Skin Analysis & Diagnosis

The Chandler Clinic offers the most professional and effective Cosmetic Medicine and Beauty Therapy treatments.

At the heart of the practice is the belief that improving how we look and investing in looking after ourselves has a positive impact on other areas of our life, strengthening our self-assurance and enhancing our well-being.

Wow, what an incredible spring so far. I wrote this last week, when the temperature in Timaru was 27 and in Melbourne was 17! The warm weather reminded me of how amazing our skin is at regulating our body’s temperature regardless of the outside temperature. So, for the next few columns, we’re going to celebrate your wonderful skin by discovering amazing skin facts and how best to care for it.

Your skin is your body’s largest and fastest-growing organ. Your skin keeps all your insides in, and unless it’s damaged, keeps germs and water out. It helps you stay warm when it’s cold, and cool when it’s hot. Your skin is made up of three main layers-the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis.

The epidermis is the top layer and is super thin in some parts (your eyelids) and thicker in others (the bottoms of your feet). The epidermis is the layer of skin in charge of:

  • Making new skin cells: This happens at the bottom of the epidermis. The skin cells travel up to the top layer and flake off, about a month after they form.
  • Giving skin its color: The epidermis makes melanin, which is what gives your skin its color.
  • Protecting your body: The epidermis has special cells that are part of your immune system and help you stay healthy.

The dermis is the middle layer of skin. It’s much thicker and does the following:

  • Makes sweat: Sweat glands in the dermis make sweat, which comes out of your pores. Sweating keeps you cool and helps you remove unnecessary products.
  • Gives you sensation: Nerve endings in the dermis help you feel things. These nerve endings send signals to your brain, so you know if something hurts, is itchy or feels nice when you touch it.
  • Grows hair: The dermis is where you’ll find the root of each hair in your skin. Each root attaches to a tiny muscle that tightens and gives you ‘goose bumps’ when you are cold or scared.
  • Makes oil: Another gland in your skin makes oil. The oil keeps your skin soft, smooth and waterproof. Sometimes the glands make too much oil and cause acne.
  • Brings blood to your skin: Blood feeds your skin and takes unnecessary products away.

The bottom layer of skin is the subcutaneous fat layer. This layer plays an important role in your body by:

  • Attaching the dermis to your muscles and bones: This layer has special connecting tissue that attaches the dermis to your muscles and bones.
  • Helping the blood vessels and nerve cells: Blood vessels and nerve cells in the dermis get bigger and travel to the rest of your body from here.
  • Controlling your body temperature: The subcutaneous fat is the layer that helps keep your body from getting too warm or too cold.
  • Storing your fat: This fat pads your muscles and bones and protects them from bumps and falls.