What is the largest organ in your body? No, it is not your liver or your large intestine. I’ll give you a hint; it provides protection from the elements and regulates your body temperature. Any guesses? It’s your skin! It is imperative to take care of your skin 365 days a year. Let’s get specific about how important our skin is to our body and the ways we can take care of it leading up to the summer and through the months where more sun exposure occurs.
1. Skin offers protection
One of its most important jobs is providing a barrier to harmful attackers like germs and UV radiation. Our skin has a slightly acidic film (acid mantle) on the surface that creates this wall which is very important in preventing bacteria from attacking our skin and causing infection. Even our skin’s ability to “tan” (increased melanin production) is a system designed to protect us from UV radiation.
Suggestions: Wash away dirt, oil and makeup from facial skin with cleansers. Moisturize daily to prevent dry skin, which can compromise the skin’s acid mantle and natural barrier function to preventing premature skin aging due to UV radiation. Protect yourself from UV radiation; the sun can cause wrinkles, age spots, and increase the risk of skin cancer. Use broad- spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. Make sure to reapply sunscreen every two hours and even more often if you are swimming or sweating.
2. Skin absorbs everything
It is scary to think how much are skin absorbs; we cannot avoid the fact that our environment full of pollutants and toxins. However, we can control what we place upon our skin and what we put into our body. The next time that you decide to purchase a skin care product, think about all the things that your skin absorbs.
Suggestions: First of all, don’t smoke! Smoking damages collagen and the fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. Also, make sure that you’re using products which have nutritious, safe ingredients you want your skin to absorb, and nothing that you do not want to absorb. These products can help with tightening or lifting your skin, BUT keep in mind that American Laser Skin Care offers long lasting results compared to these creams or serums, which by the way, aren’t cheap. Fotofacial is an advanced light therapy technique that penetrates below the skin surface to stimulate collagen and provides a safe alternative to frequently purchasing expensive merchandise.
4. Skin produces chemicals
Complex chemical reactions are constantly going on in our skin to keep cells regenerating, repairing damage and even converting sunlight into Vitamin D.
Suggestions:Choose skin care products with active ingredients that actually stimulate skin cell renewal, like anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. American Laser Skincare can stimulate skin renewal with microdermabrasion. Causing a small amount of trauma to the skin causes it to repair itself and creates younger, healthier skin.
5. Skin regulates your body temperature
When we sweat, our body cools itself by sweating and also increasing blood flow, which allows heat to be lost through the skin. When we are cold; the diameter of our blood vessels decreases, which reduces blood flow, retaining heat in the body.
Suggestions: When you are out in the heat of the summer, ensure you replace fluids lost through sweating by drinking plenty of water. Skin is made of up cells and skin cells are made up of water. Without water, your skin will certainly not function properly or at its best. If your skin is not getting the sufficient amount of water, the lack of hydration will present itself by turning your skin dry, tight and flaky. Dry skin has less resilience and is more prone to wrinkling.
6. Skin tranfers information
Nerves in the skin respond to different stimuli, including touch, pain, pressure and temperature by passing along information to the central nervous system.
Suggestions:Get a massage and reduce stress! When stressed a hormone called cortisol is released and as soon as cortisol is released by the body, sugar levels in the blood increase. Increased blood sugar promotes a process called glycation in our skin. Glycation damages our skin’s collagen, causing it to become rigid, which increases lines and wrinkles. It is difficult to avoid stress and it may feel like there is nothing you can do about it, but there are ways to manage stress.
Proper skin care is not only about your appearance, it’s about staying healthy. Poor skin care habits can lead to rashes, sores, acne and wrinkles. Unhealthy skin is more prone to disease, infection and is more likely to scar after an injury. Don’t just take the extra steps in the summer; having healthy skin is a full-time job!
