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Myally is The Force: life creates it, and makes it grow, its energy surrounds us all and unites us, luminous beings we are, it is not raw matter. You must feel The Force around you, here, between you and me, and the tree and the rock, even between the earth and the ship." Words, those of Master Yoda to a still profane Luke Skywalker in 'The Empire Strikes Back', which define an entity that, in one way or another, unites living beings and connects them.

Something about La Fuerza, because it is a whole that interacts with the skin at different levels, could remind us of what José Ginestar, a Valencian pharmacy graduate who is the scientific director of the luxury cosmetics brand Sisley, is investigating today. For 40 years, the firm has studied "a new vision of cutaneous ecology, incorporating a new definition of the skin that includes the microbiota, the fourth layer of the skin (above the dermis): a balanced system of microorganisms in symbiosis with the cells that make up the cutaneous flora", explains Ginestar.

The 'Strength' of our skin

The essential task of this cutaneous microbiota is to "limit the proliferation of harmful bacteria and promote the development of beneficial bacteria for an optimal skin balance that ensures a correct barrier function of the skin, which activates it as the first shield of the organism, and exerts natural immunity, so that it is able to defend itself", clarifies Ginestar.

As a result of these investigations, José Ginestar and the Sisley teams have reformulated the star product of the house -a bottle is sold every five seconds, they tell from the brand-, the today renamed Émulsion Écologique Formule Avancée, whose origins date back to 1980, with the aim of always having at hand a cosmetic that is at the base of any care routine. Because without healthy skin, with a balanced microbiota, we can do little for the rest of the problems of the face: wrinkles, spots, flaccidity...

We talked to Ginestar about 'The Strength' of our skin, and other hot topics at the skin level...

LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT

Why is the microbiota so peculiar? Because it is absolutely individual: we each have a similar balance, but the type of microorganisms that our skin wears is our own and unique. It recovers and can change with your habits, even by the people with whom you cohabit: it is studied that when you sleep with someone there is exchange of microbiota. It is not that this leads to a pathogenic problem, but there are certain changes, we do not know if it has to do with affection and feeling, but it would make us think that perhaps there is some truth in that phrase made of "two who sleep on the same mattress" ... What happens if the microbiota suffers a desequilIbrio? The skin is more sensitive, unprotected, prone to be reactive, with more itching, redness ... And you can suffer from other types of injuries: inflammation, acne or dryness. In the microbiota there are harmful bacteria, whose proliferation must be limited, and beneficial bacteria whose development must be strengthened. This balance can be altered by endogenous factors (hormonal changes, age, lifestyle and eating habits) or exogenous factors (relative humidity, sun exposure, pollution...). Also by showering with aggressive products: the bacterial flora is maintained very well at a pH between 4.5 and 5.5, more or less, slightly acidic. A soap usually has 8 or 8 and peak, very basic, creates a disturbance. If you shower every day with gels with aggressive surfactants, of non-dermatological pH, we are loading the microbial flora. So, we have to be very careful what we shower with, right? Of course. I recommend showering daily, it is a matter of hygiene, but clean or wash with surfactants only the intimate areas, even if we rinse with water all over the body, to eliminate the dust load. I recommend soaping the whole body two or three times a week, the best for the healthiest and fittest skin possible.And how does the bacterial flora recover when the microbiota has become unbalanced? Our body is wonderful and always recovers, in a week or a few days, it depends on the aggression. It is like when you take antibiotics, which destroys your intestinal flora and you can have certain pathologies (diarrhea, fungi ...). That is why you have to prevent, take it at meals and then repopulate the microbial flora with active bifidus or yeast. At the level of the skin, in addition to prevention, we must use cosmetics that stimulate the microbial flora and its balance and protection. We could say then that using cosmetics is not as frivolous as it might sometimes seem... We have done quality of life questionnaires and we have seen how it increases when cosmetics are used. We are not only talking about makeup, but about body, oral, facial hygiene or skin hydration. One public health product is sunscreens, for example. It is important how the quality of life increases when you take care of the skin, which is the mirror of the soul: you feel better about yourself. And that's not to mention all the 'real' functions: hydration, fight against wrinkles, blemishes... Come on, cosmetics workEspecially if we talk about prevention, yes. Protection, with the sun in the lead, and prevention are the key; Solving problems when the skin is already deteriorated is more complicated. For example, my daughters, from the age of 14 or 15, use moisturizer, to prevent later problems, wrinkles ... And of course sunscreens; Yes is for everyday use, we prefer physical filters, such as Sisley's All Day All Year, because organic or chemical filters carry very complex molecules that the skin could identify as allergens and, used every day, can lead to skin sensitization. And what would be the ideal basic preventive cosmetic routine We talk about hydration, protection, collagen stimulation from the age of 25 or 30 ... And for example, for men, I recommend using the Emulsion Ecologique or another product that moisturizes and defends before an aftershave, because when you shave it takes everything: beard, microbiota, hydrolipidic film ... How do we explain to someone who lives worried about his wrinkle that what he has to worry about is the microbiotaA see, they are different things and you have to take care of both, that the wrinkle also comes from an aggression ... Another thing that you give a lot of importance in Sisley is the sensoriality of cosmetics: textures, smells ... Why? There are two inseparable elements in a product: that it is active and effective and has complete safety and tolerance. The more effective it is, the more likely it is to cause irritations and sensitivities, as can happen with retinoids, for example. But we must not forget that cosmetics, unlike a medicine (and I am a pharmacist and have worked as such), in addition to balance and activity, must have a pleasure in its use. The clearest example we have in sunscreens: when we do live tests, if the texture does not like, users apply less amount, then they are less protected.

Émulsion Écologique Formule Avancée, by Sisley.

A new formula

"The ecosystem of our skin must be simultaneously protected, regulated and stimulated," says José Ginestar. Thus, the formula of the new Émulsion Écologique Formule Avancée by Sisley "is very much based on the foundations of the original formula but enriched to balance the microbiota and strengthen skin immunity, as well as to relaunch the vital functions of the skin," he adds.

In this sense, the scientific director of Sisley explains that "to obtain an optimal balance of the skin we incorporate two mechanisms: on the one hand, to favor the development of beneficial bacteria thanksto burdock extract (allows an ideal balance of microbial flora); and, on the other, to limit the proliferation of harmful bacteria with the extract of queen of the meadows, which reinforces the natural immune capabilities of the skin, "continues the expert.

The reformulated Émulsion Ecologique can be applied alone or before any treatment product to improve the rest of the facial routine, both on male and female skin (from 141 euros).

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