What this range is, and what it is not
DermExcel™ is a medical-grade cosmetic skincare range formulated by Dermal Health Science (Pty) Ltd. Our products are cosmetics. They are not registered medicines, and nothing we publish should be read as a claim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition.
"Medical-grade" describes how the range is formulated and dispensed — at active concentrations intended for use under the guidance of a trained practitioner — not a regulatory category. Where a product is intended to correct a specific skin condition, that intention is described in ordinary language and supported by the evidence we cite, and it remains a cosmetic product.
This site does not give you medical advice
Everything on this site — product pages, ingredient pharmacology, articles, protocols and the results of the Dermal Diagnosis assessment — is educational. It is written to help you understand your skin and to have a better conversation with a professional. It is not a consultation, it does not create a practitioner–patient relationship, and it is not a substitute for being examined by someone qualified to examine you.
If you have a skin condition that concerns you, is changing, is painful, is spreading, or is not responding to what you are doing, see a doctor or a dermatologist. Do not delay getting help because of something you read here.
Dermal Diagnosis is an assessment, not a diagnosis
Despite its name, the Dermal Diagnosis questionnaire does not diagnose you. It is a structured self-assessment: you describe your skin, and the assessment maps your answers to a skin profile and a suggested regimen. It works from what you tell it. It cannot see your skin, take a history, or examine a lesion.
It will be wrong for some people. Where the assessment cannot confidently place you, it says so and asks you to speak to a practitioner before starting — please take that seriously rather than working around it. A suggested regimen is a starting point for a professional to confirm or adjust, not an instruction to follow unsupervised.
Patch test before you start
Before using any new product across your face, apply a small amount to a discreet area — the inner forearm or behind the ear — once a day for two to three days, and check for redness, itching, burning or swelling. If any of those appear, stop.
Some initial dryness, mild flaking or a brief tingling on application is expected with active ingredients and usually settles within two to three weeks as your skin adjusts. Pain, persistent burning, blistering, weeping, hives or swelling are not expected. Those are reactions, not adjustment, and you should stop and contact us.
Retinoids, pregnancy and breastfeeding
Several DermExcel products contain retinoids. Topical retinoids should not be used during pregnancy or while trying to conceive. If you are pregnant, we have a parallel pregnancy-safe range and the Dermal Diagnosis assessment will route you to it when you tell it you are pregnant.
If you become pregnant while following a regimen that contains a retinoid, stop the retinoid and speak to your doctor, midwife or practitioner.
We have deliberately not published blanket guidance on breastfeeding. The evidence is less settled than it is for pregnancy, and we would rather say so than reassure you on a point we cannot stand behind. If you are breastfeeding, ask your practitioner before starting or continuing a retinoid.
Sun exposure
Retinoids, exfoliating acids and several other actives in this range increase your skin's sensitivity to ultraviolet light. Daily broad-spectrum sun protection is not an upsell attached to a regimen — it is part of the regimen, and using actives without it can undo the result you are working toward and increase your risk of pigmentation and photodamage.
Age
DermExcel products are not intended for children under seven. Between the ages of seven and eighteen, a parent or guardian should complete any assessment and supervise use. The teen and tween regimens are formulated for those ages specifically; an adult regimen is not simply a stronger version of the right answer for a younger patient.
Allergies and ingredients
The full INCI ingredient list is published on every product page. If you have a known allergy or sensitivity, read it before you buy, and check it with your practitioner or doctor if you are unsure. We cannot know your allergy history, and you are in a better position than we are to spot an ingredient you have reacted to before.
If you are using prescription topical or oral treatment for your skin — isotretinoin, prescription retinoids, antibiotics, hormonal treatment — tell your prescribing doctor what you intend to use alongside it, before you start.
If you have a reaction
Stop using the product. For anything severe — swelling, difficulty breathing, blistering, a spreading rash — get medical help immediately. Do not wait for us to reply to an email; a form is not the right channel for a medical event.
For anything else, contact us on the careline or through the adverse reaction route on our contact page, with the product name and the batch number from the packaging. We record every report, we will help you resolve it, and our returns policy covers products returned because of an adverse reaction. Reporting also matters beyond your own case: it is how we and our practitioners notice a pattern.
Results
Skin responds at its own pace and results differ between people. Where we publish a timeframe, it is the range we typically see, not a promise about you. Where we publish before-and-after images, they are of real patients using the stated regimen, and they are not retouched to change the skin. Photographs are not evidence of what will happen to you.
Evidence and references
Where we describe how an ingredient works, we cite the literature it comes from. Published evidence about an ingredient is not the same as a clinical trial of a finished product, and we try to be precise about which we are showing you. If you think we have overstated something, tell us — we would rather correct it than defend it.
Questions
If anything here is unclear, or you want to check something before you start, contact us. If your question is clinical and specific to you, we will tell you to speak to a practitioner, and we will help you find one.