Research Summary
Skin reflects a person’s origin, lifestyle, age, and state of health. Characteristics such as skin color, tone, evenness, pigmentation, and surface texture are indicators of skin health. The cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries offer a vast array of products and procedures to clean, soothe, restore, reinforce, protect, and treat the skin, aiming to maintain it in good condition. These skin care products are readily available and play a significant role in health and nursing care.
The promotion of skin care products is often based on specific effects (e.g., moisturizing, antioxidant), driven by active ingredients (e.g., urea, tocopherol) that are delivered through a particular vehicle (e.g., lotion), relying on a specific technology (e.g., nanotechnology). Additionally, modern marketing frequently emphasizes “without” claims (e.g., without parabens). Today's skin care routines typically include cleansing, soothing, restoring, reinforcing, and protecting the skin.
As we age, the focus of skin care shifts. The need for soothing, restoring, and reinforcing the skin increases, while cleansing should be performed with more care. The objectives of skin care transition from cosmetic goals like achieving smooth, healthy-looking skin, to more therapeutic and preventive goals, such as soothing and reinforcing stressed skin. Though skin care and protection remain important throughout life, the areas requiring attention and protection change.
In younger years, environmental factors (e.g., UV radiation) are of primary concern. However, as people age, factors related to prolonged exposure to moisture (e.g., urine, feces, perspiration, wound exudate) become more critical. This shift in care focuses from externally exposed areas (e.g., face, arms, and legs) to enclosed, vulnerable zones (e.g., skin folds, perianal, perigenital skin, groin, feet), which become hot spots for issues.
Ageing naturally alters the skin’s structure and function, increasing its susceptibility to clinically significant problems such as xerosis cutis. Skin diseases (e.g., bacterial and fungal infections), the cumulative effects of systemic conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiency), and certain pharmacotherapies (e.g., cancer treatments) also necessitate special skin care attention.
Keywords: Skin care, Creams, Emollients, Moisturizers, Emulsions.
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