The largest and heaviest organ in the human body, the skin envelops and protects us, while informing us about the outside world through the sense of touch. Not only can we not survive without it, but so far nothing can replace it entirely.
Thanks to its pH, it prevents bacteria, viruses and fungi from proliferating on its surface and entering the body. The keratinocyte cells present on its surface and the Langerhans cells, macrophages found in the skin tissue, are at the forefront of our immune system. But the skin is not infallible and sometimes lets itself be overwhelmed, opening the way to various infectious agents (viruses, fungi, etc.) which develop there, due to favorable circumstances. Sixteen million French people over the age of fifteen would be affected by a skin disease.
She may also sometimes respond inappropriately to what she sees as aggression. Then appear eczema, psoriasis, acne, which are inflammatory conditions. Under the repeated effect of attacks, in particular the sun, the skin can also be irreparably injured, unable to repair the damage it has suffered.
Skin problems due to covid
Wearing the mask seems to have led to an increase in the number of complaints of redness and irritation, or even microcysts and pimples which gave rise to the appearance of the term “maskné”, a contraction of the words mask and acne. Likewise, between the use of hydroalcoholic gel and the reinforced hand washing recommended in barrier gestures, the skin of the hands has become drier than usual. But what about the rest of the body? During the first confinement, the Société des eaux de l’Ouest parisien (SEOP), which supplies water to more than a million users in the Ile-de-France region, announced that it had increased the quantity of chlorine in water treatment to make more effective handwashing, and destroying the virus more quickly. Tap water remains drinkable, but can be a little more corrosive to the skin.
When you wash with insistence, you strip the hydrolipidic film that covers the skin. However, this film is essential to prevent the skin from being dry. It is a greasy surface that prevents water from evaporating too much. When it disappears, the skin no longer has a way to retain the water it contains and dries out more quickly. There are several solutions to combat this problem… and drinking more water is not one of them! “No matter what you drink, without evaporation protection, the skin will remain dry”, explains the Parisian dermatologist Marie-Estelle Roux.
Should we change our washing and moisturizing habits?
To renew this hydrolipidic film, two possibilities: wash a little less, or in any case “do not insist on the parts that do not get too dirty in these times of confinement and teleworking. For example, you can avoid applying soap on the stomach, the back, the arms or even the legs”, she underlines. In any case, it is better touse superfatted soap. Another option, entirely compatible with the first: “remember to put some cream on the body, it will replace the hydrolipidic film. Prefer creams based on the fatty phase or ceramides, which act like brick walls preventing the evaporation of water from the skin. Prefer them neutral, without perfume, to avoid any aggression”.
For irritated scalps, she advises using mild, moisturizing shampoos, and if necessary using food supplements based on omega 3, omega 6 and borage oil. Or slightly modify your diet by increasing your consumption of sardines and salmon, for example. Finally, you can opt for nourishing masks with natural oils such as sweet almond, deposited directly on the skull.
Antiseptic soaps: a false good idea!
Be careful not to wash (neither hands nor body) with antiseptic solutions. Some might be tempted by showers of betadine to be sure of killing the Covid-19… But it would be counterproductive, as Marie-Estelle Roux explains. Antiseptic solutions or soaps will unbalance the microbiota skin. This is made up of “good” bacteria which have a defensive role against external attacks (such as viruses). If we disturb this microbiota, we become more fragile.
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