The Skin pH Balance

The primary aspect of the skin is to protect the internal organs of the body from the external environment. So for this, the skin needs to be maintained in a pristine manner so that it is able to perform all its functions properly. The skin is made up of small pores which help in myriad ways. For instance, the pores allow the skin to breathe, thus reducing the workload on the lungs. Apart from this, there are a lot of sebaceous and sweat glands which secrete their oils through the skin pore. The mixture of all these oils makes up a pH value of the skin which is around 5.5. This is slightly higher than what is considered the perfect pH balance of 7.

The slightly acidic manner of the skin acts as a defense mechanism for the body from foreign materials. But this develops at a slightly older age which is why most children are susceptible to illnesses as compared to adults. The skin which is visible on children’s bodies has a value which is closer to the pH balance of 7. This is because of the absence of hair on the skin. When people hit puberty, the body begins to develop hair follicles on the skin which in turn leads to increased sebum and oil production. As a result, the skin begins to have a slightly acidic tinge to it and the value rises to 5.5.

The skin of people needs to be maintained at a slightly acidic level so that the body is able to ward off the bacterial attacks. But as we age, the skin loses it s acidic value and tends to have a more neutralized pH balance. One of the primary reasons for this is the excess use of commercially available soap. Most soap has a high alkaline value of around 9 which after prolonged use tends to change the pH value of the body. There are a lot of disadvantages of using soap which is alkaline content. This tends to dry the skin as well, thus speeding up the ageing process. As an alternate, people can make use of herbal products in lieu of soap which will help them to maintain the original pH balance of the skin, thus reducing being prone to bacteria.

There is another factor which has a profound effect on the skin’s pH balance. The presence of micro-flora on the skin tends to break down the fatty acids of the body which results in the acidic pH value. So to avoid this, you should use only natural soap and other products which will help the skin to maintain a pH balance. It is always better to opt for products that have their base ingredients as natural herbs as there are no side-effects as well.