Importance of Skin Care: Ever wondered just what exactly our skin does?
The importance of skin care cannot be underestimated. Did you know, for
example, that the skin is the largest organ of the human body? Mostly we take
our skin very much for granted and don't spend much time thinking about the
skin’s functions and their importance, until some problem occurs or we injure
ourselves.
The following article provides some insight into why good skin care is important
and suggests a simple skin care regime anyone can follow to help your skin
perform at its best. Our skin’s functions are too many to go through here in
detail, however it protects our ‘insides’ from the external environment, acting
both as a barrier and a filter between ‘outside’ and ‘inside’ our bodies.
The skin helps in regulating our body’s temperature, like when we have a fever
or we’re physically working hard, we tend to sweat, which is the body’s way to
attempt to lower the temperature.
The skin also protects us from harmful substances entering our body, and it
eliminates many toxins. This takes workload off our Liver and Kidneys to filter
out by-products from our body’s metabolism. The skin also breathes!
These are just some of the important functions of our skin and as you can see,
looking after your skin is vital, not just for your outer beauty, but for
maintaining your inner health.
Now there is skin care and there is skin care... well, we all (hopefully) wash
our body (skin) every day and we may even rub some body cream on and that is
pretty much that. Women (most) go one step further when they make-up their face.
Often using a cleanser and then a moisturiser before applying make-up. But is
that really skin care?
I think not. I would consider it an attack on the skin rather than caring for
it. You see, most of the products marketed to women are full of artificial
colours, stabilisers, emulsifiers and other chemical, which are supposed to help
in achieving a ‘beautiful complexion’.
Some products are advertising hormones, which are supposed to make your skin
re-gain that youthful (no wrinkles) look – but more often than not these
‘hormones’ are artificial or synthetic and may well cause problems with the
hormonal balance of the body. This is NOT Skin care – this is plain old
manipulation and marketing.
Real skin care is much more than that and is more than just skin deep. Your skin
is a living, breathing organ of your body. As such, just like every other organ
in our body, it needs to be fed from the inside – it requires nutrients.
There are 4 basic ingredients to feeding the inside:
Good nutrition: keep it simple, fresh and unprocessed. That is the best
nutritional advice I can give. The simpler the food, the less processing and the
fresher your food is, the better it is for you. Fresh fruit and vegetables
contain so many of the nutrients we need to maintain our health. Sure have the
odd processed, high in fat meal when you’re enjoying a meal out or have to
attend a Luncheon or what ever. But make sure you have more natural foods than
not. Keep the diet varied – don’t eat the same old, same old… risk a new veggie
– one you haven’t tried before – you might like it …
Adequate rest and relaxation: don’t work yourself to an early grave – it’s not
worth it. Make sure you get the sleep you need. Did you know that a study in
England showed that your IQ (intelligence) drops if you do not have 8 hours
sleep per night?
Think about it, do you get more work done if you feel well rested? Can you
concentrate better if you’re not tired? – I bet you can.
Well, why not invest some additional time into rest and relaxation so that you
gain an increase in energy and concentration? I’m sure you will find you will
get more work done in less time if you’ve had sufficient rest.
Sufficient water intake: that’s a biggie. Most people (irrespective of were they
live) will utilise around 3 litres of water per day – hey, don’t believe me, all
the medical texts say so. Our body simply needs water to function.
If you do not drink at least this amount, your body will either not function
well (on some level) or it will take it from where ever it can. That is called
dehydration. You know, dry lips, dry flaky skin, parched mouth, cracks on you
tongue, premature wrinkles… the list goes on. So, drink up (water, mind you) or
shrivel up – it’s up to you.
Fresh air and sunshine: well, what can I say. Taking a deep breath of air and
tell me it doesn’t feel great… Well? Oxygen is the stuff of life. Fill your
lungs with it. Here I could go into how most of us do not know how to breath
properly, but I’ll save this for another article.
So what does all this have to do with skin care?
Well, that is the point of putting expensive, beauty products on your skin, when
you do not give it the stuff of life from the inside? The cells that make up
your skin need the right nutrients for proper development, growth and all that…
You can help your skin by using good quality natural skin care products, but you
have to support this from the inside as well. Only in that way can you expect to
get good results from proper skin care.
So what’s proper skin care?
Well, for starters there are 3 basic steps.
1. Cleanse and Condition
2. Hydrate and Tone
3. Moisturise and Revive.
OK. Cleansing the skin seems obvious and I know, you do know how to use soap –
wrong, this is one sure way to make your skin dry-out quicker. Most soaps remove
the natural oils of the skin, change the natural pH levels and do nothing to
remove the dead layers of skin, which can block your pores and lead to
blackheads. And, oh no, not pimples! The skin produces oils and acids to help it
function, to protect it from loss of excessive moisture, to form a barrier… etc.
So please do not use soap or detergents unless it is necessary.
Using a loofah or a gentle ‘scrub’ will remove the dead skin cells and this in
turn will promote better blood circulation and help your skin to breath.
The next step is to hydrate and tone the skin. Say what?
Well, you’ve just removed the dead skin layers, rubbing the skin with a loofah
and or a specially formulated cleanser, now it’s time to remove the residue,
sooth the skin and prepare the skin for getting a good feed of nutrients from
the moisturiser.
Preparation of the skin prior to putting on the moisturiser is not dissimilar to
preparing a surface about to receive a new coat of paint. You wouldn’t just
paint over a wall that hasn’t been cleaned and prepared for the new paint, would
you? It would be a waist of time and money… well, good skin care is the same.
You first get rid of the old layer of paint, than you give it a primer and
finally the top-coat.
Ah, I already use a moisturiser…
Great, at least that’s a step in the right direction. But, have you looked at
the ingredients? Are they natural, or are there numbers and words you don’t
recognise on the label? If so, then consider that your body absorbs these
substances and if they are not useful, (preferably of a natural kind) then the
body has to eliminate them - and that’s more work and not necessary.
In some cases, the body actually can’t eliminate these substances and has to
store them. This is a potential problem and could cause health issues down the
track. Pure essential oils, or herbal extracts are usually good ingredients to
have in your skin care products. Natural Health & Beauty: Skin Care
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Natural Skin Care And How You Can Benefit
Natural skin care is the buzz word in today’s world – at least, when it
comes to wrinkles. With the popularity of Botox when it first hit the market,
companies were eagerly trying to replicate the results without turning it into a
medical procedure.
Well, there are plenty of skin care products that have been developed with all
natural ingredients, designed specifically for aging skin.
As a quick summary, sun exposure, smoking and the natural aging process all
contribute to your skins diminished ability to create collagen and elastin,
which are the fibers holding skin together and keeping it smooth and young
looking.
If you’re looking for a natural skin care product, try a product that contains
Argireline. This ingredient is derived from amino acids that occur naturally,
and works to relax facial tension.
When your facial muscles aren’t tense, they will not contribute to wrinkles.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Edelweis extract is another great ingredient. A strong
antioxidant, what it does is clean up the damaging free radicals caused by
metabolism and pollutants, in addition to blocking ultraviolet light from
penetrating the skin. Shea Butter is also a beneficial component. A natural
moisturizer and skin firmer, shea butter promotes the healing of skin, while
working to prevent dryness and wrinkles. When choosing an anti-aging product, be
sure to consider one with at least one of these components.
Keep in mind that with any skin care product designed for wrinkles, results will
typically begin appearing within 30 days. So, do not despair if you do not see
immediate results. Some products may say that you will begin to see results in
as little as two weeks, but typically it takes about a month before any
significant improvements are noted.
The best things about a lot of the products available on the market today are
that there is no prescription needed. No costly injections, no risk of any
serious side effects; just the promise of diminished fine lines and wrinkles.
However, in order to seriously see continued results, you must care for your
wrinkles on a somewhat regular basis.
In other words, applying the cream, lotion, or serum, exactly as the product
describes, in addition to caring for your skin in other ways. Only then will you
be able to benefit fully from these treatments, and truly see healthy, radiant
skin.
So, for diminished fine lines and wrinkles, there are natural ways to achieve
these results. The good news is, you don’t have to shell out for costly skin
procedures when the nearest drugstore or internet store has everything you could
need for smoother, more youthful skin. Keep in mind, most of these products work
best on fine lines and wrinkles. The more serious cases may need additional
help.
As long as you take preventative measures to ensure a youthful complexion, these
products will ensure a radiant, more youthful complexion. Who doesn’t want
beautiful, wrinkle-free skin – naturally? HEALTH CARE BEAUTY: SO YOU WANT TO
IMPROVE YOUR SKIN COMPLEXION?
There are two basic ways to build a respectable visage: just like everything
else in the free world, you can either do it yourself or pay someone else to do
it for you. Taking the matter into your own hands can be overwhelming because of
the enormous array of beauty products on the market — for an adult male, it
might be easier to start learning Conversational !Kung than to decipher the
difference between an alpha hydroxy exfoliant and an occlusive moisturizer.
The second option — having someone else handle the problem — is a good way to
find a salve for years of untreated dermal abuse, and to see first-hand what
beauticians do and have a chance to ask them for tips. But remember: whether you
decide to give yourself a make-over or to pay for one at a salon, you're going
to need to know some basic skin-care tips for daily maintenance. Most experts
agree that a standard three-step regimen is all you need to keep your face in
good shape. Of course, if you have more serious skin conditions, we can give you
some great places to start looking for more involved solutions.
1. CLEANSE DAILY
If this step is a surprise to you, you are really going to need help with your
skin. If you don't want your face to look like crap, then clean it! Do we really
need to say more than that?
Well, actually, we do. Simply knowing that you need to wash your face everyday
is not going to cut it – you still have to learn what to do all that cleaning
with. Basically you will need a soap of some sort. But don't just start
scrubbing that Irish Spring onto your cheeks or you'll end up looking like a
leper: regular soap can really dry out your skin, leaving it desiccated and
flaky. Once upon a time, soap was simply the product of a process that involved
boiling up dead animals and tossing an alkali into the mix. We've moved beyond
the tribal cow-boil to the stage where regular body soap now is usually a
synthetic detergent composed of fatty acids derived principally from coconuts —
so applying it to your face will have the same affect as a ride in a Hawaiian
clothes dryer. Instead what you'll need is a soap formulated to interact
favorably with the chemistry of your particular type of skin.
All soaps work on filth by acting like a pair of handcuffs: one loop snags the
bad guy — oil — and makes it soluble; the other hangs on to the good guy — water
— and gets that grease the hell out of there. This little cops ‘n robbers
scenario plays out a little differently for different skin types.
If you have Dry Skin, you'll need to pump a little moisture into your face with
your soap. Look for brands of soap that contain either glycerine or a type of
silicone, such as cyclomethicone or dimethicone. These bad boys actually add
moisture to your skin, which is key unless you want to feel like someone is
suffocating you with cling film.
If you have Oily Skin, you're going to want to dry up some of that grease with
your soap. Oil is the evil glue that sticks all that filth to your face. In
turn, that filth clogs up your pores and starts the volcanic acne eruptions
we've all enjoyed at one point or another. Quell the geological upheavals by
using a soap that contains salicylic acid.
If you have Sensitive Skin, you're going to need something a little milder than
the typical ingredients. Believe it or not, the leading contender here is
something called propylene glycol — which, when not gently easing you into a
life of ivory cheeks, pulls double duty as the prime ingredient in antifreeze
and the stuff they use to de-ice planes.
If you have Normal Skin, count your blessings you lucky bastard. Then hunt for
soaps that use lanolin, a handy extract from the oil glands of sheep. Hey, why
else do you think those Welshman and New Zealanders look so hale? What did you
think they were doing with those sheep?
2. TONE DAILY
We spotted you a few points by starting with Cleansing, but from here on out,
we're moving into slightly more esoteric territory. Toning is the process of
removing dead skin cells from your face so that the only layer visible is one of
bright and healthy new cells. The average human generates a new layer of skin
every two to four weeks. Usually what sits on top of that new strata is a pile
of cruddy old cells that have been getting funky for a while. You can improve
your complexion tremendously by sloughing off the garbage to show off the new
stuff.
There are two leading types of exfoliators, which are the fire hoses that get
rid of your old skin cells. The first does it mechanically, just like a
miniature version of a sandblaster. If you want to get through layers of old
paint on a house, just fire a stream of grit at the target to get the job done
pronto. Since no one really enjoyed sandblasting your face, those helpful Swiss
dermatologists have come up with a more useful version for you to use.
Mechanical exfoliators contain minuscule pieces of grit that, when rubbed on
your skin, dislodge the dead skin cells. The most common grit comes from such
pleasant-sounding things as walnut shells and apricot pits. Don't be fooled,
these can hurt. This stuff is basically a liquid form of sandpaper. That will
wipe the smile of your face . . . along with your nose if you're not careful.
Mercifully, there is an alternative. Chemical exfoliators do the same task as
their hostile mechanical siblings but by using mild acids in place of shrapnel.
Look for exfoliating products that contain acids such as alpha-hydroxy, beta-hydroxy,
or salicylic. If all this talk of acid has images of Batman movies running
through your head, be at peace — some of the more notable alpha-hydroxy acids
are malic acid, lactic acid, and glycolic acid, which come from apples, milk,
and sugarcane. Unless you find eating breakfast feels like a WWI mustard gas
attack, you'll be fine.
Of course, a third way to exfoliate your face is to drag a steel blade across
the skin each day. Sounds barbaric, we know, but most clean-shaven men do it
regularly. If you shave with any frequency whatsoever, you will not need to
exfoliate those areas of your face in addition, unless you're looking to draw
blood. Instead, limit your exfoliating adventures to the areas outside of your
shaving zone—chiefly, your forehead and nose.
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