Relationship between Skin Physiology and Ceramides of Sensitive Skin

Abstract

Sensitive skin is a syndrome defined by the occurrence of unpleasant sensations in response to external factors, and impaired skin barrier function and/or hypersensitivity of the cutaneous nerve have been hypothesized to be the main culprits. However, the self-perceived sensitive skin individuals can potentially include various types of sensitive skin individuals, from those who have normal skin condition to pathological skin condition, and thus, there are still few systematic views on skin physiology of sensitive skin. This has been an important issue in the field of cosmetic science. Recently, we have focused on the barrier function of the stratum corneum, and have investigated the relationship between ceramides, which play an essential role in the permeability barrier function, and skin physiological properties specific to sensitive skin, mainly skin hypersensitivity. In this manuscript, we review several previous studies regarding the relationship between sensitive skin and ceramides, categorizing the study subjects according to whether they have skin diseases or not, and then present our latest study.

graphical abstract