HEALTH & BEAUTY
From Issue #16
SOS, Save Our Skin!
The Science of Healthy Skin
By Alicia Cox
The best way to care for your
skin is to understand why its protection
is so vital to our health and beauty.
The key points? Ultraviolet rays, dry skin,
poor diet = bad. Moisturizers, balancing
foods with certain vitamins, strong
sunscreen and self-tanners = good.
Let’s start at the beginning.
SKIN SCIENCE 101
Not only is your skin an organ just like
the heart or liver, it’s the largest organ
you have. Skin is made up of thousands
of cells and hundreds of sweat and oil
glands, nerve endings and blood vessels.
It consists of two main layers: the
epidermis and the dermis [see the Skin
Science Definitions sidebar below].
The epidermis contains melanin, which
is one of two pigments that determines
skin colour. Melanin is found in certain
types of skin cells called melanosomes.
All the beautiful shades of human beings
are a result of the number, size and
distribution of the melanosomes.
Another important skin component is
collagen, which is the protein in your
skin. Over exposure to ultraviolet rays
can cause collagen to break apart,
which causes sagging, lines and
wrinkles later on.
MOISTURIZING FOR THE MASSES
Now that you’re a skin science expert,
it’s on to the all mighty power of
moisturizing, which is one of the secret
weapons to beautiful skin (keep reading
to find out the other secret weapon).
Many people include facial and body
cream in their daily skin care routine,
but have you ever wondered why?
Moisturizers enhance and preserve the
barrier of your skin, otherwise called
lipids. You’ve heard the analogy of the
brick wall? The skin cells are the bricks
and the lipids are the mortar. If there are
holes in the mortar the wall will leak.
Basically, facial and body creams fill
those holes and keep the moisture
from escaping!
HEALTHY SKIN FROM THE INSIDE
Moisturizing keeps skin looking good
from the outside, but how can you take
care of it from the inside? Certain foods
contain the vitamins A, E and C, which
are all directly related to healthy skin.
Dark coloured orange fruits and veggies
like carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apricots, cantaloupe and peaches are
high in vitamin A, which is great for
maintaining healthy skin. Vitamin E is an
anti-oxidant and helps protect skin cells
from damage. Nuts, wheat germ, whole
grains and leafy green veggies are an
excellent source. Remember collagen?
The building blocks of your skin?
Vitamin C is great for forming
collagen and can be found in red berries,
kiwi, broccoli, red and green peppers and
juices like grapefruit and orange. One
word of warning: if you’re going to take
a vitamin supplement, always check with
your doctor to find out what’s best for
you. If you’re on acne medication, too
much vitamin A can be harmful because
acne prescriptions are already vitamin
A-fortified.
And, although you probably
know this by now, eating chocolate and
fried foods won’t give you acne. It’s not
so much what you’re eating, but what
you’re not eating. If you’re munching on
candy and chips, you aren’t getting any
of the vitamins that encourage healthy
skin. It’s common sense, really.
So if you’re going to eat a bag of chips,
drink some O.J. or eat a peach.
It’s all about balance.
HOW THE SUN CAN DAMAGE YOUR SKIN
If you continually go out in the sun
without proper protection, your skin will
reflect the damage of ultraviolet rays.
When you get a tan it means you’ve also
got some sun damage (obviously a burn
means major damage!). A tan is your
body’s way of responding to an injury:
the harmful ultraviolet rays activate the
skin’s melanin (your body’s protective
pigment against the sun), and turns the
melanin brown, creating a tan. Some
areas of your skin may react differently
to sun damage, appearing blotchy and
dry in certain areas; this is due to the
unpredictability of the sun and your skin.
So should you stay indoors and hide
from the sun? No way! It’s all right to be
in the sun as long as you always use sunscreen with a high SPF and follow
these sun skin care rules:
FIVE SKIN CARE RULES
1. Hydration is very important because dehydration
leaves your skin vulnerable to the drying effects of
the sun. Drink water and moisturize.
2. If you’re going to be in the water, wear
waterproof sunscreen. Simple.
3. Be aware of your skin type. If you burn easily,
slather on the SPF 45. Even if you have dark skin
and never burn, you still need at least an SPF 20.
4. Apply sunscreen properly. Follow the ‘quarter’ rule:
use a quarter-sized amount of sunscreen to each
quarter of your body. You may want to use a higher
SPF on your face and neck. Reapply every 4-6 hours.
5. Indulge in self-tanners. We all want a healthy
summer glow; it’s just smarter to get it from a
bottle instead of potentially damaging the skin you
need for life. |
You’ll thank yourself in thirty years.
If you start protecting your skin from
the sun now, you’ll increase your
chances of beautiful, healthy skin when
you’re older, not to mention decrease
your chances of getting skin cancer.
Skin Science Definitions
Collagen: the protein in your skin; one of
the main ‘building blocks’ of your skin.
Dermis: the thicker inner layer
of the skin; connective tissue
containing nerve endings.
Epidermis: the thinner outer layer of the
skin; contains melanin.
Lipids: the barrier of the skin.
Melanin: pigment that adds brown colouring
to skin; absorbs
ultraviolet rays and protects skin from sun
damage.
Melanosomes: skin cells where melanin is
found; the more melanosomes, the darker
the skin.
Pigmentation: the colouring that occurs
in all animals and plants; in humans, carotene (yellow) and melanin (brown). |
With files from kidshealth.org, encylcopedia.com
and teenadvice.com.
Special thanks to Dr. Mary Lupo for her expert advice.
Dr. Lupo is
the official spokesperson for The Andrew Jergens Company
skincare brands, which include Jergens®, Bioré®, Ban® and Curél®
