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In the first place appropriate skin cleaning must be mentioned, that means the elimination of dirt, sweat, sebum and harmful substances. More information here. |
Skin cleaning
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Skin cleaning is important to keep the skin healthy or to support its healing. Skin cleansers help to remove dirt, sweat and sebum from the skin. They also clear away old skin cells (scales) and support the continuous renewal of the skin.
 The use of skin cleansers, however, can also lead to dry skin, reddening, irritation and itching. These undesired effects depend on the applied cleansing products and on how the skin cleaning is done.
The following aspects are important when you choose a skin cleaning product:
Synthetic detergents are especially convenient for skin cleaning. In contrast to alkaline products like soap, synthetic detergents cause less irritating reactions and itching on the skin. The reason is that their pH value of 5.5 corresponds to the pH value of the skin, while soap often has a pH value of 9-12.
If your skin is already irritated, please always take into account your skin condition. Dry skin, for example, requires the use of moisturizing products. These replace some of the fatty acids that are removed during cleaning. Sensitive skin needs mild and fragrance-free detergents. For oily or greasy skin and in the T-zone in the case of combination skin, pH neutral synthetic detergents are recommended.
Always use cleansing products sparingly and always wash them off thoroughly afterwards! And if you use moisturizing detergents, please be aware still to use a conditioning cream or ointment after washing.
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The most important hints on cleaning can be found in a separate list, please read on here |
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Hints for cleaning and care
The most important recommendations with respect to skin cleaning and conditioning can be found in the table below. Adequate skin cleansing and conditioning are especially important in greasy and combination skin, and in dry skin.
| Normal skin |
Clean your face in the morning and in the evening with cleaning milk or a synthetic detergent, and wash it off carefully afterwards.
For the body, soaps or synthetic detergents are recommendable. Day conditioning should be done with a moisturizing cream. In very cold weather or dry air it is good to use preparations that contain more fat. At night, fatty emulsions should be given the preference. Apply the cream not only to the face, but also to the rest of your body! The skin should be protected against long water exposure as well as against too hot water, chemical and mechanical irritations and sunlight.
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| Dry skin |
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This applies to the so-called sensitive skin. For facial cleaning, one should use cleaning milk with a high percentage in fats. For the cleaning of the rest of the body moisturizing substances are highly recommendable. Expose your body to water as little as possible: don’t shower or bathe too often, and if you have to bathe, better use oil baths. Afterwards please apply a fat lotion. Also for the face, fatty emulsions containing moisturizing substances should be used. Skin protection is very important.
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| Greasy/oily skin |
The hyperactivity of the sebaceous glands, increasing the supply of
fats on the skin, enhances the development of comedones. Therefore cleaning and conditioning should aim at the reduction of the sebum
production, the inhibition of the growth of germs and a removal of
comedones. Face peeling can be recommended. Oil baths must be
completely discouraged. Watery and only slightly lubricating lotions
are recommended for conditioning. Do not apply too much cream, this
might cause spots and inflammations of the hair follicles. Human
skin is very resistant, but please never forget to protect yourself
against the sun!
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| Combination skin |
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Combination skin is, as the word suggests, a combination of different skin conditions: the pores with the sebaceous glands produce large amounts of sebum, but the skin between the pores is dry, and, as a third factor, the pores are distributed on the skin in an irregular pattern. Combination skins requires special care and often makes necessary to use two different products. The dry skin areas need fatty lotions (containing more grease/oil than water), while the fatty areas need to be treated with more watery lotions (containing more water than oil/grease) to prevent a blocking of the pores and the development of comedones. There are even special skin conditioners for combination skin. Further skin protection is not required.
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The second idea is skin care: it returns to the skin the lost humidity and grease, to keep it in the ideal state or to repair it. More information here. |
Skin care
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Appropriate skin care contributes significantly to skin health.
 When you choose skin care products, please take into account your skin condition (dry / greasy skin) and the body location (scalp, hands).
Skin differs widely, depending on the skin condition, individual skin type and body location and needs adapted cleaning and care measures. Skin on the eyelids, e.g. or in the face is completely different in thickness and consistency from the skin on arms or foot soles.
If you use the wrong skin care products, you can cause problems on skin that has originally been healthy.
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The most important hints on cleaning can be found in a separate list, please read on here. |
|
Hints for cleaning and care
The most
important recommendations with respect to skin cleaning and
conditioning can be found in the table below. Adequate skin cleansing
and conditioning are especially important in greasy and combination
skin, and in dry skin.
| Normal skin |
|
Clean your face in the morning and in the evening with cleaning milk or
a synthetic detergent, and wash it off carefully afterwards.
For the body, soaps or synthetic detergents are recommendable. Day
conditioning should be done with a moisturizing cream. In very cold
weather or dry air it is good to use preparations that contain more
fat. At night, fatty emulsions should be given the preference. Apply
the cream not only to the face, but also to the rest of your body! The
skin should be protected against long water exposure as well as against
too hot water, chemical and mechanical irritations and sunlight.
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| Dry skin |
|
This applies to the so-called sensitive skin. For facial cleaning, one
should use cleaning milk with a high percentage in fats. For the
cleaning of the rest of the body moisturizing substances are highly
recommendable. Expose your body to water as little as possible: don’t
shower or bathe too often, and if you have to bathe, better use oil
baths. Afterwards please apply a fat lotion. Also for the face, fatty
emulsions containing moisturizing substances should be used. Skin
protection is very important.
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| Greasy/oily skin |
|
The hyperactivity of the sebaceous glands, increasing the supply of
fats on the skin, enhances the development of comedones. Therefore
cleaning and conditioning should aim at the reduction of the sebum
production, the inhibition of the growth of germs and a removal of
comedones. Face peeling can be recommended. Oil baths must be
completely discouraged. Watery and only slightly lubricating lotions
are recommended for conditioning. Do not apply too much cream, this
might cause spots and inflammations of the hair follicles. Human skin
is very resistant, but please never forget to protect yourself against
the sun!
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| |
| Combination skin |
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Combination skin is, as the word suggests, a combination of different
skin conditions: the pores with the sebaceous glands produce large
amounts of sebum, but the skin between the pores is dry, and, as a
third factor, the pores are distributed on the skin in an irregular
pattern. Combination skins requires special care and often makes
necessary to use two different products. The dry skin areas need fatty
lotions (containing more grease/oil than water), while the fatty areas
need to be treated with more watery lotions (containing more water than
oil/grease) to prevent a blocking of the pores and the development of
comedones. There are even special skin conditioners for combination
skin. Further skin protection is not required.
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The last component is skin protection. It serves to avoid skin diseases and strives to protect the skin against harmful influences. More information here. |
Skin protection
| Our skin is being exposed to many external factors that may often not be favourable. For this reason, skin, healthy or sick, well cared for or stressed, needs to be protected well against external influences.
 For example, it is important to protect skin against the UV radiation of the sun.
Another important field is the protection of skin against substances that you may come up against at work (e. g. as a hairdresser), against aggressive substances in the household, and against water. The most important protective measure in these cases is to wear protective gloves.
We also shouldn’t forget to protect our skin in our leisure time. For example, who loves to do wind surfing needs to protect him- or herself not only against the sun but also against the water (especially in the beginning - then even more against the water than against the sun, except if you should be an absolute natural!) If you go skiing, please don’t forget to protect yourself, next to the protection against cold, wind and weather, also against the strong sunlight.
Dry skin and the skin of children and older persons are especially sensitive. But all skin, also healthy and normal skin, needs to be protected, not just damaged or sensitive skin. You finally want to keep your skin in its healthy state. |
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