1 - Basics of skin care

Abstract

The skin is the body’s largest organ that maintains not only our homeostasis, but also a physiologic environment for us to inhabit. Moreover, the skin has an important aesthetic function, as it reveals information about health, age, and environmental exposures. The skin has captivated people since the beginning of time: skin has been described in the canon of western literature as glowy, dewy, luminous, and beautiful. Similarly, when the skin is weathered, wrinkled, creased, or worn, patients may feel almost trapped in their own bodies. Skincare can be a challenging topic in minimally invasive aesthetic plastic surgery, as it traverses the boundary between cosmetics and a medicalized approach to the dermis. Product marketing is not necessarily related to product efficacy, and consumer confusion is high. An academic approach to skin care requires focus on ingredients that have demonstrated clinical efficacy, and gradual incorporation of products, according to unique patient characteristics. Topics related to skin and complexion have an increasing importance as people are celebrating the unique variance in their skin tones, colors, and textures. Understanding skin from a 21st-century perspective demands respectfully considering patients of all demographic backgrounds and skin colors. Approaches that may work well for one patient population may not work well for another, and the nuances of treating the skin of people of color cannot be underestimated.