Skin care is a complex science. Dermatology is a major medical study, because the skin is the largest single space occupied by tissue in the body. People often think the skin is just sitting there, doing nothing much. Wrong. The skin is one of the most biologically active parts of your body. Skin care is critical to good health. Skin care products are supposed to improve health, and many of them do a very good job.

Photo: Jan Charles Linus Ekenstam

The skin, basics
The skin we see is called the epidermis. This is actually a layer of skin which is replaced regularly. It loses cells and flakes, and while doing so, any nasties on the surface are also removed. Pretty efficient, and the skin is also the area where any thing below the surface is likely to emerge, being pushed out of the body. Pimples, and other “eruptions”, are removed from the areas where they can be nuisances up to the surface.

(If you’ve ever had a “blind pimple”, and know how painful and annoying it can be, that’s a good example of the skin’s  general efficiency. Zits can be annoying, but on the surface, they can’t do as much damage, and don’t hurt because they’re not putting pressure on nerves.)

The skin is also highly reactive. One of the reasons tests for allergies are conducted on the skin is that the skin will respond very rapidly, and the risk to the patient is much lower. An itch, for example, is a reaction to something on, or just under, the skin. The skin under the epidermis is fighting some irritant, and pushing it up to the epidermis.

Skin care principles

Skin care products are designed to help the skin work properly, not just as cleansers, although cleaning is particularly important.

For example:

• Moisturizers: Very useful for dealing with dry skin, which is actually skin which has become dehydrated, so it’s not as supple as it’s supposed to be. This can lead to chafing and other types of irritation.
• Cleansers: The deep cleansers look glamorous, but they actually serve a very useful purpose in ensuring skin pores don’t get clogged. That can lead to infections, and they’re not much fun.
• Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera is a plant which contains a steroid which opens blood capillaries. It’s particularly useful in ensuring good circulation in the skin for that reason.
• Dermabrasives: These skin treatments are actually mild abrasive treatments as the name suggests. They’re used to speed up skin cell regeneration, and remove skin flakes efficiently. The “younger look” is cause by younger skin cells.
• Pimple creams and lotions: These are used to hurry up the cycle of pimples. They’re effective also in reducing the nuisance value of pimples, and reduce their size rapidly. If you’ve been suffering in semi-silence, these lotions will remove the problems, just be patient.
• Exfoliants: Exfoliants are really skin managers. They’re not unlike dermabrasives, but are usually creams which do basically the same job, improving skin quality and managing skin issues quickly and gently. Brands like Dermalogica are a good example of the range of exfoliants available.

Take care of your skin and it will take good care of you.

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