Did you know your skin is the largest organ in your body? If you could spread it out flat, it would cover about 2 square meters, weigh around 10 kg, and contain 17 km of blood vessels and 5 million nerve endings.

Imagine your bones and muscles wrapped in this 10 kg layer of skin. This strong protective barrier protects us from harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and UV rays. It also helps regulate body temperature and allows us to feel sensations like pleasure, pain, and temperature changes. Additionally, our skin plays a crucial role in our immune system, synthesizes vitamin D, removes waste through sweat, and stores fat and water.

Our skin is made up of three main layers, each with a unique function:

• Epidermis: The outermost layer, where keratinocytes (skin cells) make up 90% of its structure. This layer continuously renews itself, moving from the base to the surface where cells flatten, die, and form a protective barrier before being shed as dead skin flakes.
• Dermis: Located beneath the epidermis and 15 to 40 times thicker, the dermis is often called the “real skin.” It’s rich in connective tissues, collagen, and elastin, which provide firmness and elasticity. This layer produces sweat and oil, grows hair, and supports blood circulation.
• Hypodermis: The deepest layer, made primarily of fat. It connects the skin to muscles and bones, provides cushioning, and offers insulation. This layer is also targeted for slow-release medications and vaccines.

It’s worth noting that the epidermis and dermis are tightly connected by the Dermal-Epidermal Junction (DEJ), which plays a crucial role in maintaining skin health. This junction provides essential nutrients and oxygen to the epidermis, and contains structures that anchor the two layers together. However, as we age, the DEJ flattens and thins out, affecting skin health. The dermis also loses its ability to regenerate, leading to scar tissue formation if damaged.

Within both the epidermis and dermis, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)—essential sugar macromolecules—are vital for cell communication, repair, and hydration. These GAGs help maintain skin strength and moisture by supporting the extracellular matrix. Unfortunately, as GAG production decreases with age, it leads to a reduction in skin quality and resilience, compounding the effects of the thinning DEJ and contributing to visible signs of aging.

Skincare products are meant to work on the surface of the skin, or at most to stop at the epidermal layers. They are not meant to reach the dermis layer where absorption into the body through blood circulation will occur. Be alert of red flag if any product claims to reach the dermis and increases our skin collagen. Transdermal delivery is a function of pharmaceutical delivery of medications, where safety and efficacy have been tested and proven. Skin absorption into the body will bypass the liver where the usual removal of unwanted things from the body is done, hence it is vital to protect our skin dermal permeability and to know the stuff that we apply on our skin.

X’Factor products deliver anti aging molecule to the skin cells in the epidermis to boost the production of GAGs up to 5 to 20 times. Increased GAGs directly restores the proteoglycans (complex of GAG and a protein) near the DEJ of aging skin and strengthens this important junction between the two skin layers. Increased deposition of key components at DEJ and increased CD44, the hyaluronic acid receptors of epidermal skin cells result in a better cohesion both at the DEJ and the epidermal levels causing skin renewal and in the long term improvement of wrinkles.

Experience X’Factor here.

Reference:

Deloche C, Minondo AM, Bernard BA, Bernerd F, Salas F, Garnier J, Tancrède E. Effect of C-xyloside on morphogenesis of the dermal epidermal junction in aged female skin. An unltrastuctural pilot study. Eur J Dermatol 2011

Victor XV, Nguyen TKN, Ethirajan M, et al. Investigating the elusive mechanism of glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis. J Biol Chem. 2009;