NIC Esthetician Written ExamScientific ConceptsMedium
A client is undergoing a series of advanced exfoliation treatments. The esthetician explains that one of the primary goals is to accelerate the natural process by which old, dead skin cells are shed from the outermost layer of the epidermis. What is this cellular shedding process called?
- ADesquamation
- BMelanogenesis
- CKeratinization
- DMitosis
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Desquamation
Desquamation is the natural process of shedding dead skin cells from the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis. Exfoliation treatments aim to enhance this process.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Melanogenesis is the process of melanin production by melanocytes.
- C. Keratinization is the process by which keratinocytes fill with keratin and flatten, moving towards the skin surface.
- D. Mitosis is cell division, which produces new skin cells, not sheds old ones.
Desquamation
The natural process of shedding or flaking off of the outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum), replacing old cells with new ones.
- Essential for healthy skin turnover.
- Slows down with age, leading to dullness.
- Exfoliation treatments accelerate this process.
Memory trick: New cells grow, fill, then shed away.