I want to begin by paying homage to the largest organ of our bodies: our skin. Sometimes, I think I take my skin for granted. Have you ever done the same? I mean, my skin has been with me for as long as I can remember, back to childhood. Today, I realize the skin I have, I must protect it as best as I can because, frankly, it’s the only skin I’ve got; and it has to last me till the very end! And of course I want to look my best (yes I care! And yes I may be slightly vain!). In the past, in my 20’s, I may have gone out for a quick errand without sunscreen in the Summer time. Or, I may have gotten a few sunburns while vacationing in the Caribbean. Or even the sunburn I got in Hawaii as a result of not RE-APPLYING sunscreen while in the water. I was young, I didn’t know any better, but today, I wish I knew then, what I know now. I cannot emphasize enough to others to please be good to your skin. To apply and reapply sunscreen, to have activities earlier or later in the day, to get ourselves checked by a dermatologist at least once a year as well as screening ourselves monthly and even use of sun protective clothing. All of the above are things we can do to help protect the skin we have.
For those who need a refresher, here are some great reasons why we ought to take good care of our skin. It has in fact, many important functions.
- For one thing, our skin offers protection from the external world; from its germs and foreign materials. In addition, melanin in the epidermis acts as a screen to absorb the ultraviolet rays from the sun; thus also offering a source of protection for our bodies.
- Paper cut anybody? What happens a few days after the initial injury (and of course, a few days of annoying pain and stinging), your cut heals. The skin has a talent for healing and regenerating itself.
- Maintaining our body’s temperature is another function of the skin. When the temperature gets too hot or cold, our skin helps to balance our bodies through perspiration, conduction and radiation of heat. By constricting and dilating blood vessels in the skin, our skin vasculature also helps to maintain a normal body temperature.
- Let’s not be Vitamin D deficient! Our skin aids in making Vitamin D when we expose our skin to ultraviolet sunlight.
- Let’s not forget how via our skin, we can sense pressure, pain, changes in temperature and even itching!
- So far, our skin has a multitude of special functions, but lastly, we cannot forget the important psychosocial role of our skin with regards to self image and how we feel about ourselves. Think how much focus is placed (on ourselves) to look our best in addition to feeling our best!
So what do you think? Your skin is a pretty special organ no? It will be with you all your life so why not take care of it as best as you can. The fact that our skin does so many spectacular jobs, makes it ultra special and I for one, promise to take care of mine! Rave About Skin will offer you the best tips and information so that you too can achieve this goal.