The skin is made up of
two main layers, the
epidermis and the
dermis. The
epidermis is a
thin layer which acts as a
barrier to prevent moisture from leaving the body and
fluid and chemical from entering the body. The epidermis is
several skin cells , thick and develop from the deeper epidermis,
gradually maturing, migrating towards the surface, becoming a
keratin protein, factory and finally flaking off at the surface.
Most of cells in the
epidermis are skin cells called
keratinocytes where the function is
making keratin as the structural protein of the skin. There are other cells in the epidermis and these includes
melanocytes. These make the pigment which
gives the skin it's color and become more active when expose to the sun. When there is a
sun damage, there are
excess pigmentation on different areas of the skin.
Melanocytes are the cells which are linked to
melanoma- a serious skin cancer and it's solar radiation which is most
responsible for the development if this type of cancer.
Aging and sun damage have been treated for many decades with dermabrasion. A mechanical sanding of the skin with a rapidly spinning abrasive device, or by chemical peel- the application of weak acid solutions. Both methods produce a superficial second degreee or partial thickness burn. Dermabrasion cause a mild friction burn, just as we all got when we fell and scrapped ourselves. Chemical peels produce a mild chemical burn.
Dermabrasion, chemical peels and laser resurfacing remove the epidermis and part of the dermis, leaving sweat glands and hair follicles in the remaining dermis.
Cells grow out from the hair and sweat glands to form a new epidermis. The dermis is slightly thinner. After healing, shallow wrinkles may be eliminated, deeper ones are shallower
