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Know your Skin
Skin is the outermost covering of our body, a barrier that prevents
harmful substances and microorganisms from entering the body .It controls
the loss of life- sustaining fluid like water and blood, protects body
tissue from injury, and regulates the body temperature through perspiration.
Skin also provides us protection from sun’s harmful ultraviolet
rays.
The skin keeps changing constantly. It contains many specialized cells
and structures. It functions as the sensory organ for environmental
changes, making us feel cold or heat. It also has millions of nerve
cells which react to our emotions and situations.
Skin is a sensitive organ and its proper upkeep is necessary to keep
it healthy and protect it from infection. Skin also gets affected by
inner chemical changes, which are caused because of malfunctioning of
different metabolic processes in the body. Simple acne appears on skin
due to complex processes of extra male hormone formation by adrenal
glands.
Skin is made up of three layers: the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous
tissue. The epidermis is the outermost and thinnest layer of skin, followed
by the dermis. This layer of skin plays an important role in the formation
of acne as it contains the hair follicle, sebaceous glands and sweat
glands. Nerves and blood vessels course through this layer and make
it sensitive to pain, itching and temperature.
Every square inch of skin is covered with thousands of cells, seat
glands, oil glands (sebaceous glands), nerve endings and blood vessels.
The epidermis is quite tough and plays a protective role. The epidermis
contains the pigment melanin which gives skin its color. Melanin is
the cause of dark color of blackheads. Dark skinned people have more
melanin in their skin compared to light skinned people.
Skin may be roughly divided in three categories: normal skin, dry skin
and oily skin. Apart from these main skin types, there are some other
skin types which are characteristic of some special condition. These
are combination skins, acne-prone skins, aging skins, sensitive skins,
and mature skins. Acne-prone skin is usually oily and has blackheads
and pimples. If neglected and uncared for, these pimples and blackheads
can advance to a worsened stage and make the skin scarred and pitted.
People with acne should be more careful about how they treat their
skin, what kind of cosmetics they use and what kind of food they consume.
These all are important factors in maintaining the health of their skin.
Not only people with acne skin, but people with other types of skin
should also be aware of their skin type and take care in maintaining
a healthy skin. Acne is something which occurs on almost every person’s
skin at one or other time in their life. The worst time is during adolescent
years when overactive glands and hormonal changes can cause acne to
appear on one’s face, back, chest.
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Apart from acne skin, oily skin and sensitive skin are also prone to
acne. oily skin is often shiny and coarse in texture. It might have
recurring blackheads and enlarged pores. It may also show patches of
flakiness around the nose. This skin type is characterized by excessive
oil (sebum) and that’s why it keeps getting acne even in the later
years of life.
Sensitive skin also succumbs to acne very easily, as it gets affected
by slightest change in the body chemistry or outer influences such as
cosmetics or foods. It is characterized by broken capillaries and vessels
beneath the surface of the skin.
If you feel that you have developed skin sensitivity, then you should
take extra care about both internal and external factors which might
cause inflammation in your skin. People with sensitive skin should be
careful while choosing their cosmetics, particularly ones with strong
fragrances because it can trigger off any kind of reaction in them,
from rashes to acne. They should also take care of their diet, keep
away from stress and try to do regular exercise to keep their metabolism
and other bodily functions in proper shape.
The oiliness of our skin changes from day to day, depending upon the
weather. In hot and humid weather, the skin becomes sweaty; in winters,
even oily skin becomes dry. dry skin needs special care in winters and
oily skin needs a strict cleansing regimen in summers. No matter what
kind of skin you have, just s little day to day care will go a long
way in keeping it healthy and free of problems. One important factor
in maintaining healthy skin is reducing the level of stress from our
life. Stress causes increased levels of hormones which flare up acne,
cause other skin disorders, and induces aging.
Other Resources:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body
http://dermatology.about.com
http://kidshealth.org
http://www.acnedoctor.com/acne-treatment-skin-types.html
http://mo.essortment.com
http://www.acnedoctor.com
http://www.healthyskinshop.com
http://www.aad.org
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