Skin Disorders

We begin life with the soft, smooth, silky skin of a baby but how many of us can vouch for a finely textured skin by the time we reach 30? Most of us take the skin the largest organ in the body, covering it from head to toe very much for granted. But the skin like any other bodily organ can be abused, overworked and fatigued. It deteriorates as we grow older. Whether a person is fortunate enough to possess a fine unblemished skin or one that is just beginning to lose its suppleness and that perfect oil in water moisture balance found in the skin of the very young, it is really never too late to start an intensive skin routine. Like any other living organ the skin responds to care and attention.

The most important attribute of good looks is the state of your skin, how you clean it and how you keep it in condition with exercise and the proper food and drink determines the front you present to the world. This, and other aspects of skin care, applies as much to men as it does to women. You cannot alter your basic skin type or colouring but a daily routine carried out when you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed at night will keep your skin healthy and clear,

The basic difference between the average person's looks and those of a much admired photographic model lies not so much in appearance but in the way the two care for their skin. A model's skin programme is not necessarily time consuming, the most important thing about it is that it is never sporadic or neglected. You can cleanse, stimulate and nourish your skin in just a little longer than it takes to clean your teeth. Try it, time it and see for yourself.

Before you start remember that cleansing helps to clear the skin. Most cleansing routines are either short lived, neglected or performed with the wrong equipment. Keep face cloths clean and soft or better still use a soft baby brush on your face. Always use good quality mild soaps on the skin. Start a programme of washing your skin thoroughly with soap and water to rid it of the dirt and grime it collects from the atmosphere. For a woman this daily routine removes traces of old make up which clog the pores and keep them from "breathing." Use soft circular motions of the fingertips working soap or creams upwards rather than in a downward gravitational direction.

Can the numerous cleansing agents on the market help your skin? The answer is yes, but only if they are chosen knowledgeably and not willy nilly after the recommendation of a friend. To be effective they must be used regularly. Examine your skin in a mirror and decide which type of skin you have.

If you have oily skin with a shiny surface and a tendency to open pores then washing with soap and water should be followed by a light tonic cleanser and then astringent to close the pores. Light creams can be used to nourish and moisturize an oily skin.

Dry skin which is papery, taut and stretched to the touch with a tendency to. flakiness should be washed with a cleansing cream or special lotion in place of soap and water. Freshener which is less harsh than an astringent is more suited to a dry skin, this can be followed by a good rich skin food.

If you have a combination of oily and dry skin treat each area separately with the routine applicable to each skin type. The oily panel usually runs down the centre of the face with the cheeks being dry or normal.

Mild soaps that are not perfumed should be used on sensitive skins, gentle skin tonics and water can be used for toning followed by a rich cream to nourish the skin. There are many special cleansing products especially prepared, for sensitive and allergy prone skins but use them on the advice of a trained skin care adviser.

Ageing skin should be cleansed with cleansing cream rather than with soap and water followed by a tonic lotion and generously nourished with creams to restore the secretions lost as the body functions begin to slow down.

The human skin needs moisture to prevent the formation of excess lines and wrinkles. Moisturizing creams really can help the tissues draw natural moisture from the body and from the air. It is all the more important if you want to keep a youthful skin to stay out of harsh sunlight. No matter how glamorous the appeal of a deep tan may be it dries the skin's normal oils and can prematurely age the skin.

Extend the care you take on your face to the rest of the body. Soften bathing water with oils and bath salts according to your skin type. Try to keep bathrooms warm, for moisture encourages the pores to open. You can stimulate and tone skin by massaging your body from toes to chin with a soapy lather. Use a body brush to break down the more fleshy skin tissue of the body. A loofah and pumice stone help to soften hard skin often found on feet, knees and elbows.

Like the skin on other parts of the body the face needs exercise too. The best way to keep the skin of the face supple and prevent flabbiness and sagging is with daily facial exercises which encourage mobility and lessen frown lines and wrinkles. Once lines and wrinkles appear, and they can start in your twenties, they cannot be undone or wished away. But by exercising and learning to relax the muscles you can do much to lessen their effect.

Treating the skin, is like any other treatment only second best to prevention. If you understand how your skin is made and how it does its various jobs, skin care becomes at once more logical and more readily undertaken. It will enable you all the better to make active use of your skin, in relating more positively to the world around you and in communicating with your fellow human beings.

For the skin is a paradox. It is both a barrier surrounding and protecting your body and a means of contact with your environment. One of its prime jobs is to regulate body temperature by reducing or increasing loss of body heat from its surface. Another is to prevent agents, such as germs and poisons from invading vulnerable bodily tissue, just as important is its task of preventing the loss of vital body fluids. Yet at the same time as it forms a near waterproof physical barrier, it is an active organ of excretion, helping to rid the body of wastes in the form of sweat.

It is on the psychological level, however, that the skin is a most active link with our surroundings. Quite apart from its role in personal appearance, the skin is vital in conveying the sense of touch. Because of this, it can be considered the principal organ of sexual attraction and communication. For touch, the least acute and least precise of all the senses, is also the most sensuous. Sights, sounds, and smells, can all be highly erotic. But it is the gentle, sensuous touch of a lover that expresses emotional passion and physical desire.

Perhaps the most paradoxical fact of all, though, is that the outermost layer of this sensuous outer barrier of the body is, completely "dead." This only applies to the very outermost layer, however, which consists of flattened, horny flakes, dead cells filled with a material called keratin, which is also responsible for the hardness of nails and hair. The horny cells are constantly worn away, to be replaced from below. Dandruff consists of no more than abnormally large amounts of horny skin that have flaked off the outermost layer. The job of replacing the constantly worn horny layer is performed by the Malpighian layer.

When exposing skin to rough treatment take simple beauty precautions. Use rubber gloves and protective creams and moisturizers.