Understanding Your Skin

Nov 13, 2009

It is unbelievable that skin is the largest organ in our body. This living organ heals and renews itself through out the life
of a person. It covers whole of our body and consist of two clearly defined layers, which are:

1. Epidermis is the outer layer i.e. the skin that we see and feel. It is the protective covering of our body. No blood vessels are present in this layer but some nerve endings are there and are made up of five layers of cells. The pigment melanin is found in this layer. This melanin protects the sensitive cells underneath from harmful radiation of sun. More melanin is produced if exposed for a greater time.

2. Dermis is the layer located just below the epidermis. This layer contains nerve endings and hence is extremely sensitive. It also contains numerous blood vessels, lymph vessels, sweat glands, sebaceous glands and hair follicles and all these are held together by the collagen and elastic fibers and thereby giving strength and resilience to the skin.
Every hair follicle contains sebaceous gland, which produces sebum. Production of excess sebum makes your skin oilier. If the neck of sebaceous gland got blocked then the sebum accumulates there causing acne. If the production of sebum is insufficient then it causes a dry skin.

Teenage time can be the best or worst time in your life depending on the hormonal activity. In general puberty is considered as the bad time for skin.

If you were not a victim of acne and pimples during your teenage years, then it is more likely that your 20’s and 30’s can be trouble free. In your 20’s, your skin will be in the best form. But, it can be badly affected by other factors like
allergies, hormonal imbalance, stress and exposure to the elements.

During your 30’s the skin may begin to lose the glow of youth. You may notice dryness and fine lines on your skin. The skin seems to be over sensitive and needs much more care during this time.

During your 40’s the production in hormones reduces and the skin begins to lose its tone and elasticity and as a result of this, wrinkles and fine line starts to appear. While these things happen as your age increases, these can be controlled or minimized to some extend by properly caring for your skin. You have to do cleansing, toning and moisturizing your skin twice a day to rejuvenate and revive the skin.

By this time you will have better understanding of your skin and how it works and it is obvious that you will appreciate that it is the time to start caring for your skin.