Damaged skin

Damaged skin is a broad concept. Skin that is damaged does not always have to be visibly damaged. Of course there is clearly visible skin damage accompanied with visible blood. Usually occurred through cutting or being wounded. Skin can also be damaged without it being immediately visible.

As mentioned in the topic “dry skin”, our skin is actually being “damaged” daily due to our bathing rituals. By simply washing the skin with water and soap, the skin gets “damaged”.

Regarding diaper rashes: urine and feces harm the skin’s protective layer as it slowly “wipes away” the protective layer as well. Urine and feces additionally contain sharp and corrosive substances that further enhance and accelerate the harmful and damaging process. Therefore, a wet or soiled diaper can pretty much damage the skin in a similar way. The skin becomes weak, sensitive and vulnerable. This increases the risk of diaper rashes. Diaper rashes have different gradations and each gradation has its own form of damaged skin; e.g. visibly broken skin and almost invisible skin damage.

Vulnerable skin

When skin is wet or stays wet, even for a relatively short period of time, e.g: a diaper or wet underpants, the skin becomes week and vulnerable. Even though it still seems to be intact, the epidermis has lost its protective function. When the protective function is half way or completely gone, the skin has become so sensitive that just a simple touch or plain contact with water can be painful. Subsequently we start using a product of choice to reverse the symptoms and ease the pain. It is actually predictable and obvious that application of that product, any product, is therefore also a painful experience!

The way the skin reacts to touch, being in contact with water or a product and ofcourse more urine/feces is by getting red, hot and painful. Mostly we blame the product used to calm the symptoms and assume the product is not “good”. But that is not a fair assumption. The skin is by now so damaged, it has lost its protective layer and function and is so vulnerable that it will respond immediately by being red, hot and painful to everything. Whether it’s touch, water or product.

Natural recovery of the skin

Skin being red and hot may actually and even be the beginning of a recovery response and increased blood flow to help skin restoration. Skin hydration, stimulation of regeneration and natural recovery of the skin are highly important and is advised as much as possible and as soon as possible.

Unfortunately we tend to lather on thick layers of fatty creams as we think it will make the skin feel better. But actually it is not desirable at all to use that much fatty cream because due to it, the skin stays wet, can not breathe and therefore can not be restored. A thick layer of cream gives us the impression that it is soothing and that there is less pain, but the problem is maintained and the skin is actually getting worse.

Properly hydrating the skin in such situations is very important, as it will stimulate recovery. But it is crucial for a cream to be absorbed quickly by the skin and to be able dry very fast. Only then it’ll stimulate skin recovery. Skin that is ‘resilient’ and intact will not respond negatively to the use of water or a gentle cream. The base cream of our Pump Spray-on Technology is proven 24 hour hydrating and regenerative, so a very good choice. See “Base Cream“.

Sometimes the way skin reacts to a product is interpreted as an allergic reaction or skin irritation caused by application of a product. Often this is not correct and the reaction occurs because the skin is already broken without it being visible.

Overview