Desquamation is the technical term for the natural shedding of skin cells, a process that reveals newer skin cells on the top layer of the skin, known as the stratum corneum. Because the stratum corneum acts as a protective barrier against the environment and other factors, it is comprised of skin cells that are densely packed together.

You may know the more familiar term, exfoliation, which is actually the shedding of skin cells performed by mechanical means. Noninvasive forms of cosmetic surgery, such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion, are essentially forms of exfoliation.

Skin cells form by division way below the top layer of the skin, in the stratum germinativum. From formation to desquamation, the average length of time it takes is about 28 days.

Desquamation isn’t really a term you need to know, but why not impress your friends by adding it to your vocabulary?

This entry was posted on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 9:30 am and is filed under General Health. 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.