Our skin is literally our armour, shielding all within. And we all have psychological armour too.
I have spent much of my life wearing armour, and I don’t think I am alone. In childhood, I developed the armour that some children with very poor health do - a sense of resilience and stoicism. I was different, so I developed the armour to fit in, and when I couldn’t, I developed the armour to not mind.
As a teenager, I developed a rare skin condition, where my own skin failed to protect me and caused me severe pain and anguish. So I developed the psychological armour to deal with that, and then when I became a barrister, I wore a suit, a horsehair wig and a gown, which was my armour in courtroom battle.
So I am fascinated by armour. For me, silk is armour and history shows that I am not the only one. In the thirteenth century, Mongol warriors wore silk next to their skin, under their armour, because when an arrow pierced their layers of leather and iron, the silk would wrap around the arrowhead. Silk - unlike arrowheads - is highly compatible with our skin, so an arrowhead wrapped in silk meant that the healing process would be quicker, with less damage and less infection.
When I think of armour, I think of protection. Armour acts as a shield against the world and its consequences, and it is interesting that much of the language is so militaristic. Our skin is a barrier and under constant barrage. Sunlight is the biggest cause of ageing because it breaks down collagen, the foundation of healthy skin, and pollution and oxidative stress can weaken the barrier and cause a cascade of inflammaging over time.
For many years, because I suffered with my skin terribly, I was defensive about skincare. That was my psychological armour. I did not trust jars of products, let alone shelves of them. And then I discovered silk. I was not looking for skincare; I was in the British Library trying to understand why the silk I was using was helping my skin.
What I found was remarkable. An ancient history of wound healing, and the future of skin regeneration. I found that silk is just like our skin in every way. It is a barrier, like our skin. As a barrier, it has to be able to protect, repair and regenerate itself. Silk shares the same amino acid profile as our skin.
Silk is the Best, and the Softest Armour
Silk forms a ‘second skin’ over ours, which is what we perceive as a sublime and intense softness. It is this armour which protects against oxidative stress and pollution. This armour is soft and intelligent - it works on a molecular level to accelerate the skin’s own collagen synthesis. This enhanced collagen leads to denser, firmer and healthier skin. Silk knows that water is needed for biological processes, so this armour holds in water for hydrated and healthy looking skin.
We all wear armour, every day. It is a fundamental part of the human condition. Silk gives you true armour for your skin.
