Desquamation is the natural process in which skin cells are sloughed away and replaced. New skin cells are created in the deepest layer of the epidermis (stratum germinativum). From this layer, the cells begin their migration to the skin’s surface. Once the cells reach the uppermost layer of the skin ( stratum corneum ) they are essentially dead. These tightly packed cells of the stratum corneum continuously fall as newer cells push their way to the surface. The entire process, from cell birth to sloughing away, takes approximately 28-30 days. In pathologic desquamation, the stratum corneum becomes thicker (hyperkeratosis), imparting a "dry" or scaly appearance to the skin, and instead of detaching as single cells, corneocytes are shed in clusters, forming visible scales.

There are many dermatological diseases when we can see descamation: psoriasis, seborrheic dermatites, eczema and other inflammatory skin diseases.

If you have this condition, see your dermatologist.

Best wishes from Brazil!

Dr. Érica Monteiro - Cosmetic Dermatologist

www.dermatologia.com.br

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 10:08 am and is filed under general. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.