Skincare

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(ii)     To act as air-conditioner – When blood vessels dilate or get bigger, heat is lost, when they constrict or get smaller, cutaneous blood flow reduces and conserves heat. To put it simply, in hot summery conditions skin produces sweat which cools the body when it evaporates, whereas it conserves the body heat by constricting its blood vessels when it is cold in the winter season.

(iii)    To prevent fluid loss – Skin can also control evaporation and prevent fluid loss. Skin prevents dehydration by stopping fluids from escaping by acting as a storage for water and lipids.

(iv)    To act as a defensive shield – The physical toughness of the skin acts as a defensive shield between us and both the external and internal environment. It prevents injuries, the ingress of harmful chemicals, irritants and contaminants and invading organisms such as bacteria and viruses and protects the body from vagaries of nature.

(v)     To ward-off ultra violet rays – Our skin protects the body from bad effects of ultra violet rays of the sun which can cause sunburn, premature wrinkles and DNA damage. Skin cells produce melanin, a pigment in the skin, when exposed to sunlight, which determines the colour of the skin – fair or dark. Darkening of the skin is caused by an increase or release of the pigment melanin into the skin’s cells after exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Melanin is produced by cells called melanocytes and protects the body from absorbing an excess of solar radiation, which can be harmful. In darker persons the melanin production is more efficient. Melanin, to some extent, protects the skin from scorching sunshine. Fair-skinned people are, therefore, more susceptible to damage from exposure to excessive ultraviolet rays of the sun than dark-skinned persons.

(vi)    To synthesis vitamins – Skin exposed to sunlight is the main site of manufacture of vitamin D naturally from provitamin contained in skin fat. Vitamin D is essential for the growth and maintenance of our bones.

(vii)   To help get rid of wastes – The sweat glands of the skin excrete excess water, salts, toxins and poisons that are present in the body, as do the kidneys and bowels. For the skin to perform these functions, it must be able to breathe and should be kept clean. Hence using lots of skin-clogging make-ups is not in your best interests.