Why Stripping Fails & The Truth About Liquid Polymers
I woke up this morning, absolutely full of beans. I was going to get dressed, get ready and sit down and write my blog, which is actually a very favourite activity of mine. But we all know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men……needless to say, this didnt happen. The kitchen sink is always a little clogged and a little challenging. I decided to clear it out, but I got stuck trying to unscrew it, nicking my hands in the process. Seriously, there is nothing more dangerous to my mind than unskilled labour at a job, aka me in this instance. Much later, I finally sat down two hours after applying AYA Balm for the nicks to write my blog, but I hit a blank. How do I transition from blocked sinks to skin care, aside from the obvious focus challenge we all face in this overstimulating world?
Years ago, when I was still contemplating being a beautician, only to realise beauty school dropout vibe was more my thing, I was told by a magnificent natural skin specialist, the real deal, to always treat your skin with love and care, it's not the kitchen floor, and scrubbing is not the way to go. From that time, my mantra became " be gentle when washing your face because it's certainly not the kitchen floor”. But you know what is a lot like the kitchen floor? The challenge of a blocked kitchen sink, and this led me to think about skin, I dont even ask myself why anymore, and it hit me, clear as day, you know what it's like, a kitchen sink, your pores. And just as you don't want to throw rubbish down your drain and block it, you definitely don't want to throw rubbish on your skin and block your pores.
What Exactly is a Pore? The Essential Functions
In the simplest terms, a pore is a tiny opening on the surface of our skin. Essentially, they are small ducts or channels that connect the skin's surface to underlying glands. There are two types of pores on the human body, and they serve different and very essential functions.
First up are the sebaceous pores, aka hair follicles. They are the pores associated with sebaceous glands, and surprisingly, that is not why they are called sebaceous glands. They are named for the substance they produce: sebum (oil). There are only two parts of the body that don't have these, and that are the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. That's why we get dry hands and feet and need to smother them in AYA Balm or AYA cream.
Next up are the sweat pores (Eccrine Gland Ducts): These are the much smaller, less noticeable pores. They connect directly to the eccrine sweat glands. Generally, they receive a bad rap because we all think that they create our body odours, which leads people to apply excessive deodorants and perfumes all over themselves in an attempt to mask their natural smell. I won't get started on this, except to say that I have not, nor will I, use a synthetic fragrance since 2008, for very good reasons. The sweat pores are, in fact, responsible for thermoregulating, cooling the body. They produce a thin, watery, and odourless sweat.
Size and Location: Why T-Zones Clog
For clarity and not to get sidetracked, Apocrine glands are responsible for body odour, and they do not come out of the tiny, clear sweat pores. Instead, they release their sweat into the hair follicle, which exits onto the skin's surface via the larger sebaceous pore. And this is something I plan to write a blog about, because the reality is that everything about us and on this planet is here for a reason. Creating unhealthy, unrealistic, and at times dangerous habits, such as using synthetic scents to hide our imperfections, being smells, is not a good idea.
Let's talk about size. The human skin pore and the sebaceous pores are approximately 50 to 100 micrometres in diameter. To get an idea of how small pores are, they are actually smaller than a grain of sand, which ranges from 62.5 to 250 micrometres. Sweat pores are the smallest openings on the skin, typically measuring only 20 to 50 micrometres in diameter. They are too tiny to become visibly clogged or noticed in a mirror.
For skincare, obviously, the main focus of AYA Natural Skin is the sebaceous pore. Its primary job is to produce and secrete sebum. This sebum travels up the hair follicle to the skin's surface, where it forms a vital part of the acid mantle (the skin's protective barrier). The acid mantle and the skin microbiome share a highly interdependent relationship, forming the skin's primary chemical defence barrier. The role of sebum and the sebaceous gland is essential in maintaining the skin's hydration and protection.
Here is the crux: the sebaceous pores are not only the largest but also the most numerous in the T-zone (nose, forehead, chin), and it is these pores that can become clogged, leading to blackheads and breakouts.
The Flawed Conventional Methodology
The conventional methodology for treating the T-zone primarily focuses on aggressively stripping excess oil (sebum) and eliminating congestion to achieve a matte appearance. This approach typically involves the following: Cleansers formulated with strong detergents or sulfates that completely strip the skin's natural lipids; toners containing high concentrations of alcohol or astringents to shrink the appearance of pores instantly; Topical treatments, such as high-concentration Salicylic Acid (BHA) or Glycolic Acid (AHA), are used to dry out pimples aggressively.
While this method delivers immediate visual results, it often disrupts the acid mantle, leading to dehydration and causing the sebaceous glands to overcompensate by producing more oil, thereby perpetuating a cycle of oiliness and further irritation, ultimately affecting our skin's natural microbiome. Yip, you guessed it, this is not what we believe or espouse at AYA Natural Skin.
The "Clog" – What's Blocking the Drain?
To get back to the sink analogy that started this whole thought process, now that we know what a pore is, we need to take it a step further and understand what it is that blocks the sink, or should I say pores! We have written about why our natural skin's oiliness is not the issue; instead, we need to embrace it. However, when our skin is out of balance and starts to produce too much oil due to daily living, as we know it, then it becomes tricky. Next up, dead skin cells. Our skin is constantly shedding, and think of it like this: these cells are like the "food scraps" that get stuck in the grease. And to add to all of that, we have dirt, pollution, and comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredients from makeup or skincare, which we can think of as the "coffee grounds and rubbish" you'd never put in your drain.
Ultimately this is how we get clogged pores when this sticky "plug" of oil and skin cells forms, and if the plug is open to the air, it oxidizes and turns dark (a blackhead), if it's trapped under the skin, it stays white (a whitehead) and if the pore is constantly full, it can stretch, making it look larger. None of these being desirable situations.
And not to miss an opportunity of highlighting my absolute distaste for micro or liquid plastics in skin care, the use of them when talking about clogged pores is nuanced. While liquid polymers are generally considered non-comedogenic because their large molecules don't physically fit inside the sebaceous pore, they can indirectly contribute to congestion. These synthetic compounds form a persistent, occlusive film that sits over the pore opening, hindering the pore's essential breathing process and subsequent congestion, especially in skin prone to oiliness or breakouts. Moreover, the label 'non-comedogenic' does not exclude liquid polymers (such as Dimethicone) from formulations.
The AYA Natural Skin Philosophy (Our Clean Skin Solution)
This entire process proves that the conventional methodology of stripping the T-zone only perpetuates the cycle of oiliness and congestion. We believe oiliness is rarely the problem itself, but often a clear sign that the skin is dehydrated and out of balance, forcing the sebaceous glands to overproduce. The true solution lies in working with your pores: gently cleansing to loosen the debris, nourishing the acid mantle with vital lipids, and consciously avoiding occlusive liquid polymers that create the sticky trap. Our seed-to-skin ethos ensures that every product, from our protective AYA Balm to our light creams, respects your pores and supports your skin’s natural, optimal function. The goal is simple: balance your skin's own oil production, not eliminate it.