Skin Diagnosis

Skin diagnosis is the first and most essential step in creating your customized skincare.
A multi-dimensional skin examination takes place to analyze skin factors such as skin moisture level, sebum production, skin elasticity, number and size of pores, wrinkle depth, etc.

SKINLAV is the only company in Cyprus that performs skin testing on special measuring equipment by the German Courage + Khazaka electronic GmbH. The company has always been the world market leader in scientific skin testing, and its equipment is used even on the international space station.  

Skin parameters measured during the diagnosis:

Skin hydration – the water balance in the skin is one of the main indicators of its health. The moisture content of the stratum corneum influences several skin characteristics including mechanical properties and barrier function. This has made hydration

Erythema (redness) – is a specific reddening of the skin caused by injured or inflamed blood capillaries. In some cases, this is a completely normal physiologic skin condition. However, sometimes it occurs in response to a drug or some pathological processes such as allergies, infections, inflammation, skin pathologies (dermatitis), etc. The Mexameter® measures the amount of melanin in the skin and the degree of erythema. The measurement time is only 1 second.
Pigmentation – coloring of the skin that occurs due to damaged or unhealthy special cells affecting the production of melanin (the melanogenesis system). The most common causes are prolonged exposure to the sun, hormonal imbalance, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, prolonged inflammation of the skin, etc. Using the sensor, which contains lamps with standard sources of red, green, and blue light, we measure the level and depth of melanin.
Skin pH-level shows the ratio of acid and alkali on the surface of the skin. Thanks to it, the skin retains elasticity, the normal production of sebum, and protection from pathogenic flora: acidity ensures the coordinated work of skin cells, control of microflora on the surface of the skin, and prevents the reproduction of pathogenic flora. In addition, the pH level affects the rate of renewal of the stratum corneum. The more acidic the skin, the lower the pH value, and the more alkaline it is, the higher the pH. The modern, high-quality electronics of the probe allow a very quick (1 s) and reliable measurement avoiding occlusion effects.
Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is the amount of water that passively evaporates through the skin to the external environment due to a water vapor pressure gradient on both sides of the skin barrier and is used to characterize skin barrier function. If the stratum corneum is intact, then moisture will accumulate in the skin and in the underlying layers. And if not, then TEWL occurs, which leads to dryness. Dryness of the skin causes wrinkles, inflammation, and dead cells that stop exfoliating and accumulate. The measurement is performed in an open measuring chamber with two sensor pairs: temperature and humidity to exactly calculate the water gradient without influencing the skin and its microclimate.

Elasticity – defines the quality of the skin to change its shape under the application of a force and to return to its original shape when the force is ceased to be applied. Elastin fibers are responsible for elasticity: they pass diagonally at different angles, “tightening” the dermis and preventing its components from separating. Both collagen and elastin fibers are synthesized by fibroblasts. Over time, their activity decreases, and therefore, there is less elastin and collagen, which leads to loss of tone, wrinkles (folds and creases), and flabbiness of the skin. To date, the most accurate and reproducible method for determining elasticity is vacuum cytometry which is used during skin diagnosis.

Oiliness. The reason for the increased oiliness of the skin is the active work of the sebaceous glands. This can be both heredity and the result of any problems in the body. Most often, the causes are hormonal imbalance, malnutrition, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, and even improper skincare. During skin diagnosis, we use special foil to show the level of skin oiliness. When in contact with the skin’s oil the foil becomes transparent, and this transparency is evaluated inside the devices by a photodiode. The measurement time is 10 s.

Desquamation is dryness and flaking of the skin. Desquamation appears due to a lack of skin hydration and a decrease in NMF (Natural Moisturizing Factor) – a natural moisturizing factor, consisting of molecules and other components of the interstitial fluid, which are responsible for moisturizing and retaining moisture in the skin. The destruction of the natural protective lipid layer leads to transepidermal loss of moisture by cells and intense dehydration of the epidermis. With age, the cell renewal cycle increases, which causes the accumulation of dead cells and, as a result, dry skin. We measure desquamation by the Corneofix® CF 20, a special transparent adhesive tape to collect dry skin (dead corneocytes) from the skin surface. The dryer the skin the more flakes will stick to the tape, thus it is an accurate visualization of the level of dryness or damaged skin. When the foil is used with the Visioscope® camera, the desquamation level is evaluated in software.
Depth of wrinkles The high-resolution images of the full-face photography device VisioFace® 1000 D and the handheld camera Visioscope® show lines and wrinkles visibly. The software expresses the result in % of the area in the image.
The high-resolution images of the full-face photography device VisioFace® 1000 D and the handheld camera (Visioscope® show small and large pores separately. The software expresses the result in % of the area in the image.