The skin is the biggest organ in the body and covers the entire body, and is made up of various layers. The outer layer is the epidermis, which serves as a waterproof, protective layer for the underlying dermis. The dermis consists of connective tissue and also contains blood vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles and lymphatic vessels.
It is important to look after your body and skin care as the skin is fairly sensitive and requires care. For some people it can be more sensitive than for others, so for those of you that have a sensitive skin you will have to look after it more carefully.
Your body and skin care
The skin surface is continuously changing because within a 27 day cycle the skin cells from the bottom of the epidermis move up through the epidermis and eventually die as the cells are too far away from the blood supply in the dermis. These dead skin cells will sit on the surface of the skin until they are removed. To help keep your skin looking fresh and having a glow you should use an exfoliater to remove or slough away these dead skin cells. This can be done either using a loofah or a wash that contains small particles that feel rough on the skin when rubbed over the body. If you suffer from rough top of arms you could try exfoliating as this could help smooth out the skin over time.
You could also try dry brushing your body with a dry brush just before having a shower, brushing as briskly as you like towards the centre of the body. This helps to eliminate toxins from the skin and to stimulate the lymphatic system and blood circulation. Start with the soles of your feet and work up the legs and then up your arms, on the body always work the brush towards the heart but do not attempt to brush your face.
Once you have exfoliated you should moisturize. If you do not moisturize you could find that your skin becomes itchy as it is too dry. Your skin could also be dried out by taking too hot showers or baths. There are many moisturizers on the market so you just need to find the one that is best for you. For my own personal use I now try to avoid moisturizers with parabens in. Parabens are added because of their preservative elements and so now appear in many products to do with body care. The problem with parabens is that they are now thought to have some connection with breast cancer although it has not been proven 100%. If you want to avoid having products with paraben in you could try looking for natural, organic products although you do need to check the ingredients as sometimes you might find that they still contain parabens.
Your body and skin care can also be looked after by taking a collagen supplement. Collagen helps the skin to stay smooth, supple and firm. You can get collagen in moisturizers but collagen supplements will work inside the body. Collagen can be kept healthy by eating a healthy diet that is high in anthocyanidins, found in dark and red fruit, as this helps to block the attack of free radicals and enzymes on collagen. Sunlight can also destroy your collagen. If you suffer from fluid retention around your joints, this can be because of capillary leakage caused by lack of collagen keeping your capillary walls healthy. There are a fair few collagen supplements on the market, you just have to search on Google.
If you would like to try making your own cosmetics, then there are a number of books on the market that will guide you in the right direction to help with your body and skin care.
