Desquamation is the scientific term for peeling skin. This can occur on both the face and the rest of the body, and is a natural phenomenon of epidermal regeneration following an assault, the most common of which is from the sun's UV rays. Why does your skin peel? How can this process be avoided? Discover everything there is to know about this phenomenon.
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How to prevent peeling?
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Published February 18, 2022,
updated on October 4, 2024,
by
Maylis, Chemical Engineer
—
5 min read
Peeling skin, what is it?
Peeling skin, or desquamation, refers to the loss of skin clusters, known as scales. This process involves the removal of the horny layer, the upper layer of the epidermis. On average, skin cells renew themselves every 28 days. Therefore, desquamation is a normal phenomenon but can become pathological when it occurs too frequently.
Typically, peeling skin is a sign of dehydration. When the skin is healthy, it maintains a balance between water and lipids. However, in the event of external aggressions or skin dryness, this balance is disrupted, making the skin sensitive and vulnerable. Consequently, lipid production decreases, preventing the skin from naturally maintaining its hydration and protection. To restore this balance, cellular regeneration is accelerated, hence the peeling.
Desquamation can affect all parts of the body such as the face, eyebrows, feet, or even the hands. In the scalp, it is the cause of dandruff. This phenomenon can be accompanied by other symptoms such as itching.
What are the causes?
There can be various explanations for peeling skin:
External Factors: Sunburn (in this case, peeling only affects the burnt area or areas), hard water, excessive use of soap or mechanical abrasion (such as exfoliation), stress, etc...
Innate and Genetic Factors: Eczema, naturally dry skin, etc... ;
Hormonal Factors: For instance, after menopause.
How to avoid it?
To prevent peeling, it is important to adopt certain precautions:
Regarding skin peeling following a sunburn, this can be avoided by applying a care product with a protection factor (PF or SPF in English) suitable for your skin tone. Phototypes III, IV, V and VI can thus use our face sunscreen SPF30. It is enriched with aloe vera (INCI: "Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice"), karanja oil (INCI: "Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil") and hyaluronic acid derived from fermented wheat. The clever blend of these three components protects the skin from UV while maintaining its hydration.
Bonus : Its light texture leaves a finish without white marks, non-sticky and non-shiny. Also, avoid exposing yourself when the sun is at its zenith, between 11 am and 3 pm, to prevent sunburn.
Hydrating your skin. For the face, you could, for example, use the nourishing face cream with hyaluronic acid and shea butter. Thanks to its lipid-replenishing and hydrating active ingredients, this treatment reduces feelings of tightness and softens the skin. The face moisturising cream with 9 ingredients is another solution. It helps to hydrate and nourish the epidermis. These creams can be complemented by the treatments in the dry skin routine.
Avoid excessively hot showers. Hot water tends to dry out the skin and will only worsen the condition of a skin that is currently peeling.
If you are peeling or prone to this type of discomfort, do not perform exfoliation.
Never tear off peeling skin. Removing scales yourself can only delay healing and disrupt the repair process. Moreover, this can lead to infections.
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