Parchment Skin: How To Strengthen Thin Skin?
Our skin changes over time: With increasing age, it loses its elasticity, wrinkles appear in the area of the eyes, mouth, and forehead and sun damage becomes visible - for example in the form of pigment spots.
Strengthening thin skin: What you can do against parchment skin?
Parchment skin is extremely thin, dry, sensitive, and tears quickly - but with the right care you can get it under control (Christian Dior, Autumn/Winter 2018/19)
The skin does not only sag over the years. It also becomes drier, thinner, and less elastic. In the worst case, so-called parchment skin can even occur. We explain what is meant by this term and how you can treat and prevent thin skin.
What is parchment skin?
Parchment skin is understood to be extremely thin skin that has hardly any subcutaneous fatty tissue and that lacks elasticity. The skin is therefore particularly dry, sensitive and small veins can also be seen under the skin.
Because the skin is so fine and thin, mechanical stimuli can quickly lead to wounds or hematomas - the shins, elbows, or the cheek or nose area are often affected. Hence the name, because like parchment paper, the thin skin can tear quickly. Parchment skin can also be recognized by the slow healing of small wounds.
How can you strengthen thin skin? 5 care tips
1. The Right Skincare Ingredients For Parchment Skin
Regardless of whether you want to strengthen thin skin or prevent it: Optimize your daily care routine and rely on products that provide plenty of moisture, make the skin more resilient and support its regeneration.
And these active ingredients are recommended for the needs of delicate skin:
- Panthenol - supports the skin barrier, improves the skin's moisture balance, soothes after sunbathing, and supports wound healing.
- Vitamin C - is an anti-aging ingredient because the vitamin counteracts free radicals. These aggressive oxygen compounds attack the skin cells and destroy the collagen structure of the skin, which gives it stability, elasticity, and volume. This can lead to premature skin aging, which the vitamin prevents.
- Vitamin E - has anti-inflammatory effects, supports the regeneration of the skin, and also has an antioxidant anti-aging effect.
- Hyaluronic acid - is the ultimate moisture booster, which gently plumps up fine skin and softens wrinkles at the same time.
- Urea - is one of the best active ingredients for sensitive skin. It stimulates the renewal of the top layer of skin, soothes, relieves itching, irritation and inflammation, and smoothes mature skin. It also prevents skin aging.
2. Water-in-oil emulsions
Water-in-oil emulsions are particularly recommended for sensitive, dry skin. The care products have low water and high oil content and form a light film of fat on the skin. This prevents water loss and thus improves the skin's moisture content.
Tip: It is best to apply it to damp skin to optimize the effect.
3. Optimize the shower routine
Thinning skin and parchment skin is not limited to the face but affect the whole body. You should therefore also support the skin with special care in the shower.
Use a shower gel that cares for dry skin with moisturizing oils, or a pH-neutral, mild product. In addition, wash your body only with lukewarm water, because very hot water (as well as hot baths) only dries out the skin more.
Extra tip: Please do not rub the skin dry with a towel, just dab it gently.
4. Avoid aggressive ingredients
Alcohol, perfume, preservatives, and artificial colors are taboo for very sensitive skin. These can irritate and dry out the skin unnecessarily.
5. UV protection
To prevent and protect fine skin, you should avoid long sunbathing. External factors such as UV radiation damage the skin, lead to the formation of free radicals, and attack the elastic fibers. The result: the skin loses its elasticity and volume early on, wrinkles and pigment spots form.
In everyday life, you should therefore always protect the skin on your body and face from UV rays and rely on a high sun protection factor.
Parchment Skin Prevention: Lifestyle Also Contributes to Healthy Skin
For radiant, robust, and healthy skin, the right care should always go hand in hand with a healthy lifestyle. This includes:
- Enough sleep so that the skin and body can regenerate.
- A balanced diet that supports overall health and helps supply the skin with nutrients.
- Drink enough water for a fresh glow.
- Refraining from excessive alcohol consumption and cigarettes, which break down collagen and promote inflammation.
The causes of parchment skin
Parchment skin is a result of the skin's natural aging process. Our largest organ changes significantly over time break down natural fiber proteins and hyaluronic acid and produce less moisture. The skin becomes thinner, loses moisture and volume. But diseases such as diabetes and liver disease can also contribute to the development of parchment skin.
While older people with mature skin, in particular, suffer from the problem, in rare cases it can also affect young skin. The cause is usually the intake of medication with - for example - cortisone.
When is medical treatment needed for parchment skin?
Thinner skin with advanced age is perfectly normal. However, if the skin problem is severe, if injuries and infections occur, or if the skin loses firmness at a young age, those affected should always consult a doctor. The doctor can not only prescribe a medical ointment or silicone pads to treat sore spots but also help to find the reason for the skin problem and rule out internal causes such as diseases.
15.02.2021
1012
Comments
