Skincare

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Skincare with Naturo-Food Therapy

Skin – the caring cover of the Body

What is Skin?

1. By virtue of its weight (about 16% of body weight) and surface area (about 2 sq. metres), the skin is not only the largest organ of our body, but is also the foremost marker of our physical identity. Healthy skin is aesthetically pleasing to the sight. Our healthy skin can attract people to us when it is physically and visually appealing to others. Also acting as a determinant of our mood of how our skin communicates or looks to others – flushed when embarrassed, or pale with anaemia and nervous when we sweat.

2. Skin consists of two layers – the epidermis (outer layer) and the dermis (inner layer). Underneath these two layers is a layer of fatty tissue called the subcutaneous layer. The subcutaneous layer insulates the body from temperature changes and connects the skin to the body.

3. The epidermis is the top layer of the skin you see. It is made up of cells that are continuously renewed about every month, which means that the skin you see is about a month old. The epidermis has small openings called pores. Pores are tunnels that lead to the skin surface from below the epidermis. Skin oil and sweat are carried in the pores upto the skin surface. Melanin, that gives skin, eyes and hair, their colour, is found in the epidermis. Melanin affords some protection to the skin from sun’s rays and is produced whenever the skin is exposed to the sun. Melanin does not provide complete protection from the sun, and anyone can be burnt. Melanin is the substance that produces freckles.

4. The dermis is the skin layer just below the epidermis. It contains a network of blood vessels that carry heat and nutrients to the surface of the skin. The dermis has thousands of tiny hairs. The root of each hair is surrounded by oil glands. Oil from these glands travels along the hair to the surface of the skin which keeps it moist, soft and waterproof. Overproduction of the oil can make the skin oily. The dermis also has thousands of sweat glands that produce sweat to rid the body of excess water, salts and wastes. When sweat evaporates, it cools the skin. About 1.13 litre of water is excreted in sweat everyday, but most of the time it goes