Dry skin: the origins of the problem
Rules of care for xerosis
The number of people suffering from the problem of dry skin is constantly increasing. Unpleasant sensations associated with dry skin disturb not only people with various skin diseases, but also outwardly healthy patients, so it is very important to know the mechanism of development of this dermatosis and the rules of skin care with such a problem.
Dry skin (or xerosis, from the Greek words xero - dry, and osis - disease, disease) is a fairly common phenomenon in the everyday practice of a cosmetologist. However, the concept of "xerosis" includes not only dryness of the skin as such, but also those symptoms that may accompany it, including inflammation, itching, etc.
Dryness of the skin is most often due to a decrease in the secretion of sebum and a violation of the function of the horny barrier. As a result of these processes, there is a decrease in moisture content, the development of hyperkeratosis, disruption of peeling processes and other morphofunctional changes in the epidermis and dermis.
As a rule, the skin contains 10-20% water. If this figure is lower than 10%, then the skin becomes fragile and easily cracks. In many people, the skin becomes especially dry on the face, hands (especially hands), lower legs and other exposed areas of the body. A number of endogenous and exogenous factors can cause the development of pathological skin dryness.
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