subject: Skin Sense - Inside And Out [print this page] Skin Sense - Inside And Out Skin Sense - Inside And Out
As the body's largest organ, your skin acts as a mirror to your overall health condition. In other words, it reflects how well you have taken care of yourself, inside and out. It's also an organ that requires your constant care.
Facts About Your Skin
More than just an organ, our skin also keeps our insides protected and contributes to the way we look and feel about ourselves. It's also the first body part to really show age, depending on lifestyle and protection from the sun.
The skin is made up of several layers, each contributing to its overall health:
The top layer is called the epidermis. This layer contains pigments that give skin colour. Epidermal cells continually regenerate for our whole lives, every 28 days or so.
Under the epidermis is the dermis, which contains blood vessels, nerves, sweat and oil glands. The dermis contains elastin and collagen, which contribute strength and elasticity to the skin. Production of these proteins begin to deteriorate naturally from about the age of 40.
The final layer is made up of fatty tissue, which gives the skin structure. This layer thins naturally as we get older and contributes to an aged look.
Internal Ways to Look After Your Skin
An aged look is not inevitable. What we eat and drink can contribute a great deal to the health of our skin.
A nutritious diet is very important, particularly eating skin friendly' foods such as fruit and vegetables. For more information, read Catherine Saxelby's article.
Drinking plenty of water, and reducing caffeine and alcohol intake will also help skin glow.
Some vitamins in food play a more important role in skin care than others.
Vitamins C and E can reduce the damage to collagen and elastin caused by sunlight and pollution.
Vitamin A is necessary for repairing and maintaining skin tissue, and a deficiency can lead to dry and flaky skin.
Vitamin B Complex contains biotin, the nutrient that contributes to growing skin cells. Without Vitamin B you could develop dermatitis.
If your diet is not sufficient in these vitamins, consider taking supplements.
Other factors that make for good skin include:
Regular exercise, which boosts blood circulation and triggers the renewal of skin cells
Maintaining enough sleep and minimising stress
Quitting smoking. Smoking ages the skin prematurely and permanently.
External Ways to Look After Your Skin
Sun protection is the most important element of external skin care. Sunlight damages the epidermis irreparably and creates wrinkles.
Always use a broad spectrum sunscreen, even in winter. SPF 15 to 30 is best.
Wear protective clothing in summer, and use sunglasses to minimise crow's feet.
Solariums can cause even greater harm to the skin than normal sun exposure.
Dry skin is more likely to show up fine lines. A moisturiser can increase the skin's surface elasticity, but be careful of overly-impressive claims. Choice, the consumer watchdog, found that most anti-ageing creams make claims that cannot be proven. However, they did find two reliable choices that improved skin condition.
Creams that contain retinoic acid can be effective for reversing some signs of sun-related ageing. This can only be found in prescription-only Retin-A creams
Creams containing alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) were also effective for some people, but only in concentrations of 10% or more. AHAs are very hard to stabilise in cream form so some products are more effective than others.
A dermatologist is a medical specialist qualified in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of skin diseases. If you have any ongoing problems with your skin, or specific skin conditions, ask for a referral from your GP.
