Pharmacy Fundamentals: Products, Skin Health, and Grammar Basics
English Language Fundamentals
Present Simple Tense
- Usage: Everyday actions, sometimes, always, never, often.
- Structure: He/She/It + verb + ‘s’.
- Questions: Do/Does…?
- Negatives: Don’t/Doesn’t.
Present Continuous Tense
- Usage: Actions happening now, right now, at the moment.
- Structure: Verb ‘to be’ + verb + ‘-ing’.
- Questions: Are you…?
- Negatives: Aren’t/Isn’t + verb + ‘-ing’.
Prepositions of Place
- On: Encima (on top of)
- In front of: En frente (in front of)
- Behind: Detrás (behind)
- Above: Por encima (above, not touching)
- Over: Encima (over, covering or above)
- Beside: Al lado (next to)
- Below: Por debajo (below, not touching)
- Under: Debajo (under, touching or directly beneath)
Demonstrative Pronouns
- Near Singular: This
- Near Plural: These
- Far Singular: That
- Far Plural: Those
Understanding Parapharmacy Products
Parapharmacy products are items sold in pharmacies that enhance our well-being and health. In contrast, a medicament is a substance used to achieve specific objectives:
- To treat an illness.
- To prevent an illness.
- To correct a physiological function.
Parapharmacy products significantly improve our quality of life. They are categorized into the following groups:
- Dermopharmacy: Cosmetics, hygiene products, UV protectants.
- Dietetics: Child milk, baby foods.
- Biocides.
- Sanitary products.
Common Services Portfolio
The Ministry has established a Common Services Portfolio, outlining the minimum services Spanish citizens are entitled to receive. To facilitate the listing of services within this portfolio and to manage all products in a pharmacy, it is crucial that each commercial presentation of a product has a unique code number for identification.
The Skin: Our Largest Organ
The skin is our largest organ, covering and protecting underlying muscles, bones, ligaments, and internal organs. Its vital functions include:
- Protection from pathogens and damage.
- Acting as a water-resistant barrier.
- Contributing to thermoregulation by conserving heat.
- Absorbing and filtering solar radiation.
- Metabolizing Vitamin D.
Layers of the Skin
The skin is composed of three primary layers:
- Epidermis: The outermost layer of the skin. It forms a protective barrier over the body’s surface, is responsible for retaining water in the body, and prevents pathogens from entering. The epidermis also helps regulate body temperature.
- Dermis
- Hypodermis
We can differentiate between two main types of glands in the skin:
- Sebaceous Glands: These glands secrete sebum, which lubricates and waterproofs the skin and hair. They are distributed throughout the skin, except for the palms and soles.
- Sweat Glands: These glands produce sweat. The eccrine sweat glands are found all over the body, except for the lips, penis, and clitoris.
Understanding Skin Types and Lesions
Common Skin Types
- Normal Skin: Smooth, elastic, shiny, pinkish in color, soft to the touch, with small and closed pores. It resists soaps and temperature changes well.
- Dry Skin: Not very elastic, matte and without shine, flakes easily, does not resist temperature changes, and turns red easily.
- Oily Skin: Characterized by an excessive quantity of sebum, showing a greasy shine, open pores, and blackheads.
- Mixed Skin: Features oily facial areas, typically in the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin).
Types of Skin Lesions
Skin lesions can be differentiated into three main types:
- Flat lesions.
- Solid lesions.
- Fluid-filled lesions.
Dermopharmacy: Cosmetics and Personal Care
Dermopharmacy is the branch of pharmacy that studies, produces, and sells cosmetic products not related to pathologies. These products do not require a medical prescription, and consumers pay the full amount. Marketing is highly important for these products, which often appear in advertising campaigns conducted by pharmaceutical laboratories.
Common dermopharmacy product categories include:
- Sunscreens.
- Treatment products.
- Hygiene and personal care products.
- Decorative cosmetics.