Interesting Facts - pH

pH is a value that is often seen on products but what does pH mean?




pH is important in medicine, biology, chemistry, food science, environmental science. oceanography and many others

pH is a measure of acidity or basicity (alkalinity) of a solution and is a mathematical equation of the actiivity of dissolved hydrogen in that solution.

The concept of the pH scale was first introduced by a a Danish chemist in 1909 and although the H obviously stands for hydrogen there is argument as to what the p stands for.

It was first suggested that the p stood for power of hydrogen but more recently it has been known as potential hydrogen.

The pH scale measures how acidic or Basic (alkaline) the substance is with 7 being neutral , less than 7 acidic and more than 7 basic.

Each whole pH value below 7 is ten times more acidic than the next higher value eg pH 4 is ten times more acidic than pH5 and 100 times more acidic than pH6. This same principle applies above pH 7 with each value being ten times more than the next lower value eg pH 10 is 10 times more alkaline than pH 9 and 100 times more than ph 8.

This explains the damage that can be done with skin care that uses low level acids in their formula as well as the use of washes/soaps in the alkaline level.

Pure water is neutral but when chemicals are mixed with water then the mixture can become either acidic or alkaline unless stability is built into the formula.

Our particular interst of course is in skin care as we know that healthy skin has a pH of 5.5 but lets look at some interesting facts.

pH in Nature
The Soil ph can be very crucial in the type of plants that we should plant in our garden. How many have actually seen that some hydrangeas are blue while others are pink?

The pH of seawater is very important and matches the ph of our bodily fluids - a good reason to go to the beach, as swimming in the sea results in the exchange of vitamins and minerals with our body by osmosis - no vasodilator needed here.

Living Systems

The ph of different cellular compartments, body fluids and organs is regulated in a process called acid-base homeostasis

The pH of blood is slightly alkaline with a pH of 7.4 (the physiological pH )

Plaque can create an acidic environment that can result in tooth decay.

Acid overload of the body (acidosis ), ther most common form of acid based homeostasis is generally present when the pH falls below 7.35.

Alkaline foods are therfore much better for you.

Symptoms of Acidosis are headaches, sleepiness,muscular weakness, shortness of breath, coughing, nausea, gastic and vomiting.

SKIN AND HAIR CHART

This is a copy of the poster that goes with me to every Dermatology conference.

It is always a sigh of relief to see it still on the wall each day of the conference as so many of the dermatologists have coveted it.

Unfortunately this one is not in colour

Renewing Skin Cells

Recently there has been a lot of controversy in the dermatological world about the dangers of forced exfoliation of the skin.

The recommendation now is for little or no exfoliation, leaving nature to remove any unwanted cells from the epidermis.

Renewing of the cells occurs through exfoliation and the removal of this outer layer stimulates the production of new cells in the lower germinative area of the epidermis.

Our skin cells take 28 days to develop from the dermis to the last layer of the epidermis - the stratum Corneum- or commonly called the horny layer.

Young skin exfoliates frequently but as we get older the natural process takes longer and may require a little encouragement by way of a gentle rub with a soft cloth during the cleansing process.

The use of a stable skin wash that matches the pH 5.5 of healthy skin such as Sebamed followed by a moisturiser which also matches the skins pH helps in this process.

This ensures that the protective factor " the acid mantle" if displaced in the process is immediately replaced.

The "Acid Mantle" delivers our skin's waterproofing effectively protecting it from bacteria, the environment and free radicals. It is the single most important aspect in maintaining the health of the skin.

The practice however of frequent exfoliation as recommended by the beauty industry sends the skin layers into constant cell division.

Fibroblasts responsible for collagen and elastin reproduction which form a sound foundation for the skin can reproduce around 50 times , a limit set by our own bodies.

Technically this is called the"hayflick limit" and when a cell gets to this stage it becomes useless and unable to divide. Skin with lots of cells at this stage become wrinkled, sensitive and blotchy.

http://www.sebamed.com/