Thinny Skinnies - the low down on leaky skin and allergies

In the past few years, scientists have become pretty convinced that people suffering with skin disorders such as dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis do so partly because they have thinner or leakier skin. This type of skin lets more environmental substances (bacteria, pollens, moulds, chemicals etc) through than it should. These are thought to set off an allergic reaction as they enter the blood stream. As the immune system weakens over time and the skin gets more porous, food intolerances and asthma are thought to follow.

If being a ‘thinny skinny’ is at the heart of skin allergy problems, is there anything we can do to prevent it starting or worsening, or are we just sitting ducks with the wrong genetic make-up? Well, there’s an argument for both, so let’s start by looking at how the skin barrier works, what the genetic scientists think is going on, consider how we might be making the problem worse for ourselves and end with ways we can limit our leakiness.

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