The pH Of Your Skin: Why It Matters & How To Care For Your Skin

So let's go all the way back to chemistry class: pH is a scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of any solution. And whether you realize it or not, your skin's pH (and the pH of your skin care) has a huge effect on the skin's functionality itself. Here's everything you need to know. 

The range, here, is important. The pH of the skin varies slightly for men and women—men usually having more acidic skin. The skin also becomes more alkaline with age, especially for women as they go through menopause. "The pH level of our skin changes at around age 50, skin becomes more sensitive, and women are more likely to develop rashes and easily irritated skin," says board-certified dermatologist Keira Barr, M.D. Skin type can also affect the pH, with oily skin tending to be more acidic (sebum itself is quite acidic). 

Finally, the pH of the skin can be affected by what it comes into contact with—such as skin care products or even water. See, when you put on a substance that has a different pH (be it acidic or alkaline), it influences your skin's. Now, for the most part, your skin has an impressive ability to bounce back. (Read: Your skin's pH goes back to its natural state pretty fast.) However, if these fluctuations are too dramatic or happen too consistently, that's when you have a problem.

You can't talk about skin pH without talking about the acid mantle. The acid mantle is the film of acidity that protects the skin and is actually the mixture of your natural sebum (oil) and sweat. This acidity is a vital part of the skin's protective function. See, acidity "helps inhibit the growth of pathogens," notes Fitzgerald who explains that opportunistic bacteria tend to do better in alkaline environments.  

There are several indications that your skin's pH is off—in fact, many common skin conditions and woes can be traced back or linked to pH: 

When your skin's pH is too alkaline, it disrupts the skin's ability to retain water. Your skin barrier function is essentially its ability to keep in moisture, and when it's compromised, something called transepidermal water loss happens. As the name suggests, it's when water is lost through the epidermis (the top layer of the skin) and evaporates into the air. 

Skin conditions—like eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, and acne—are connected through inflammation. Chronic inflammation wreaks havoc on the skin and can influence flare-ups for those individuals with genetic predisposition to these woes. Because of pH's role in your skin microbiome, when it's off, it will be more susceptible to inflammation. In fact, as Fitzgerald told us, "An imbalanced microbiome, or skin dysbiosis, is associated with many health conditions, including psoriasis, allergies, eczema, contact dermatitis, acne, poor wound healing, skin ulcers, dandruff, yeast and fungal infections, rosacea, and accelerated skin aging."

Sensitive skin is caused by a perennially compromised skin barrier function. (Some people have this naturally—others "sensitize" their skin through lifestyle and skin care choices.) Thanks to pH's vital role in barrier function, when your pH is disrupted, your skin can become more sensitive and reactive. 

Balancing your skin's pH is just as much about what you don't do as what you do. In fact, one of the main ways you disrupt your pH is by simply doing too much and being too aggressive: 

The skin is a complex organ, with many influences and means of function. To care for it, you have to consider it all. One very important part of the function is the pH, which should be around 5, making it slightly acidic. There are many things that can influence your pH—and several unfavorable outcomes when it's out of balance. So do your best to be mindful of how you're treating it.