What You Need To Know

About Your Skin

“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself; art cannot become manifest; strength cannot be exerted; wealth is useless, and reason is powerless” Heterophiles

If someone told you that you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life, how well would you care for it? Think of the events you might attend. Imagine the looks you'd get if your outfit were ragged, scuffed or stained. Now consider this: How well do you care for your skin on a day-to-day basis? Do you do all you can to keep it soft and supple, to prevent or minimize wrinkles? How do you protect your skin from stresses, and how can you help heal and nourish it?

Your skin is the largest organ in your body and one of the most dynamic. It accounts for 15 percent of your body weight and covers 12 to 20 square feet (1.1 to 1.9 square meters).

A full 70 percent of the skin is water. Another 25 percent is protein, and the final 5 percent consists of fats. The skin has roles as a sensory organ and a structural support for tissues, and it can even convey emotion when we blush with shame, sweat with anxiety or turn pale with fear.

All these traits come from the skin's three important layers. The surface layer is the waterproof epidermis. This is the layer we scrub to exfoliate, the layer that sometimes looks dry and chapped if mistreated. The middle layer is the dermis, and this is where the action is. The dermis is what gives the skin its suppleness. It is also the portion of the skin that is responsible for healing wounds, and it's where sun damage and scarring occur. The third and deepest layer is the subcutaneous layer, where sweat glands, hair follicles and blood vessels can be found. It's an area of support structures, where the skin is nourished from below.

We start out with good skin, but years of neglect or worse, abuse can take their toll. While some factors, like sunlight and gravity, are impossible to completely avoid, we can all take some simple steps to look younger and feel better about our skin.

The skin’s color is created by special cells called melanocytes, which produce the pigment melanin. Melanocytes are located in the epidermis.

What is your skin trying to tell you? Often the skin is a metaphor for deeper issues and a way for your body to send up a red flag to warn you that all is not well underneath. When our skin is unhealthy it is usually a reflection of the internal state of our bodies, and is often a sign of poor elimination of toxins and waste products.

The skin, sometimes called the third kidney, is the body's largest eliminative organ after the liver. When it functions efficiently, it eliminates two pounds of waste acids daily, so its ability to excrete toxins is of paramount importance; when the skin stops to function properly, an increased burden is placed on the lymphatic system and other excretory organs.

One of the greatest treasures that a woman or a man can have is healthy, radiant skin. A beautiful complexion and glorious body skin are a reflection of our personal life-style practices. The skin excretes, absorbs and protects. If the balanced of the skin becomes disturbed especially through poor nutrition the functions associated with the skin cells cannot act in a balanced manner and can result in dryness, excessive oiliness, and inability to protect against infectious organism.

Basic beauty begins with the glow of good health, which shines from within. The skin often mirrors the health of the whole body. A radiant clear complexion begins with proper nutrition, efficient digestion and assimilation of nutrients by the body and regular elimination. Skin problems are a reflection of internal health and are often a reflection of overall body and blood toxicity and/or stomach problems. Almost anything that cleanses the blood or intestines will also show a result on the skin.

A walk through a drug store or an hour in front of the television should be enough to convince anyone of the importance healthy skin holds in terms of self-image and society’s idea of beauty. Perfect skin is for most people a distant dream. According to the American Academy of Dermatology 85 percent of Americans will experience acne at some point in their lives, 40 to 50 million people have it at any given time, and Americans spend over $2 billion per year treating and preventing it.

Is your skin feeling or looking different lately? Are you noticing new wrinkles, fine lines, flaky, dry or itchy skin that make you pause when you look in the mirror? You might also find you avoid certain clothes so you can hide the parts of skin you don’t want other people to see. You may even dash into the bathroom to scratch itchy patches of skin.

If you’re struggling with skin issues, it may be a sign that changes are occurring beneath the surface. Plus, it can be uncomfortable, frustrating, and embarrassing.

It’s common to draw up changes in skin to age or dry weather, but in fact, skin changes can be a sign that something is “off” inside your body. Your skin is vulnerable. As the largest organ system, it performs numerous essential tasks and is the frontline of defense against bacteria, viruses, allergens, toxins, and more. You do your best to protect your skin, but it’s out in the open, exposed to sun, wind and environmental pollutants. Skin structure is complex, and part of an intricate network involving other organs. To keep it healthy, you need to support this system. Healthy skin is a vital component to wellness and vice versa.

Most people's skin fits into one of four categories - oily, normal, dry and combination. Oily skin often has a slick or sticky texture, while dry skin can be flaky and rough. People with combination skin usually have oily skin on their forehead, nose and chin and dry or normal skin on their cheeks. In all skin types, dead cells can build up on the skin's outer layer, called the epidermis, leading to a rough texture and a dull appearance. Exfoliation with gritty scrubs removes the old cells and reveals the softer, brighter skin underneath.

At the same time, a number of skin conditions can affect the texture of the skin, including acne, rosacea and eczema. Medical conditions can affect skin texture, too. For example, the autoimmune disease lupus can cause a scaly, butterfly-shaped rash across the nose and cheeks. Hormonal changes can change the skin, as well - pregnant women, for instance, can experience acne and pigment changes known as pregnancy mask.