All about skin and skincare
Tips and secrets for taking care of your skin
What is skin?
The skin is the largest organ of the body, it protects it and separates it from the outside world. In adults, it has an approximate average weight of 4 kg and an average surface area of 1.6 m2.
Right here reside the keratinocytes which are the characteristic cells of the skin. They are called this because they produce keratin which is the protein that makes up skin, nails and hair.
In the dermis are found:
- Fibres ( collagen and elastin)
- Cells
- Vascular elements and neutral elements
The dermis contains the skin appendages, which are:
- Hair and fur: distributed over the entire surface of the body except the mucous membranes, the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. They are flexible and resistant structures. The hair growth process is regulated by hormonal factors; on average, a hair grows about 0.3 mm per day.
- Nails: Also made of hard keratin. Growth is about 3 mm per month.
- Sebaceous glands: These glands produce a substance called sebum, made up of fat cells and acids whose job is to lubricate the skin and hair as a protection mechanism.
The distribution and thickness of the hypodermis are highly variable. The thickness varies between 0.5 and 2 cm, being less where the skin is in direct contact with bone or cartilage (such as the skull, nose, auricle) and greater in other places (buttocks, palms of the hands or soles of the feet).
In women it is more evenly distributed and thicker, making the muscles less evident. A hypodermis particularly rich in adipocytes is called subcutaneous adipose tissue.
It connects the dermis with the underlying tissues (such as the common superficial fascia of the body or directly bone or cartilage) also allowing a reciprocal sliding allowing the skin to be lifted into folds.
Is skin a gender issue?
Absolutely not, the skin has no gender, but is distinguished by specific types of epidermis.
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What are skin types?
Normal Skin
It is a rather rare type of skin, found only in childhood and early youth; the skin has not yet been attacked by external factors or internal influences. All biological functions are normal and the the color is uniform.
Oily Skin
The main characteristic is the oiliness and diffused shine, it appears dull in color, often olive. The coarse grain is caused by the outlets of the sebaceous glands and the pores are dilated especially on the nose, chin and forehead but often also on the cheeks.
Impure Skin
It is the easiest type of skin to recognize because its characteristics are quite evident. The production of the sebaceous glands is excessive, the skin is covered with blackheads and pimples, which tend to transform into purulent pustules.
Other times the areas near the ears and neck are affected by blackheads and pimples, while the rest of the face is normal. Often the skin on the body also has the same characteristics: shoulders, back and chest are often affected by blackheads and pimples.
Typically the areas that tend to be dry are: the cheeks, around the eyes and on the throat. In these cases, we will try to classify the skin in the best possible way, for example: combination tending to dry, combination tending to oily, oily with asphyxiated areas.
It is a type of skin that characterizes adolescence but even after it is overcome it does not mean that you will not have to deal again with the typical manifestations of impure skin.
Indeed, the sudden blooming of impurities increasingly characterizes young adults, especially women around 40 years old, resulting in late acne if not treated in time and adequately. It can even appear in people who have never suffered from impurities, or worse acne, at a young age.
The causes are many but all can be traced back to a lifestyle that influences normal physiological balances leading to hormonal imbalances.
Mixed Skin
Combination skin is especially common among adolescents and adults aged 30-40, linked to particular physical conditions. Often asphyxiated areas coexist on the same face with oily areas, or dry areas with normal areas. Seborrheic areas (nose, forehead, chin) tend to show greater sebum secretion than drier cheeks.
Dry Skin
It appears thin, fragile and not very elastic. It is characterized by a lack of skin lipids and poor hydration. Usually arms and calves are affected. When dry skin is on the face it is particularly annoying, and can cause premature aging. Dryness usually appears on the cheeks/shoulders and around the eyes. Lips also often become dry, especially in winter.
Knowing the skincare
Discovering the right products and adopting a personalized routine can make the difference in maintaining clear and luminous skin for a long time.
Cleansing
Fundamental skin cleansing activity. Gesture of care towards oneself and others.
What does cleansing the skin mean?
It is the first fundamental step to maintain healthy skin. It means removing dead cells, cosmetic residues, excess sebum and anything deposited by air pollution on the skin without altering the skin's balance.
Surfactant detergents
Invented in the 1920s as an evolution of the classic soap based on fatty acids, they can be liquid, solid in gel, milk or mousse. They have a pH compatible with that of the skin. They remove dirt without "stripping" away the fats necessary for skin well-being.
They can be added with other more or less delicate active ingredients but they always perform the function of cleaning the surface of the skin.
This category includes soaps, gels and cleansing milks.
Micellar waters
Born in the early 90s as a product to quickly remove make-up during fashion shows without using water. When placed on a cotton pad, they remove stubborn make-up, excess sebum and smog thanks to the micelles which in turn are formed by the aggregation of microscopic molecules of surfactants that are able to attract both water (hydrophilic surfactants) and fats (lipophilic surfactants). For this reason they do not require the use of water.
Treatments
After cleansing ... the most useful products to keep the skin in an optimal condition.
Lotion
A product that completes the skin care routine and is used on the face after cleansing. It is essentially used to restore the skin's pH after cleansing and prepare it for further treatment products.
Exfoliants
The primary function of this category of products is to “remove” superficial dead cells with the dual purpose of improving the skin texture and allowing the active ingredients of subsequent treatments to penetrate better. In cosmetic jargon, when exfoliation is mechanical it is called "Scrub" when it is chemical it is called "Peeling".
“strofinare” utilizzando prodotti contenenti microparticelle e/o guanti e spazzole per intensificare l'effetto.
Peeling
“sbucciare” utilizzando acidi dai più “casalinghi” ai più “professionali” che sono di esclusivo utilizzo dei medici estetici in quanto hanno concentrazioni di acidi più elevata.
I principali acidi utilizzati sono gli Alfa idrossiacidi o AHA (i più utilizzati dei quali sono Acido Glicolico, Malico, Mandelico, ecc.) e i Beta idrossiacidi o BHA (Acido Salicilico e Citrico). L'Acido Salicilico è particolarmente utile per la pulizia dei pori ed è impiegato sia nei prodotti di detersione che in quelli esfolianti in concentrazioni diverse per enfatizzare l'azione di pulizia profonda dei pori.
Esistono poi anche i peeling enzimatici, a base per es. di enzimi di papaya, che disgregano lo strato corneo che è fatto di prevalentemente di proteine. Ancora poco utilizzati a causa della loro poca stabilità legata soprattutto alle condizioni climatiche.
Creams
It is an emulsion, that is, a mixture of two liquids (water and oil) that normally would not mix if not for the use of emulsifying molecules that “bind” the two liquids in a stable way. The formulations can be water in oil (w/o water in oils) but increasingly they are oil in water (o/w oil in water) with a more fluid and light consistency to which functional ingredients are added that will be deposited on the skin once the solvents (usually water or alcohol) have evaporated upon contact with the air.
The primary function of creams is to preserve the skin's hydrolipidic film, therefore to provide hydration (even in the case of oily skin) and to maintain a physiological layer of lipids useful as a natural barrier and to give softness to the skin.
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