Care for dry and sensitive skin

At home, it is necessary to carry out a thorough but gentle cleansing of the face and neck. Cleansing can be achieved in different ways. The method of cleansing the skin with various cleansing creams or emulsions has been widely used for many decades. These are mainly cold creams, which contain various waxes, mineral oils, and borax as an emulsifier. Such creams are usually applied with fingers and evenly distributed over the entire surface of the skin. They can be removed with a soft cloth or cotton swab, and also washed off with water. Mineral oils, which are part of these creams, act as a kind of solvent that can dissolve decorative cosmetics (in the case of cleansing the skin of the face) and exogenous pollution.

More modern dry skin cleansers include non-ionic detergents such as fatty acid esters and micelles. Such ingredients have been shown to create a lighter textured cleansing emulsion. They are also capable of providing high-quality cleansing without stripping natural lipids such as ceramides and cerebrosides from the skin's surface. This is why these emulsions are most popular for cleansing dry and very dry skin, which is often caused by a lack of lipids between the scales in the stratum corneum. Manufacturers of the best dry skin cleansers include the missing lipids to create a protective film on the surface of the stratum corneum. In particular, many modern skin cleansing emulsions include fatty acid esters, wax esters, ceramides or cerebrosides.

Adequate cleansing of dry skin is extremely important. The use of cleansers and emulsions containing anionic detergents not only increases the dryness of the skin, but also increases its permeability to various substances, including allergens, that subsequently come into contact with the skin. For example, it has been shown that intolerance to some moisturizers containing retinyl palmitate was directly related to the quality of the cleanser used by patients before applying the moisturizer. In addition, microcracks that occur on the skin surface can serve as entry points for secondary infection.

At home, tonics for dry skin can be infusions of chamomile, coltsfoot, linden, lemon balm, bergamot, ginseng, parsley, yarrow, mint, lavender, mallow, garden violet, marigold, geranium, etc. The prepared solution is wiped onto the skin of the face and neck 2 times a day, after using cleansing milk. Infusions are prepared in small quantities (200 ml) and stored in the refrigerator. At the same time, ready-made cosmetics are becoming increasingly popular, including tonics, which should be selected with the appropriate marking.

You can prepare face masks yourself or use professional masks suggested by a cosmetologist, the use of which is allowed at home ("homework"). To prepare a mask at home, use only high-quality and fresh products. The mask is prepared immediately before use. Storing mask leftovers in the refrigerator is not allowed. The freshly prepared mask is applied to cleansed skin of the face and neck for 15-20 minutes. Then the mask is washed off with cool water. The face is treated with a toner for dry skin or herbal infusions, and a moisturizer is applied. It is recommended to do masks no more than 1-2 times a week. It should be remembered that plant extracts and some food products (honey, egg yolk and white, citrus juices, etc.), often used to prepare masks and tonic liquids at home, are allergens.

The issue of using peeling creams at home is decided individually. In the absence of contraindications, as well as with good tolerance, peeling creams can be recommended as skin care, but it is necessary to remember that these procedures should not be prescribed more often than once every 1.5-2 weeks, in severe frosts, as well as with active insolation.

The use of classic dermatological prescriptions for dry skin is currently irrelevant. Since almost all prescriptions contain lanolin - animal fat, which is the main component of sheep sebum and is obtained by washing sheep wool. Lanolin makes the skin greasy and has only an indirect moisturizing effect, has a comedogenic effect, and in recent years, cases of hypersensitivity to lanolin have become more frequent, most likely due to its poor purification.

In a cosmetology facility, standard procedures for cleansing and toning the skin are carried out using products intended for this skin type. The question of prescribing peeling for dry skin is decided individually. Preference should be given to mechanical peelings for dry, sensitive skin, glycopilings with a small percentage of glycolic acid (25-50%), as well as ultrasonic peeling. It should be noted that for dry skin, the use of brushes on peeling cream is not recommended. Before the first glycopiling procedure in a cosmetology salon, certain preparation is necessary. Thus, at home, patients are recommended to apply creams containing fruit acids (up to 8-15%) to the skin of the face and neck 1-2 times a day for 2 weeks. The glycopiling procedure is carried out every other day, for a course of 5-10 procedures. The effect after these procedures lasts for 1.5-2 months. It is not recommended to carry out the glycopiling procedure in severe frosts and during active insolation.

Patients with dry skin are recommended to undergo hygienic facial massage using cosmetic massage cream or oil. The massage lasts on average 20 minutes, for a course of 10-15 sessions, every other day or twice a week. Repeated massage courses are recommended every six months. For dry skin with signs of a pronounced decrease in turgor, plastic massage with talc is recommended. The massage lasts on average 12-15 minutes, for a course of 10-20 sessions, every other day or twice a week, repeated courses twice a year. You can alternate sessions of plastic and hygienic massage. It is recommended to use moisturizing masks and collagen sheets for dry skin.

For the implementation of complex procedures for intensive care of the bitch's skin and neck, the following physiotherapeutic procedures are recommended.

• Vaporization. Used in combination with an ozone lamp to steam the skin of the face before vacuum and mechanical cleaning, as well as to improve the absorption of cosmetic creams and masks. May cause overdrying of the skin, so vaporization for dry skin is only permissible if the device is located at a significant distance from the patient's face and the flow of hot steam is supplied along a tangential vector. Cotton sponges soaked in a tonic liquid for the eyelids should be placed on the area around the eyes. The method is contraindicated in the presence of a network of dilated blood vessels. The duration of the procedure is 1-3 minutes.
• Desincrustation. The method is based on the principle of galvanization, using solutions of sodium bicarbonate or chloride (2-5%) on the negative electrode, as well as a special desincrustation solution. Due to therapeutic electrolysis, an alkali is formed on the negative pole, changing the pH of the skin, which helps to dissolve and remove the secretion of the sebaceous glands from the excretory ducts. With dry skin, this procedure can be used to cleanse the pores, in the presence of closed or open comedones in the central part of the face.
• Vacuum spray. Skin cleaning and massage with a vacuum are not recommended for dry skin. Working in the spray mode with lotions appropriate for the dry skin type has a tonic effect, improves microcirculation and skin nutrition, and enhances lymphatic drainage.
• Darsonvalization with talc or a dry antiseptic mask, due to the pronounced drying effect on the skin, is used in a limited way. For dry, flabby skin, darsonvalization is performed using a contact, labile technique, with a finishing cream, which has a slight lifting effect. The duration of the procedure is on average 7-10 minutes, per course of 10-15 sessions.
• The use of ultrasound and iontophoresis allows to enhance the effects of applied cosmetics and medications.
• Myostimulation is included in a complex of cosmetic procedures for dry facial skin care, usually before applying a mask, both to prevent age-related changes and to combat existing signs of skin aging. For dry, flabby skin, it is advisable to use myostimulation in combination with hygienic or plastic massage and paraffin masks. It should be noted that myostimulation is not recommended for patients under 35-40 years of age.
• Microcurrent therapy (the procedure is performed every other day, for 10-15 sessions), therapeutic laser, photorejuvenation, as well as electrostatic massage and aromatherapy with essential oils of tea tree, lemon balm, bergamot, mint, lavender, rosemary, ginseng, sandalwood and avocado are widely used in complex care for dry skin of the face and neck.
• Prescribing a cryomassage procedure with liquid nitrogen is justified only for dry skin with a pronounced decrease in turgor. Using a cotton swab on a wooden rod, perform light stroking movements for 1-2 minutes along each massage line, without pressing or stopping, periodically immersing it in a thermos with liquid nitrogen. The procedure is carried out on dry facial skin, 1-2 times a week, for a course of 10-15 sessions. The use of carbonic acid snow for cryomassage is not recommended due to the high risk of burns. Cryomassage is not prescribed during active insolation.

Care for "sensitive" skin

The doctor's tactics depend on the correct diagnosis of the accompanying dermatosis (rosacea, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, perioral dermatitis, etc.). Timely and pathogenetically balanced external and systemic therapy of the underlying disease is indicated.

For "sensitive" skin, gentle home skin care is necessary, including gentle cleansing, adequate moisturizing and photoprotection. Various "sensitive skin" programs can be offered as basic skin care products for such patients.

Among cosmetic procedures in a cosmetology institution, patients are prescribed microcurrent therapy, iontophoresis, ultrasound with various anti-inflammatory and vasoconstrictor agents, moisturizing and anti-inflammatory masks, aromatherapy, photochromotherapy. Vaporization, brushing, vacuum massage, manual massage, cryomassage, desincrustation, thermoactive and plasticizing masks, ultraviolet irradiation are contraindicated. It should be emphasized once again the need for a comprehensive and analytical medical approach to patients with "sensitive" facial skin.