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Our largest organ has to deal with dirt, sun,
wind, makeup, childbirth, gravity and countless other stressors on an hourly basis. Plus people pay lots of money
to have their skin stretched and sewn to fight the effects of gravity and the sun!
Our skin does an awesome job when you sit down
and think about it. If it wasn't for our skin, we'd have to deal with the unsettling thought of how to carry our
intestines and other organs around.
And skin is a good reflector of our general health.
You can tell almost immediately if someone is unwell just by looking at them. Smokers tend to have a grayish pallor
to their skin which is due to reduced oxygen - a good incentive to quit the fags!
As our CosmeticsCop Paula Begoun will tell you, skin's biggest enemy
is the sun. All that sunbaking turns into wrinkles ten or twenty years later. A tan may look glamorous to some
people now, but when they reach their forties they have a face like a leather handbag and will probably need a
few skin cancers cut out.
A tan is an increase in the production of a skin pigment called
melanin. This is the skin trying to protect itself against further stress.
Paula's advice is to always wear sunscreen if
you're going outdoors and choose makeup with at least a 15+ sunscreen added to the ingredients. It might not be
practical to wear a sunscreen in winter but at least you'll get some protection with your makeup.
Sudden weight gain and pregnancy place huge pressures
on the skin and stretch marks are the result. You may have noticed white or pink squiggly
lines at the tops of your thighs near the hip joint, or on your stomach, breasts and buttocks.
Skin is made up of the epidermis
(top layer), dermis (middle layer) and subcutaneous
layer (the deep one). Stretch marks happen
when the collagen fibers in your dermis are pulled a little too much and don't snap
back into place anymore - kind of like the elastic band in your underwear...it gives up eventually.
There's not a lot you can do to prevent stretch
marks. Moisturizing creams don't really seem to help. Dermatologists may recommend laser surgery or special creams
to get rid of them, but they usually fade away on their own. Well-cared for skin, a healthy diet and regular exercise
can help prevent stretch marks by keeping the skin supple and hydrated.
Alcohol, stress, embarrassment, and sexual excitement
can cause the skin to flush. The capillaries in the skin become stretched and engorged
with blood which cannot make a quick exit so you're left with a bright red face.
Ever heard the term "she was pale with fright"?
A shock can literally drain away the blood from your face and make you look pale...like
you've seen a ghost! But beware. If you see someone's face suddenly turn pale, it might be something more serious.
Pale-looking skin can indicate anemia,
but it may not be a sign of illness though - some people are naturally pale or
just don't go out into the sun.
Skin will react to changes in temperature. On
a hot, humid day it's not uncommon for rashes to appear in your elbow creases or other areas. This is called prickly heat rash and is due to a blockage in your sweat glands. Keeping cool and bathing in cold
water will help. The rash usually disappears fairly quickly.
Internal stress can also have an effect on the skin. Have you ever broken out in a huge rash
on your chest before a date, or a bunch of hives have popped up before an exam? Stress can also cause atopic dermatitis, otherwise known as eczema, to break out.
Stress has also been blamed for other skin disease
like psoriasis and acne by stimulating the production of skin cells and excessive
oil. These theories have not been proven yet, however stress does affect the immune system and can indeed cause
cold sores (herpes simplex) and shingles (herpes zoster - a adult version of chicken pox) to rear
their heads again.
The obvious treatment is eliminate the cause of
the stress, but that's not always easy to do, especially if you're about to make your public speaking debut! Bear
in mind, some stress can be good for you as it makes you more alert and you perform better. Thinking
about this may help.
You might also want to try relaxation therapies
such as meditation, yoga or deep breathing exercises. Make sure you eat well and get enough sleep too. And of course,
always see your doctor if you have any concerns.
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