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Sunday 17 February 2013

Skin Care I

"Beauty is skin deep", is an age-old aphorism, but in science, the skin is not something that needs being belittled. It is a very important part of the human body. It is the largest organ in the human body. It is useful to us in a number of ways. These are some of the functions the skin performs:

It gives our bodies protection from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, preventing damage to our bodies
It prevents many germs and bacteria from entering our bodies;
It helps us to stay hydrated;
It works as a thermos when it comes to regulating temperature;
It is also a part of the digestive system, as it helps us excrete salts, ammonia, water, urea and uric acid

Given the important roles it performs; the skin certainly needs a lot of pampering. Some of the care we take of the skin is purely cosmetic in nature, just to enhance our looks. A more important reason for which we need to take care of the skin is to help it perform its function optimally. A healthy skin means a healthy person.


How is a healthy skin determined?
Just like many other parts of the human body, it is difficult to determine how healthy a skin is, because unlike in the case of say, the heart, there is no set reading to measure the efficiency of the skin. One thumb rule that people in the medical fraternity go by to assess the quality of the skin is if it is a little moist, flexible, is prone to gently acidic reaction, and has no outwardly noticeable diseases.

The secret to maintaining good skin is to help it replenish at least some the nutrients that it keeps losing naturally. The skin has a tendency to lose oil, one of its main nutrients, which it has naturally. When that happens; it loses its vigor. Losing oil comes naturally to the skin, which is something it does through both external and internal pressures.

External reasons for which the skin loses oils include exposure to heat, especially the sun's heat, and dust and other such provocations. One of the ways by which the skin can be protected is by using sunscreen lotions. Some people who are by nature prone to skin allergies due to exposure to such factors should cover their skins with suited clothing.

In order to keep the skin healthy internally, avoiding over exposure to the sun is advised. In some groups, particularly Americans, skin cancer is relatively highly prevalent, in comparison to races like say Africans and Asians. Over exposure to sunlight is believed to be the prime reason for this. Preventive steps should be taken.

Drinking lots of water and eating foods like beans, lentils, peas, blueberries, carrots, apricots, yellow and orange colored vegetables and fruits, nuts, salmon, mackerel and similar fatty fish, spinach and other green leafy vegetables and tomatoes are some of the simple ways by which the skin can be made healthy from inside. Refraining from cigarettes, which causes the skin to dry, is also necessary for healthy skin. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hari_Nath Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7489465

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