Are choosing QR8 Mediskin’s online skincare program to repair their skin and restore skin health
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If you’re like others experiencing the red, sore, dry, flaking, bumpy skin that is the hallmark of a damaged skin barrier, you’ll also understand how frustrating it is to treat. You’ll also know that a damaged skin barrier can make your pores appear enlarged, and lines and wrinkles look worse.
Perhaps you’ve felt confused by conflicting advice about how to repair your skin and wonder what the most safe and effective treatment is. You may wish to use prescription skincare but feel your sensitive skin just won’t tolerate it.
And, you may be tired of spending hundreds of dollars on new skincare products, supplements, and treatments, that are designed for ‘sensitive skin’ to reduce the symptoms you’re experiencing, but often just make things worse.
You’re not alone. We see many people with damaged skin barriers, and they tell us their similar frustrations with treating their skin. But, there is an answer. And it begins by understanding that less is more when it comes to skincare.
The QR8 MediSkin Skin Barrier Repair service is a personalised and nurse-supported skincare service designed to nurse your skin barrier back to good health, using simple, inexpensive skincare and techniques (just a few minutes each day).
Our online skincare team gets to know you and your skin (using a detailed questionnaire combined with a secure video consultation).
As part of this service you also receive skincare kit (cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen) and ongoing support during your treatment from our dermatology nurse via SMS, phone, email, and or video call.
The skin barrier (aka the ‘stratum corneum’ – the outermost layer of your skin that you see in the mirror) is a complex defence mechanism – it is your body’s primary defence against the outside world. It might be 50 times thinner than a piece of paper, but it is mighty!
The skin barrier consists of layers of water resistant skin cells (‘corneocytes’) arranged into a 3D structure of horizontal layers and interlocking vertical columns, embedded into a highly organised arrangement of oily lipids.
Some people compare this structure to a brick wall: the skin cells are bricks, and the lipids are the mortar that ‘glues’ everything together.
As you will see, this description doesn’t come close to the sophisticated system that is your skin barrier!
One problem with the ‘bricks and mortar’ description is that people often think of the skin barrier as a static ‘wall’ that operates like cling wrap to keep things in and out, rather than the dynamic, ever-changing system that it is.
The skin barrier performs a constant elaborate dance between many cell types, proteins, chemicals, nerves, microbes and even your skin’s pH level. These all work together to adapt to the environment, and perform the important job of barrier function.
In the next section we go into detail about the specific functions of the skin barrier.
Cholesterol (10%), fatty acids (25%), and ceramides (50%) are the major lipids in our skin barrier, with some minor lipids making up the remaining 15%. The fatty acids component also includes lipids from the skin’s sebaceous glands (squalene, wax esters and triglycerides), especially at the skin surface where sebum exits the pores.
Ceramides are found throughout the body, but in the stratum corneum, they are the major lipid component. Ceramides aren’t just one type of lipid – at last count there are 15 different types of ceramides in your skin barrier, each with a slightly different structure. Some of these ceramides are bound to the surface of skin cells, others are located between the cells, mixed with the fatty acids and cholesterol.
These oily substances are essential to skin barrier structure and function, and, like corneocytes, are continuously replenished from the epidermis. They are arranged with extreme precision between skin cells, and work with those cells to provide a physical ‘barrier’. Experiments show that removing lipids from the skin, increases the skin’s permeability, diminishing it’s barrier function. The ceramides are of particular importance; the number and types of ceramides are altered in many diseases involving an impaired skin barrier.
Several of the skin barrier lipids are also antimicrobial, helping to protect against infection.
The most important job of your skin barrier is to prevent excessive water loss and keep your skin hydrated.
This is achieved by the skin cells and barrier lipids working together.
Each skin cell is surrounded by a water-resistant shell of protein and lipids, with each cell tightly connected to its neighbours with special proteins that act like rivets.
Between and attached to the cells are the skin barrier lipids, which, like all oily substances, repel water.
So the major route for water to leave the skin from the dermis (the most hydrated layer of skin), is a tortuous pathway between water-repellent skin cells, and through equally water-repellent lipids.
This same mechanism keeps topically applied substances from penetrating into the lower levels of the skin (and from there into the bloodstream) – and why even topical drugs must be formulated into special drug delivery bases to help them get past the skin barrier.
Don’t believe the old wives tale that 60% of everything you apply to your skin is absorbed!
Mechanical stress (‘scrubby’ exfoliants, cleansing devices, trauma), dehydration (reduced humidity, long hot showers/baths, cold winds, indoor heating, reduced sebum production with age, drying skincare), detergents (soaps, body washes), irritants (skincare actives, especially chemical exfoliants and prescription retinoids), allergens, and even chronic sun damage can all push skin past its tolerance limits, disrupting the delicate physical architecture of the stratum corneum, and subsequently, the skin microbiome.
This leads to increased water loss (TEWL), and production of chemicals that activate the body’s immune system, causing inflammation. An impaired skin barrier is also the hallmark of several chronic diseases, such as rosacea, perioral dermatitis and eczema.
In the early stages of skin barrier damage (the tight, dull, dry stage, that can involve some breakouts and bumps), many people turn to exfoliants to get their glow back, or add in an acne treatment to treat the ‘bumps’ (that are actually part of the inflammatory process). This is like using steel wool to repair gravel rash and will make things much worse.
We don’t just give you access to the best customised anti-aging skin treatments. We are the Australia’s go-to medical service for support so you can use them safely and effectively to get results:
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Tell us about yourself and the challenges you’re having with your skin. Click here to get started.
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Schedule a Video Consultation with one of our Trained Doctors who will diagnose your skin and prescribe a medical treatment cream specifically for you.
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Your very own custom treatment will be delivered within days via Medical Express Shipping.
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Schedule a Video Consultation with our nurse to receive your personal skincare recommendations, then get ongoing support via SMS, phone, email, or video call during your 3-month treatment cycle.
Thousands of customers are thrilled to finally discover skincare that works. Some even say using QR8 Mediskin has eliminated the need for expensive salon treatments, uncomfortable laser therapies, and invasive injectables and surgery. Here are some of the untouched before-and-after images we’ve received from our incredible community.
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Dr Michele Squire, PhD scientist and former healthcare executive and Registered Nurse, recognised the crucial synergy between medicine, science and skincare in treating chronic skin concerns. In 2019, she established Qr8 (pronounced ‘curate’), a ground-breaking venture aimed at offering video telehealth-delivered medical treatment and uncomplicated skincare guidance rooted in scientific evidence. By promoting evidence-based medicine and combining it with the kind of expert support known to significantly improve treatment outcomes for patients, Qr8 empowers patients to make informed decisions about their skin and get results.
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Dr Kristina has a keen interest in skincare and skin health. Helping her patients achieve their best skin and improve their self-confidence is the part of her practice she enjoys most. She believes beautiful skin needs commitment, not a miracle, combined with a knowledgeable support team to help patients reach their best skin health!
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Dr Yeshika focusses on what the patient is trying to achieve and adapts their treatment according to their individual lifestyles. She loves to see long-term and returning patients who are happy with their results, and she finds this to be the most rewarding part of her practice.
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Dr Sarah has a warm and empathetic approach to her practice and listens deeply to ensure that she can work with patients to get to the root of the problem and arrive at an effective solution together. She finds being trusted with her patient’s stories and seeing how simple changes can make a world of difference to be the most rewarding part of her practice.
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Dr Jeremy is holistic, thorough, and willing to take the necessary time and care to ensure his patients are empowered to take charge of their health. He specifically enjoys seeing patients enjoy positive results and become empowered to make better decisions for their skin and wellbeing.
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Dr Kathy combines science and evidence-based practice with a warm and compassionate approach to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. She enjoys seeing the holistic benefits for patients that come with achieving great skin health and providing patients with the knowledge and tools to empower them to maintain great skin for life.
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Dr Maeve Anna approaches her patient’s skin concerns with warmth and empathy. Her personal journey with skin became the driving force behind her Master’s Degree Thesis which focused specifically on the science of skincare in Acne, her area of particular interest. Dr Maeve gains significant fulfilment from contributing to the positive transformation of her patients’ self-esteem throughout their treatment.
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Dr Hamish’s approach to practice is personable and professional which allows him to connect with patients, easily understand their problems, and create effective solutions. Being able to find and create solutions to people’s concerns is his favourite part of his practice.
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Kristen is an integral part of our Qr8 MediSkin Skincare Support Team. If you have questions, need skincare product recommendations, or help setting up a simple but personalised skincare routine to support your prescription treatment, Kristen is your skincare guardian angel.
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I have been a pharmacist for 14 years, owned and worked in a variety of Pharmacies including NCC for the last 10 years. When not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife, 4 kids & dog and also swim, bike and running. I find compounding pharmacy a rewarding profession because of NCC’s ability to customise medicine for any type of patient. I often find ourselves solving challenges which standard medicine couldn’t and the gratitude from Patients is very humbling.
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You’ve heard the science that enables QR8 Mediskin to work so well. You’ve seen the difference in real customers. Isn’t it time to try QR8 Mediskin for yourself? Click the button below to get started.
created by real doctors and pharmacists
personally recommended for you, with no guesswork or confusion
with trained experts you can actually
see and talk to
Qr8 MediSkin was launched in 2019 as the go-to service for fully customised prescription skincare, with personalised support provided by our experienced Skincare Support Team. Our formulations are designed by doctors, scientists and pharmacists to meet your exact needs.
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Phone: +61 (0)7 3325-9700
Address: Yuggera Country 39 Collingwood St,
Albion, QLD, 4010
