Our skin is our calling card. Who doesn’t love to feel well within their own skin?
It’s appearance, health and ageing processes are deeply influenced by genetics, how we care for our skin, general health and the negative impact of lifestyle choices and environmental factors. It is no secret that e.g. frequent sun exposure or smoking accelerates our from birth on pre-programmed skin ageing processes. Yes, there are the genetically blessed but there is a lot we can do throughout our lifetime to establish and maintain good skin health!
A short word about skin
Skin is our biggest organ. It expands to about 1.7m2 of surface cover in an adult and is in a constant process of renewal and modification. It consists of numerous tissue layers which can be divided into three main parts:
the outer layer or epidermis (containing the protective stratum corneum), the inner layer or dermis (containing fibrous structures to strengthen and support the epidermis) and the subcutis (the area of fat cells providing nutrition to epidermis and dermis and providing insulation and cushioning). Our skin has a range of vital functions: regulation of body temperature, protection from the elements and damaging microbes and it is gives us the sensation of touch, heat and cold. We clearly need to take good care of such a versatile organ!
From birth to old age, skin undergoes natural changes in appearance and characteristics
Have you noticed that babies have no freckles, the skin is soft, velvety, free of blemishes and wrinkles? Once we enter adolescence, we observe more pigmentation, hair growth, sweating and the increase in sebaceous secretions usually leads to the appearance of pimples, black heads and acne. Once we have survived this stage in our live highly influenced by hormonal changes, our skin reaches a lovely peak in collagen production, resulting in looking plump and being firm in structure. After this, an unavoidable and progressive loss of elastic fibres, collagen and supportive structure, as well as changes in pigmentation and skin tone is usually observed. Environmental and lifestyle factors play a major role in enhancing such changes. Focused skin care, tailored to the skin’s needs in each major decade of our life will therefore reduce the development and establishment of signs of ageing.
If you want to avoid an “uphill battle” in addressing damage to your skin and ageing processes, skin care can never start early enough! Read more about this in the dedicated blogs.
The market for skin care products is overwhelming to say the least.
Fancy names and sparkling packages at astounding prices do not automatically mean you will get superior quality. There are some absolutely fabulous cleansers and moisturizers freely available at every supermarket or chemist. But it is a wise move to invest in high quality serums and sunscreens tailored to your age group and skin care needs.
As with all products applied to skin, do your research, avoid products with too many ingredients including highly perfumed formulations and ideally do a patch test prior to applying any skin care article to larger areas to exclude adverse reactions. A dedicated skin analysis appointment with a cosmetic professional is a great way to work out a tailored skin care plan and helps you avoid wasting money on products not effective or not suitable for personal care.
Hope you feel good in your skin!