin that’s too alkaline may, for example, be more susceptible to acne.”
Alkalinity might also play a role in aging. A study published in British Journal of Dermatology by Greg Hillebrand, PhD, of P&G Beauty Science showed that women with an alkaline stratum corneum (the skin’s outermost layer) developed more fine lines and crow’s-feet than those with acidic skin over an eight-year period. This might be in part because an alkaline epidermis tends to be drier and more brittle than an acidic one, and those with hydrated skin showed a 50 percent lower rate of wrinkling than those with dry skin, but there are other elements in play. “If the acid mantle is not intact,” says dermatologist Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, MD, PhD, “this can predispose skin to inflammation and enzymatic activity that can, in turn, speed aging.” Additionally, “alkaline skin is more susceptible to sun damage because its protective barrier has been weakened,” Sobel says.
How can we ensure that our skin is tipping the scale toward natural acidity? pH isn’t readily measurable—though the truly dedicated can purchase kits that use saliva tests to ascertain levels—but it’s pretty easy to tell when it’s out of whack. “Skin with a balanced pH appears healthier, is slightly moist, looks plumper, and has a healthy glow,” Sobel says, whereas skin that’s too alkaline “may be acne-prone, dry, or excessively oily.” In other words, if you have a persistent skin problem, from zits to dermatitis, an upset pH could be to blame.
The chief culprit in raising alkalinity sounds perfectly innocent: washing skin with soap and water. “Soaps are very alkaline,” Sobel says, “so using them can increase skin alkalinity above its natural levels.” Traditional bars can have a pH of up to 9, leaving an alkaline residue on the skin that renders it dry and vulnerable to damage. That tight feeling you get after washing your face with hotel-issue hand soap, for example? Not a good thing.
Thankfully, excessive alkalinity can be easily addressed. First of all, drop the soap and switch to a cleanser (foaming is generally considered best for acne-prone skin, non-foaming or milky for dry skin) that won’t strip away the skin’s natural oils. There are also, Sobel says, “several effective treatments that can help the skin be more acidic, such as glycolic peels, which have an exfoliating effect.” Manhattan dermatologist Dennis Gross, MD, says peels can help regulate pH but can be too acidic; to that end, his own home peel line includes a second neutralizing step.
Somewhat paradoxically, while an acidic pH is optimum for the epidermis, the body’s internal pH should be mildly alkaline. Blood needs to maintain a narrow pH margin of between 7.35 and 7.45 for cells to function properly—including those in the dermis, or inner layer of skin, which are most robust with an alkaline pH of 7.35. Although dermatologists and nutritionists generally agree that anything applied topically is unlikely to affect the body’s internal pH, and the pH properties of foods you ingest won’t directly result in corresponding alkaline or acidic skin, many experts argue nonetheless that there is a connection.An overly acidic epidermal pH, while less common than skin that has become too alkaline, can result from too strong (or too frequent) peels, manifesting itself in a sensitive, irritation-prone complexion. The good news? When you’re using the right products, the skin’s barrier will always return to its natural, pH-balanced happy place.
Microbiologist Robert O. Young, PhD, coauthor of The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health, posits that resetting the body by consuming primarily alkalinizing green vegetables over several weeks will aid digestion, boost immunity (he cites studies suggesting that many degenerative diseases, from arthritis to cancer, are caused by excess acid in the cells), and improve skin. His ultrarestrictive program bans acid-forming villains such as sugar, dairy, meat, processed grains, yeast, alcohol, caffeine, and sweet fruits (lemons, limes, and grapefruits turn alkaline when metabolized) and relies heavily on antioxidant-rich goodies such as broccoli, carrots, avocados, and tomatoes. Organic Avenue, a boutique juice shop in New York, recently introduced an alkalinity-boosting cleanse that Young developed, the juice-based LOVEyoung. It has received the stamp of approval from health nut Gwyneth Paltrow, and pH-regulation retreats based on the principles of The pH Miracle are proliferating at upscale spas. “Your skin is a reflection of what’s going on inside your body,” Young says. “To have supple, wrinkle-free skin, you need a slightly alkaline internal environment. If your diet is too acidic, your skin isn’t going to be healthy because your cells aren’t getting adequate minerals and oxygen.”
Dermatologist Jeannette Graf, MD, author of Stop Aging, Start Living: The Revolutionary 2-Week pH Diet (first published in 2008), developed her program after reading a landmark early-twentieth-century study by German biochemist Otto Warburg that proved that cancer cells proliferated when grown in an acidic, low-oxygen medium but couldn’t grow in an alkaline, high-oxygen environment. “That pretty much hit me in the head,” she says, “and the more I researched, the more I saw just how harmful having excess acid in the body can be. Even bone loss is associated with it. When you have an overwhelming amount of acid bombarding your system, you need minerals to neutralize it—and if you’re not getting minerals from food, your body is going to pull them from the nearest rich source, which is the bones.” As for skin, her book counts gauntness (from calcium loss), sagging (from reduced blood flow and collagen growth), acne, and eczema among the unpretty consequences of having an acidic pH at the basal-cell level within the body.
Graf takes a more moderate approach than Young, recommending daily alkalinizing “cocktails” (health-food-store green powders containing superfoods such as spirulina and kale, mixed with fiber) combined with a high intake of fresh fruits and veggies. While an occasional burger or hunk of Brie isn’t verboten (“It’s human,” she says. “You’re probably going to drink coffee and alcohol too, and that’s okay. You just have to balance it all out”), soft drinks—which typically contain 30 to 62 milligrams of pH-balance-capsizing phosphoric acid—top her avoid-at-all-costs list.
Like Young, Graf approves of the use of vegetable-based juice cleanses to kick-start the change over to a more alkaline diet: Indeed, while such cleanses are popular for detoxification and weight loss, they’re also restoring alkalinity to the cells. “Even if you have only one day when you’re doing nothing but drinking green juice and lots of water, your pH will go up,” she says. “If you take mineral supplements and eat salads every day, your pH will go up.” Graf recommends using the aforementioned saliva pH–testing strips periodically to check that your levels don’t stray from between 7 and 7.5—but there’s no need to obsess. “Your barometer should just be feeling good and looking good. When you’ve hit the right pH balance, you’ll know.”
source: elle.com
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