Skin cleansing in health and disease.

Skin cleansing has to be considered as an important component of daily hygiene in normal skin and as an important part of therapy in diseased skin. The crucial point is the choice of the cleansing agent to be recommended as skin tolerance of detergents is sometimes low. The evaluation of cleansing products depends upon their cleansing action (detergent or adsorptive), on the general and specifically epidermal toxicity of the components, on the rinsability of the product, and on the amount and nature of the additives, e. g. perfume oils. The knowledge of all the above-mentioned points will help the cosmetic adviser as well as the dermatologist to make the right choice depending upon the actual condition of the skin.