Dr. Deepthi Prasad, MBBS.
Written by Our Editorial Team
One could never imagine urea being an ingredient used in skincare. Why would an ingredient such as urea be used in skincare? Is it even any good to use it? Should you incorporate it into your morning skincare routine? Travel down the rabbit hole of information with us as we take you through the blog about urea!
What Is Urea?
Urea is a compound produced inside our body and commonly used in fertilizers. It is odorless, colorless and is highly soluble in water. Made up of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen, it plays a vital role in our body by maintaining the nitrogen balance. It is also highly utilized by many manufacturing industries. You can use urea for a variety of other uses as well.
How Does Urea Work?
Urea is basically a keratolytic agent which breaks down the protein keratin in the outer layer of the skin. This action can help reduce dead skin buildup and helps get rid of flaking or scaling skin. If used consistently in your skincare regimen, you can yield extremely good results and your skin will be better than ever. Natural ingredients always work in favor of your body. One example of this can be Hyaluronic Acid for skin.
Also Read : Bid adieu to dehydrated skin with 5 kDa hyaluronic acid
Another ingredient, Hyaluronic Acid, used well and regularly can provide a number of benefits. It reduces skin stretch, wrinkles and lines. It also helps in faster wound recovery, reducing scarring caused by wounds. When using them together they are the perfect combination. Because while Hyaluronic Acid infuses the skin with moisture, urea locks it in and makes your skin glowy and soft, instead of dry and flaky!
What Does Urea Do In Skincare?
Our skin is made of 5 layers and the outermost layer of our skin, 'stratum corneum', is made up of Urea. What is the function of this skin you may ask? Its function is to maintain moisture in our skin and prevent it from excessive dryness. Mainly urea has these functions in a dry skin skincare routine.
1. Exfoliates Skin
Urea has the ability to remove dead skin cells and break the bond between them, making it easier to be removed from your skin. It thereby helps you attain better skin tone and texture.
2. Maintains Skin's Moisture Barrier
When applied directly to the skin, urea helps strengthen the uppermost layer of skin and helps to lock the moisture in skin. Products such as this are called humectants. They have the ability to collect water from our surroundings and trap it in our skin which helps us further in increasing the moisture of our skin.
3. Carries Antimicrobial Properties
Urea is a very useful product due to its antimicrobial properties as well. It was one of the first products to be used in modern medicine for the topical treatment of wounds due to its antimicrobial properties. So yes, it also exhibits similar properties when used in skincare, thus shielding your skin from infections in case you ever get wounded.
4. Reduces Neck Hyperpigmentation
It’s true. A study has indeed proven that urea can help reduce neck hyperpigmentation amongst adolescents, in which a 20% concentration urea cream proves to be most beneficial.
Also Read : What Is Hyperpigmentation And How To Get Rid Of It?
5. Treats Corn, Calluses etc.
Urea is a very commonly used treatment for corn, calluses and other skin conditions. If you ever find yourself facing these problems, then urea is a good solution to reduce them!
How To Use Urea In Your Skincare?
To incorporate urea into your morning skincare routine we must think of what it truly is at its core: a moisturizing agent. So as to use it in a skincare routine, as more of a treatment to dry skin skincare routine is the best way to go. Trust us when we say that urea is an amazing product to use in your skincare as body cleansers and moisturizers. Have a skin blemish you are aiming to fade? Urea is the product for you. Available easily in a skincare kit for your choice, be sure to use it!
To conclude, we have covered what urea is, its benefits and how you can use it in your skincare. We hope we shed some new light on how urea can be used to replenish your skin’s beauty!
About Doctor :
Dr. Deepthi Prasad specializes in Dermatology, Cosmetology, and Aesthetic Dermatology and has been practicing for over 15 years. After completing MBBS from Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences Andhra Pradesh in 2009, she earned a MD in Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy from Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad in 2014.
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