Skincare Basics

As mentioned earlier, the skin is the largest organ of the body. Although the skin is less complicated than most other organs, it is still an architectural marvel as it covers the entire body and accounts for about 7 percent of our total weight.

The skin has three main functions—to protect the tissues beneath from injury, from invasion by bacteria and from drying out; to inform the body of changes in environment through a network of specialized nerve sense organs; and, to keep the temperature of the body constant.

Sebum is a substance that the body secretes onto the skin to prevent moisture or water loss from the underlying tissues. Sebum production varies from person to person, but frequent washing with soaps or detergents—or exposure to dry, warm air similar to that from a tanning unit without the proper use of tanning or skincare products—can dry out the skin and leave it rough and flaky.

Dry skin is one of the most common skin problems and it is also one of the most easily resolved. Surprisingly, the problem is usually only skin deep. When a person has a loss of sebum and experiences dry skin, only the skin’s paper-thin outer layer, the stratum corneum, is dry and literally lacking in water. Underneath this thin layer of dead skin are deeper, living layers of tissue that are always in need of moisture.

The solution for dry skin is often simple. You need to get and keep more water in the stratum corneum, because water and only water will transform it into a smooth and flexible surface. Here are some tips to for your customers to follow:

• Use a moisturizer before, during and after their tanning session, and whenever skin feels dry. Also, applying moisturizers to damp skin immediately after a bath or shower will help seal moisture in the stratum corneum.

• If a person is sensitive to perfumes, they may want to avoid moisturizers that contain perfumes.

• Don’t bathe for more than 15 minutes. Ironically, soaking for long periods of time dehydrates skin because it has a tendency to wash away "moisture-sealing" sebum. Quick showers are always best.

• Use a gentle, moisturizing cleanser or body wash as part of an overall skincare regime.

• The face may require a different skincare program than the rest of the body. This is because it is possible to have an oily facial complexion while also having itchy, flaky, bone-dry skin on the legs.

Although skin dryness can be a problem anytime of year, the cold air and low humidity of winter can be especially rough on skin. With an increase in dry, wintry air comes a decrease in skin moisture. When the water content of the skin drops below 10 percent, it gets rough, chaps and scales. The skin’s surface normally contains 10 percent to 20 percent water. With this decrease of water, the skin loses flexibility, itches and often cracks.