WHERE TO BUY ABOUT US CONTACT US UK SKIN CONDITIONS PRODUCTS LET’S TALK HELP & ADVICE BUY NOW DRY SKIN BROWSE RELATED PRODUCTS A GUIDE TOWARDS STRONGER SKIN Your skin acts as a natural barrier between you and the outside world. It helps to protect your body from the allergens, viruses and bacteria you encounter every day. That’s why it pays to take good care of it. SKIN: YOUR NATURAL BARRIER One of the most important functions of the outermost part of your skin is the formation of your skin barrier. This helps to prevent irritants, micro-organisms and allergens from entering the body. Your skin’s barrier also controls water loss and helps to keep your skin soft and supple. Your skin barrier regulates the water content in your skin and protects you against the world around you. Your skin barrier function is mainly made up of stratum corneum, which is the outermost part of the epidermis. Stratum corneum, just like a normal brick and mortar wall is made up of two parts. The “bricks” are flattened dead skin cells called corneocytes. The “mortar” is made up of lipids (or natural oils). Your corneocytes consist of natural moisturizing factors such as urea and lactic acid, which help to attract water to the cells. Lipids hold these cells in place and help to fill in the gaps. Working as one, this protective “wall” helps to keep moisture in and micro-organisms and allergens out. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR NATURAL BARRIER IS DAMAGED? When the skin’s natural barrier is weakened or damaged, your body struggles to maintain the right balance of moisture, which can cause dry skin. Dry skin may have a flaky appearance, with red irritated areas, as well as dry white patches. It may feel rough and uneven to the touch and typically create a feeling of tightness and itching, which may also develop into painful cracks. A weakened skin barrier may result in a further increase in water loss, resulting in a more pronounced dryness, as well as increased vulnerability. Dry skin may additionally cause an itching sensation, which may produce an urge to scratch. Repeated itching and scratching of dry skin can lead to skin damage, increasing the risk of secondary inflammation in the skin, infections, and even eczema. HOW DERMALEX HELPS The Dermalex range of creams and gels has been specially formulated to moisturise and protect your skin and keep your natural barrier strong and healthy. Each product in the range has been developed with a thorough understanding of the factors that lead to common skin conditions and clinically-proven to treat and relieve the symptoms that make problem skin so uncomfortable. BROWSE PRODUCTS INTENSIVE MOISTURISATION AND PROTECTION FOR DRY SKIN Itchy, irritated or flaky skin are all signs that your skin is dry. Your skin is the body’s largest organ and your first line of defence against the world outside. While this natural barrier is highly effective, it is sensitive, and subtle day-to-day changes in temperature or humidity can make your skin feel drier than normal. Dermalex can help to keep your skin soft and supple. For help and advice across a range of skin conditions and how Dermalex can help, please see our Help and Advice section. DRY SKIN HELPS TO SOOTHE YOUR SKIN ORDER ONLINE REFERENCES 22. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3891143/ SKIN CONDITIONS PRODUCTS HELP & ADVICE WHERE TO BUY ABOUT US CONTACT US MODERN SLAVERY STATEMENT Cookie Settings