Hydrating the Skin

Using Nemidon Gels

Nemidon Limited has specially developed aqueous gels of a pleasant texture without the addition of oils. The gel, is derived from a neutral seaweed colloid, is water attracting yet is insoluble in cold water.

The molecular structure of the gel consists of long tubes and cavities walled by sugar units. These allow water to diffuse in and out at will, hence it will immediately begin providing water to anything which is inherently drier than it is, yet will absorb water if it is partially dry.

The large cavities allow active ingredients to be delivered to the skin. If the ingredients are water soluble, they are delivered by diffusion. If the ingredients are fat soluble, body lipids will draw them from the gel. Unlike most other gels or creams, there is no distribution co-efficient to overcome and there is an increase in efficiency of delivery of these ingredients.

When the gel is rubbed onto the skin it appears to be absorbed into the skin so that there is no discernible residue, unless one has bee deliberately added. This leaves the skin with a pleasant velvet feeling. Accordingly, strapping can be applied immediately after application.

Additionally it is an excellent moisturiser and equally it is good for providing a moisture balance, thus unlike most other skin application it will allow perspiration to pass through rather than the application being irrigated off with perspiration.

NEMIDON GELS vs ACRYLIC GELS

If Polymer strands lie together like spaghetti, the polymer is insoluble. If each strand is totally surrounded by solvent which requires groups on the sides of the strands to provide solubilising interactions, the polymer dissolves. If the polymer is basically soluble but the strands are linked in places, the material may form a gel.

Synthetic gels such as carbopol gain solubility through carboxylic acids and are tied by cross links. Because synthetic cross linking is random, no special additional attributes arise. Solubilising groups such a carboxylic acids (see examples such as Flexall and Cool Gel) tend to feel tacky and if neutralized e.g by sweat/perspiration acids the gel will break down.

Nemidon is based on seaweed derived sugar polymers and is solubilised by hydroxyl groups which are sufficiently non interactive and water like. No tackiness follows and the gel is stable to all chemicals found on skin or used in cosmetic/pharmaceutical preparations. Nemidon is totally soluble in hot water but gels on cooling through hydrogen bonds. (These hold the strands DNA together) Seaweeds have designed the spacing of these cross links in order to encapsulate chemicals of value to them, so we can also use these spaces. Because the hydrogen bonds are weak, but instantly reformed by rubbing, allowing the release of encapsulated material.

Alternatively water and solution can pass rapidly through the large pores permitting rapid availability and because the free energy requirement to pass moisture in or out of the gel is close to zero, it is an excellent moisturizer/regulator.

Overcoming the problems with oily or watery applications

Harry's Cosmetology notes that water is the only material that will plasticize the outer layers of the skin, thus giving the feeling of "smooth soft skin". If water is lost more rapidly from the stratum corneum than is supplied by the epidermis, the skin becomes dehydrated. Thus skin dehydration occurs with dry air, as the rate of water loss increases, however other issues affect the water levels, such as the protein structure, which is apparently the cause of aged skin dehydrating faster. The simple addition of water to the skin does not reverse the process, and may make it subsequently worse, again possibly by disrupting the protein packing, thus creating better avenues for water to escape. An oily material placed over the outside layer blocks water escaping. However, besides blocking pores, it appears to increase the rate of diffusion of water, hence once the coating is breached, water loss is actually faster than prior to application. If sweat occurs, it will wash the barrier away, and dehydration will actually occur faster.

Nemidon Ultra-Hydration gel has a unique means of overcoming these problems. Nemidon is a seaweed polysaccharide which, when it dries, forms an invisible film over the skin. As the film dries, it appears to shrink, thus forming a tighter film making contact with only the highest parts of the skin. UV reflection measurements demonstrate this: the film causes the loss of less than 8% skin reflectivity while material of comparable refractive index in contact with the skin causes a loss of up to 90% natural surface reflectivity. Accordingly, this moisturizer is almost unique in that the pores remain essentially unaffected by the moisturizer.

Water can diffuse through this film quite rapidly, as a consequence of large pore channels within the film, but on the other hand the film readily draws water from the air if it becomes dehydrated. The net result is that the film traps an extremely thin layer of moist air between the film and the skin, and hence provides a localized moist zone, of thickness in nanometers, just above the skin. This zone appears to provide the appropriate moisture levels to prevent the loss of water from the skin proteins in dry air, yet permit excess water to flow through it, thus helping to avoid the enhanced water transport caused by prolonged water contact. The film is quite tough, it is non-greasy, but it is also insoluble in cold water, hence it is not eroded away by sweat.

The net result is a film that, in a medical double-blind study, clearly yielded skin that was more pliable and flexible, (170% better than the other comparative product used in the medical trial). Once good skin was obtained, maintenance of this outcome only required applications every second day. At the same time, apart from a slightly velvety feel, the gel is quite invisible and cannot readily be detected, thus maintaining the natural appearance of the skin.

ADVANTAGES

• It is a pure aqueous gel
• After application no residue is left
• Non greasy – leaves the skin clean
• Long lasting effect
• Acts as a moisture regulator
• No smell
• Neutral Gel
• No alcohol or parabens
• Water or sweat is able to pass in and out ie the skin can breathe

USE:

Upon application the product will inherently pass water rapidly from the gel to the skin. If the skin is dry this will occur rapidly until the skin’s integrity improves. This depends upon the texture of the skin which may take from 3 –10 days to improve. Very good results have occurred with non infected fissures of the skin, which commonly occur due to occupational use, thereby, providing a first defence against bacterial and fungal infections.