Beauty & Skin

Skin is the top layer of your body that protects the muscles and organs. Your skin, which consists of many layers, is the most important part of your body as it has many important roles:

It protects us from pathogens or infections.

It helps give us insulation against temperatures while regulating the temperature.

Helps create Vitamin B and Vitamin D

Provides us with sensations

Skin has pigmentation that helps to absorb some of the dangerous ultraviolet rays from too much sunlight.

Your skin contains DNA repair enzymes that help to reverse UV damage once it has occurred. Some people, unfortunately, lack the genes for the enzymes and are at a very high risk of skin cancer also known as melanoma. Melanoma can spread quickly once it develops and may prove deadly if not treated quickly. Some individuals are more susceptible to skin cancer depending on their pigmentation. Generally, lighter pigments need to be more careful regarding too much exposure to the sun. Hair on our body helps give additional insulation for the body.

As we learned in school, the skin consists of three layers:

Epidermis- This is the top layer which provides the body with waterproofing and protection against infection

Dermis- The second layer which protects the body from stress and strain and contains hair follicles, sweat glands and blood vessels

Hypodermis- The lowest layer of skin, it contains many cells and is where most of the fat is stored.

In addition to being the most important organ of the body, many believe it is the largest organ as well, at least in reference to the exterior part. The skin accounts for approximately 15% of our body weight. The average inch of skin holds 650 sweat glands, 20 blood vessels, 60,000 melanocytes and more than a thousand nerve endings.

There are many types of skin and as a result, many types of skin problems or disorders. Some are the problems may be rashes, blisters, acne, fungal infections, sunburn or scabies. Some problems may be hereditary or contagious and therefore hard to avoid. Many skin problems, however, can be avoided with proper hygiene and healthy habits. Taking care of our skin is very important to avoid skin problems that may be hard to cure. Good hygiene and avoiding too much exposure to sun will play a large role in maintaining healthy skin. After all our skin does for us, don’t we owe it the same good care?