Effect on skin's barrier function

How does the skin's barrier function work?

While the outermost layer (stratum corneum) of our skin is only about 0.02 mm thick, it has the crucial function of serving as a barrier.

If the skin’s barrier function deteriorates, the water content inside the body could be lost, causing dry skin symptoms and making it easier for foreign agents to intrude into the body, as research has proven.

This is an illustration of the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin.
The stratum corneum has the important function of serving as a barrier. This barrier function includes①controlling the body’s water content which gets discharged through the skin, and② preventing foreign particles from entering the body.

When skin’s barrier function is compromised, it not only leads to dry skin through the evaporation of water but also increases the risk of foreign particles entering the body.

Yogurt containing collagen peptides and milk ceramides promotes the skin’s barrier function.

In a study conducted on female subjects that self-reported dry skin conditions, yogurt containing collagen peptides and milk ceramides was provided for four weeks. Subsequent analysis revealed that the amount of water that evaporated from the subjects’ cheeks (transepidermal water loss) was reduced, which suggests that the ingestion of the trial food might have promoted the barrier function of the subjects’ skin and improved their dry skin symptoms.

Figure created based on Aesthetic Dermatology
Vol.26:48-56, 2016

Change in transepidermal water loss (cheeks)

Ingestion of yogurt containing collage peptides and milk ceramides for four weeks significantly reduced the amount of transepidermal water loss compared to before ingestion.

* Transepidermal water loss: The amount of the body’s water that evaporates (is lost) through the outermost layer of the skin. The smaller this value is, the better the skin’s barrier function is.

Subject pool	39 females aged between 20 and 49 meeting the following criteria: (1) Dry skin symptoms on either of the forearms, or on the cheeks (2) Stool frequency of twice to four times per week in the past two weeks
Trial food	75 g of yogurt containing LB81 lactic acid bacteria mixed with 1,000 mg of fish-derived collagen peptides and 10 mg of milk ceramides (in the form of sphingomyelin)
Study design	Comparative study before and after ingestion (before and after the daily intake of the trial food for four weeks)
Study period	January 2015 to February 2015