Understanding Corneotherapy

SIHA founder, Laura Roodhouse explains; ‘Corneotherapy is naturopathy for the skin.’ 

Naturopathy is defined as a healthcare system that emphasizes the body's inherent ability to heal itself using natural therapies. It focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of illness, rather than just treating symptoms, while considering the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Like Naturopathy, the methodology of corneotherapy is to treat the root issue of the skin concern, not just the symptoms. 

Corneotherapy can be considered the skin care methodology for the progressive skin care practitioner who wants to deliver genuine, long-term results for their clients and patients.

The basis of Corneotherapy is protecting the integrity of our skin's 3 barrier defence systems: skin microbiome, the acid mantle and the stratum corneum.

Skin Microbiome

The first line of barrier defence is the skin microbiome. This plays an important role in maintaining correct skin pH which can actively repel and kill pathogens, and it’s vital in wound healing. 

In our modern lives, with environmental stressors and so many skincare trends and misused ingredients, skincare products can have a detrimental effect on our skin's microbiome, due to upsetting the skin pH, triggering an inflammatory response. It is no wonder inflammatory skin conditions are so prevalent.

The Acid Mantle

The second line of skin barrier defence is the acid mantle. This is a protective layer that protects the skin from the external environment as well as Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL). It also slows down the absorption of actives into the skin which help to avoid inflammatory responses. A healthy acid mantle is directly tied to your Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) levels. When hydrated, and your skin has enough EFA, your skin cells will look like juicy grapes, as they break down the fats will create a layer on top of the skin (much like oil does on top of water) and it prevents the water leaving the skin. If not sufficiently hydrated and EFA-deficient, then our skin cells will resemble sultanas. This means that cells will have gaps in between them, and without enough fats to provide that nourishing fatty layer at the top of the skin you will likely experience TEWL, and your barrier will be impaired for pathogens to enter.

Stratum Corneum

The third line of defence is the Stratum Corneum – the collection of corneocytes, ideally sitting flat and overlapping each other to create an intact barrier for the body. The Stratum Corneum is the house for the acid mantle and microbiome. It needs to remain attached to the skin (i.e. not be removed, exfoliated, or abused) in order to keep the skin balanced, maintain cell communication and protect against inflammation.

In a healthy stratum corneum, the corneocytes (skin cells) are naturally desquamated by Stratum Corneum Chymotryptic Enzymes (SCCE’s) an enzyme which breaks down the bonds between cells and allow them to naturally release from the skin's surface. In other words; no need for exfoliating.

In order for cells to be healthy when they reach the stratum corneum they need to develop correctly, meaning that you want the DNA of the cell to be healthy. Corneotherapy works to repair the skin's barrier functions, replenish the intracellular (inside cells) and extracellular (outside cells) environments and regenerate epidermal and dermal function.

With this methodology, we can approach remedial skin treatments and skincare at SIHA with our core approach being the repair and maintenance of the skin barrier defence systems. In other words, aim to keep the epidermis intact, protected and healthy at all times, with active skincare working from the outer layers of the epidermis inward. This approach of retaining the integrity of the epidermis ensures the skins defence systems are not compromised unnecessarily.

To summarise for those skim-reading; There are two pillars of Corneotherapy. 1) thorough investigation into the causes of skin conditions and 2) not simply treating the symptoms with repeated application of skincare that may contradict or further compromise the barrier, but looking to a holistic approach to skin health and the integrity of our skin’s 3 barrier defence systems. 

Questions? Leave a comment below or DM us, or book in a 1:1 skin consultation with SIHA’s resident corneotherapist.