2:1 The Skin: in This Module You Will Learn

In this module you will learn:
 About skin layers and their roles

 About Contraindications and Contra actions
 What the Epidermis is
 About the Dermis and the important role it plays
 What to do in the event the skin layer gets broken while treatment is being carried out
2:1 The Skin
The chances are you already know that the skin is the body’s
largest organ.
In addition to acting as a mechanical barrier between the inside of your body
and pathogens outside, it keeps you warm, and it keeps you cool.
What you may not know is that the nail bed and your nails are simply an ex-
tension of the skin. This is why both are so important to nail technicians.
In order to do this, the skin needs to be robust. For the majority of people, this
is the case. Aside from the odd spot of sunburn, many do not experience any
acute or chronic skin conditions. However, this does require the skin’s owner
to treat it properly. As a nail technician, you too will need to treat the skin prop-
erly. Part of your role will involve bringing it into contact with noxious sub-
stances.
Because of this, you need to understand the skin, its layers, and its roles.
Knowing more about all these factors can help you determine which products
to use and it helps you know how to respond when something goes wrong.
Contraindications and Contra actions
Even though most people don’t experience any acute or chronic skin condi-
tions, as nail technicians we may need to deal with contraindications or contra
actions on a daily basis.
Contraindications: this would mean you wouldn’t be able to go ahead with
treatment, and to advise your client to seek medical attention; in some cases
you can work around a contraindication but make this clear to the client. Al-
ways remember to never ‘diagnose’ a client as you’re not a qualified physi-
cian.
Examples of contraindications:
 skin conditions: eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis
 cuts\abrasions
 bruising\swelling
 lumps\swelling
 infectious skin diseases: impetigo, scabies, chicken pox, mumps
 broken bones
 ringworm
 fungal nail infections
 paronychia(whitlow)

Contra actions:
this is something that would happen during a treatment meaning the treatment
would need to be stopped.
Examples of contra actions:
 headache
 nausea
 vomiting
 profuse sweating
 restlessness and irritability
 feeling faint
 abnormal erythema (redness of skin)
 allergic reaction – make sure any allergic reactions are noted down in
clients’ records, so you know for future appointments
When performing your consultation, before every treatment, any contra-indica-
tions should be made a note of, and, if any contra-actions happen during the
client’s treatment, make sure this is also noted.
Human skin cross-section

2:2 The Epidermis
The outermost layer of the skin is the epidermis.

Its etiology stems from the Greek word ‘epi’ which means ‘over’, along with the
anatomical term ‘dermis’.
The epidermis is made from something called ‘stratified squamous epithelium’.
Across the body, there are cells made from several defining shapes. Squamous cells
tend to be flat, and the stratified element means they are layered on top of one another.
The stratified squamous epithelium of the epidermis makes its way up towards the
surface from the basal layer of the skin. This is a continuous process, and as they
move upwards they lose their keratin and die. In other words, the epidermis is made of
dead skin cells.
Does this mean the epidermis is insensitive? Not at all. There is only a small distance
between the epidermis and nerves that fire pain signals, which means you need to pay
close attention to your clients’ skin as you work on them.
Epidermis cross-section
2:3 The Dermis

The dermis, otherwise known as the skin’s dermal layer, is a little
more complex than the epidermis.
It has nerve endings, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, hair follicles, and blood vessels.
Sebaceous glands produce and release sebum in order to lubricate and protect the sur-
face of the skin.
Hair follicles are the part of skin which grows hair by packing old cells together.
Blood vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body.
They take away carbon dioxide from the tissues.
Thanks to those hair follicles and sweat glands, the dermis plays an important role in
keeping you safe. The hair follicles, when stimulated, let you know that something is
present on your skin. This is a protective mechanism, as it allows you to remove what-
ever that thing is. At the same time, they will stand on end and flatten themselves to
respond to varying degrees of heat.
Sweat glands produce sweat but also push sebum through too, which keeps your skin
supple. Sebum can be responsible for acne at times, but for the most part it is a lubri-
cant that prevents the progression and establishment of conditions like dermatitis.
When it comes to maintaining the skin’s tone, the dermis plays an incredibly impor-
tant role. There’s a lot of connective tissue and collagen there, which keeps the epider-
mis above nice and stretchy.
2:4 Subcutaneous Layer
As a nail technician, you’ll have very little to do with the subcutaneous layer, but
it helps to know that it’s there.
The subcutaneous layer of the skin is made of fat and connective tissue. Its presence
helps keep the skin in shape, and it regulates a healthy body temperature.
Among all these layers, you will find:
 Small blood vessels: Unlike major blood vessels, they’re not likely to make you bleed
excessively when disturbed. However, they do feed down into the larger ones, which
means cutting them increases the risk of infection. It’s painful too.
 Nerve endings: The skin features nerve endings and there really is a lot of them.
They come under lots of different names, but some of them can produce raw and un-
comfortable feelings when sheared. At the same time, these nerve endings deliver
pleasurable sensations during hand massages.
 Melanin: Melanin is responsible for the color we go when we tan. For some of us this
means turning a glaring shade of pink, while others may find they obtain a bronze
complexion.
One of the key things you need to remember about the skin as a nail technician is that
it’s a barrier to infection. When disturbed, even the smallest of cuts can lead to serious
problems. As such, you need to make sure your working environment and your tools
are as sterile as possible. This includes items such as files, brushes, metal tolls, towels
etc – everything must be sterilized. In addition, you should change gloves between
clients. This is made easier by using disposable gloves.
If you do break this barrier, don’t carry on working. Hopefully you just won’t do this,
but if you do you should clean the wound, dress it, and ask the client to keep an eye
on it.
Finally, you also need to remember that the skin is the pathway to great sensations
when you’re performing manicures and pedicures. Different nerve endings deliver dif-
ferent types of signals. When brushed lightly, some send slow and sensuous signals,
while others deliver tickling sensations. Learning how to apply the right amount of
pressure is the best way to ensure your customer relaxes and enjoys their treatment.
The skin isn’t just important to you, it’s important to your client. Having an under-
standing of its anatomy, how it responds to different forms of stimulation, and what to
do if you injure it are all key to your success.
Go and Practice
Estimated time: 10 minutes
Study the human skin cross section from section 2.1 then print out the worksheet be-
low and fill in the missing blanks.
Once completed come back and take the test.
Download Worksheet
Module Summary
In this module, you learned a little about the skin. Not only is the skin an important
barrier to infection, it is full of nerve endings that let you deliver great hand and foot
massages to your clients.
There are three key layers to the skin you need to understand: the epidermis, dermis,
and subcutaneous layer. Knowing more about them helps you keep your clients safe.
You also learned about contraindications and contra actions, and how important it is to
make a note of these when performing your consultation.

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In this module you will learn:

 About skin layers and their roles

2:1 The Skin

 infectious skin diseases: impetigo, scabies, chicken pox, mumps

 fungal nail infections

Human skin cross-section

The outermost layer of the skin is the epidermis.

2:3 The Dermis

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