Skin is the largest organ in the human body and constantly renews itself. It is made up of three layers known as the epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis, each of which is important for skin’s functions. It is also necessary to consider skin’s appendages: nails, hair and sebaceous and sweat glands, which contribute to its principal functions.
Skin is responsible for protecting the body against external factors such as bacteria, chemicals and temperature. It also helps maintain fluid balance and regulate body temperature.
This organ has its own moisturisation mechanism to remain flexible and resistant to possible aggressors. To avoid skin problems such as irritation, pulling sensations, dryness or desquamation, it is necessary to provide extra moisturisation able to fulfil skin’s needs.
Dry and cracked hands
Many causes can lead to dry hands, but the majority of cases tend to be down to a loss of moisture due to factors such as exposure to certain irritant or allergenic substances, frequent washing or adverse weather conditions, among other things.
Dry hands can lead to redness, scaling, itching or pruritus and even cracked skin. The best way to prevent these symptoms is to use specific humectant agents and follow a suitable care routine for this type of dry skin.
Brittle nails
Nails offer natural protection for fingers and assist in their sensory function. They also play an important aesthetic role. They are living structures that grow continuously. They are principally formed from keratin, water and lipids, making them highly permeable (they are 1,000 times more permeable to water than skin), which is why they much more easily become dehydrated and weakened.
Due to their position, they are subject to multiple external aggressors, which can damage their structure and appearance as well as compromising their integrity. Little by little, environmental, chemical and mechanical factors degrade their structure, leaving them dehydrated and weakened.
Daily care with specific products designed to protect, moisturise and regenerate nails helps boost their vitality and natural beauty.
Dry body skin
The skin covers the entirety of the human body, thus constituting its surface. Its outermost layer is formed by the stratum corneum (dead epithelial cells full of keratin) and an emulsion of water, oily substances and cellular debris that completely covers this layer, known as the hydrolipidic film. This film is a chemical barrier on top of the physical barrier of the stratum corneum, which serves to waterproof and protect skin.
The hydrolipidic film
The hydrolipidic film can be considered skin’s natural cosmetic, with emollient and moisturising properties. Factors both external (continuous contact with detergents, solvents or irritant substances, the sun, etc.) and internal (genetics, ageing, diseases, etc.) lead to its deterioration, causing dry skin or cutaneous xerosis.
Dry skin is of great importance in dermatology. It tends to be thin and fragile skin that becomes irritated and inflamed easily (dermatitis, eczema, etc.). It appears tight, dull and cracked. Superficially, a certain degree of scaling and some creases are observed. It is particularly common in children under the age of 10 and in adults over 60. Its fundamental cause is a deficiency of natural moisturising factors (NMF) such as urea, fatty acids, sodium, amino acids, etc.), which are usually found in the hydrolipidic film.
Face (lips, nose, eyelids)
Facial skin is particularly sensitive to external aggressors such as cold, solar radiation, wind, the continuous use of heating and air conditioning or certain dermatological disorders.
Skin, which acts as our body’s protective layer against the external environment, varies in thickness depending on the area of the body and face, with the latter being thinner than the rest of the body’s skin.
Facial skin can develop redness, intense dryness, itching and scaling, which calls for a solution that involves, in the first instance, the maintenance of normal moisture levels using products with an excellent tolerability profile.
Lips: can develop intense dryness and cracks as a result of the effects of certain trigger factors. In such cases, it is necessary to restore healthy moisture levels so as to recover lips’ normal appearance and function.
Nose: environmental factors, personal factors such as the predisposition to having sensitive skin, the very frequent use of fabric or cellulose handkerchiefs during common cold or allergies and the use of certain medications are some of the possible triggers for dryness of the perinasal area. This dryness manifests itself with irritation of the area which can even become cracked.
Eyelids: eyelid skin is the thinnest and most delicate and there are many situations in which it can experience intense scaling, dryness, itching and redness. It is necessary to restore normal moisture levels in the affected area, to reduce the itching sensation, to promote optimal conditions for the repair of the damaged skin and to eliminate excessive scaling with very high tolerability preparations.
Dry and cracked feet
Feet are an area of the body that is particularly vulnerable to factors able to degrade the epidermal barrier: rubbing, heat, excessive sweating, poor circulation, etc. This degradation promotes the appearance of dry, scaling, thin, shiny and cracked skin.
Suitable foot care is highly important, since the feet constitute a crucial part of the body and their condition has an impact on our health and general wellbeing. When this part of the body is in poor condition, this can trigger bothersome symptoms such as pain on walking, swelling, unpleasant odour or excessive dryness.
It is especially important to provide feet with sufficient moisture to avoid fissures, ulcers or superinfections caused by a degradation of the epidermal barrier due to dryness, cracks or rubbing against footwear.