Know the skin you live in!
Skin is the most accurate barometer of your well-being, lifestyle and age. It holds no secrets - it is your body’s lie detector, and when something isn’t right internally it will show up on your face. Most people don’t treat their skin with the respect such an important organ deserves. The good news is that once you take care of your skin, keep it clean, nourish and pamper it, it will respond with gratitude.
The skin is the largest organ in the body and its functions are:
Sensation, through the use of our nerve endings we pick up pain, pressure, heat, cold, touch.
Heat regulation - temperature is regulated, skin warms up when we get hot and cools us down when we get too cold.
Absorption - certain substances can be absorbed through the skin, (eg estrogen, fac-soluble vitamins, nicotine, etc)
Protection - the skin covers the entire body. It protects the body from loss or entry of water. It protects from pressure or friction, micro-organisms, chemicals ans most gasses. It gives protection from UV.
Excretion - Perspires via the sweat glands.
Next, know your skin type:
Sensitive - thin, delicate, often showing freckles and blood capillaries. Easily stimulated through touch or heat.
Normal - soft, moist and plump. healthy glow and colour, fine texture, no open pores, wrinkles or fine line.
Dehydration - flaky, tight on the surface, very fine lines, oil/blackheads can be present.
Oil Dry - visible dryness, tightness, tight pores, wrinkles, poor skin tone.
Oily - shine, open pores, skin thickness, little wrinkling, Possible blackheads, break-outs.
Acne - oily with comedones, spots, cysts, often red and sensitive.
Sensitised - red, inflammed, skin irritable to: heat, friction, products.
Ageing - wrinkles, loose skin, pigmentation, poor circulation, oil dry.
Daily skincare routine - Cleanser, toner, moisturiser, eye cream, sunscreen.
Weekly skincare routine - exfoliant and mask.
Factors to take into consideration when taking care of your skin:
Recent illness, surgery, smoker, exercise levels, stress levels, recent peels and microbrasion, medication, water consumption, alcohol, caffeine, sunbeds, exposure to UVA and UVB, allergic reactions, hormonal changes. Extend and adapt your skincare regime accordingly.
Stress: Signs and symptoms - emotional: depression, irritability, crying and over sensitive, anxiety, clumsy, unable to concentrate, disorganised. Physical: over or under eating, fatigue or exhaustion, headaches or migraine, insomnia,palpitations, poor digestion, stomach ulcers, colds, flu, skin problems such as stress acne, psoriasis, eczema.
How could you look well if you are continually suffering from all of this? If this sounds familiar, then you really need to look at yourself and start to manage and address your own stress levels.
Sleep: Cells regenerate when we sleep. It is recovery time for the body, and we need 6 - 8 hours sleep every night.
Sun: Sunlight is without a doubt your skin’s worst enemy, bombarding it on a daily basis with UVA and UVB rays that promote premature ageing and skin cancer. Statistics show that one in six individuals will develop skin cancer and 90% of these are the direct result of UV radiation from the sun. In fact, a severe sunburn before the age of 18 increases your skin cancer risk, making a comprehensive program of sun protection vital.
For many years we have been aware of the need to stay out of the sun and to use sunscreens. The effects of UVA and UVB rays have worsened in recent years because of the amount of UV light reaching the earth’s surface as the protective ozone layer is depleted.
Sun damage is irreversible. The harsh effects of direct sunlight are best avoided altogether. Most of us feel better when we have a tan, the only safe tan is a fake tan.
Diet/nutrition: Although some people appear to have great skin, no matter what they eat, ultimately they cannot maintain good skin and a healthy body without proper nutrition. There can be no complete skin care routine without attention to how we are building that skin, namely through nutrition. Benefits of a healthy, well-balanced diet are:high energy levels, rarely ill, minimum risk of degenerative disease, balanced weight, sharp mind, even moods, looking great.
If you want amazing skin and take care of your health all you need to do can be summarised by:-
Identifying and addressing system imbalances.
Eating a healthy diet.
Drink plenty of pure water.
Minimise your toxic overload.
Get enough sleep.
Exercise regularly.
Follow a daily skincare routine.
