Advising on dry skin
Sales plan period P12B
This module will help you understand:
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How dry skin occurs
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The role of urea in moisturising products.
The skin is the largest organ in the body and it has many functions. One of these is to provide a barrier, helping to keep harmful substances out and retain water.
The outer layer of the skin, known as the epidermis, is responsible for this barrier function. The stratum corneum is part of the epidermis, and is mostly made up of lipids (substances that repel water) and keratin (protein). A sebum barrier forms a layer over the stratum corneum.
Dry skin is a common condition and a sign that the barrier function of the skin is compromised. Changes in the sebum barrier over the stratum corneum can affect the skin's ability to retain moisture, resulting in water loss from the body through the epidermis. This dryness can progress into deeper layers of the skin, resulting in skin that is tight, itchy, rough and/or scaly. Severely dry skin may even crack and bleed.
Managing dry skin
Dry skin can be prevented and managed by regularly applying moisturisers, which are also known as emollients. Occlusive emollients (e.g. paraffin) form a layer on the surface of the skin, helping to reduce water loss through the epidermis. Some emollients contain ingredients called humectants, such as urea. Humectants are substances that help retain and preserve moisture and attract water from the deeper layers of the skin to the epidermis.
UREA
Urea is a naturally occurring substance found in the surface layer of the skin and is an active component of the skin's natural moisturising factor (NMF). Urea is highly hygroscopic (water-loving), so it attracts and retains water in the skin cells. It also works to soften the keratin layers. Keratin is a protein that holds the top layer of skin cells together. When the keratin layers are softened by urea, it encourages skin exfoliation, which helps the dead skin cells fall away from the skin. Exfoliation can prevent dry, flaky patches that can occur when dead skin cells don't shed from the skin completely.
To maximise their effect, emollients should be applied:
- Regularly
- Liberally
- In the direction of hair growth
- After washing their hands, showering or bathing
Remember:
Customers should be reminded of the potential fire risk with emollients, including both paraffin-based and paraffin-free formulations. Product can build up on fabric such as clothing, bedding or dressings, which can make them flammable. Customers using emollients should be advised to keep away from fire, flames and cigarettes.
Eucerin UreaRepair Plus 10% Urea Lotion
Item code: 86-87-439
Daily care for very dry, rough skin. Provides immediate and 48-hour relief of dry skin symptoms and increases skin moisturisation by 92 per cent.1
Research suggests that a product containing a combination of urea with ceramides, natural moisturising factors (NMFs) and gluco-glycerol shows a significantly better effect on dry skin than urea alone. 2Eucerin UreaRepair Plus 10% Urea Lotion's unique formula incorporates this combination of ingredients for immediate and long-term moisturisation,3 deep skin moisturisation4 and improved barrier function.5
Urea improves the water binding capacity of the skin, which results in a substantial increase in moisture content. Ceramide supports the skin's own protective barrier and helps prevent moisture loss.
In a recent Eucerin study of 1,343 patients, expert dermatologists confirmed a significant reduction of 91 per cent in severe and moderate skin dryness after applying the Eucerin UreaRepair Plus 10% Urea Lotion daily for four weeks.4
Directions for use: The product can be applied as often as required and gently massaged into the skin until fully absorbed. The product is classified as a cosmetic and is suitable for customers with xerosis, diabetes, keratosis pilaris, psoriasis and mature skin.
