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by Karen Peery Karen Peery has 20 years experience in the newspaper and retail industries. For the past 8 1/2 years she has been an AVON Independent Sales Representative, certified beauty advisor, and top recruiter in her district since 1999. She is a mother and grandmother and enjoys helping people discover their beauty and second income needs. Karen currently resides in Iowa. |
All skin has the same basic structure. Body skin differs from facial skin in several ways. Body skin has variations of thickness and retains more moisture. Almost everyone is born with beautiful complexion, velvety smooth, without visible pores, little veins, lines or wrinkles, and radiant with good health. Healthy skin feels soft, supple and resilient. Then within about 15 years all sorts of problems begin such as oily skin, blackheads, pimples, and large pores. The skin is the window of our health. When we are not feeling well, our skin tells that story. The condition of your skin is affected by both internal and external factors. Among the internal factors are heredity, age, state of health, presence of disease, and nutritional habits. Some of the external factors include the weather, the temperature and humidity of the air indoors, sun exposure and contact with chemicals. With age then, comes dry skin, wrinkles, baggy skin around the eyes and brown spots. Understanding the skin and what it is made of, how it gets it nourishment, what it needs to flourish will help our skin look vibrant. The skin serves many purposes: acts as a channel for communication to the outside world; protects us from water loss, friction and impact wounds; uses specialized pigment cells to protect us from ultraviolet rays of the sun; produces vitamin D in the epidermal layer, when it is exposed to the sun’s rays; helps regulate body temperature through sweat glands; helps regulate metabolism; and has esthetic and beauty qualities. The skin is composed of several layers. The lower layer is called the dermis. This layer is composed of connective tissue, blood vessels, nerve endings, hair follicles, and sweat and oil glands. Two important proteins are contained in the dermis layer, collagen and elastin fibers are manufactured here. They are vital for keeping the skin looking as youthful and as healthy as possible. Problems with any of these parts can affect the skin’s health and appearance. The dermis layer is like a sponge soaked with water that is firm when moist, less resilient and harder when dry. Collagen supports our skin and when it breaks down it causes our skin to sag. Elastin allows our skin to stretch and return to its original shape. It is like a stretched rubber band that can be pulled in many different directions without snapping. The outer or top layer of the skin, called the epidermis, is made up of a fine layer of dead cells, which continually shed and replace new cells from below. It takes about three weeks for a new skin layer to push its way up to the surface. The speed of cell renewal decreases with age. This is why older skin is often dry and coarse in appearance. Stimulating the skin, by exfoliating the surface, helps the skin to replace itself more quickly. This helps the skin appear like younger skin. The epidermis acts as a protective barrier and helps seal in the body’s moisture and keeps out potential harmful bacteria. The epidermis rests on top of the dermis. The thickness of the epidermis varies with age and gender. It shows all the skin problems. This is the part that blisters, scales, discolors, splotches and pimples. The subcutaneous layer, fatty layer, is made up mostly of fat cells, which also insulates the body. Remember that a poor diet is one of the greatest enemies of healthy looking skin. All types of skin require three things: cleansing, toning, moisturizing. The first thing you need to do is identify your skin type. Keep in mind you need to strive to have a skin type called “normal” which is neither dry, oily nor blemished. Next week’s article will include more about the three basic skin types: normal, oily and dry. No portion of this article may be reproduced without the written consent of MaryvilleCityGuide.com and the Author  Click logo above and use passcode: redsavon Karen Peery, Independent Sales Representative CLICK HERE |
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