Significance Of Skin Care

    Posted before Dec-31-2007

Our skin is the outermost protective shield or the first line of defense of our body. Skin covers all parts of the body and has over seven million pores through which the body eliminates some of the wastes produced by it. The skin also holds sensation and it is never possible to perforate it with a needle without causing pain and blood flow inside. A vital function of the skin is to regulate the body temperature. An individual who perspires profusely during the hot summer months is less opposed to heat compared to people who do not sweat freely. In other words, the surplus body heat is removed by means of sweating, which also eliminates some portion of the exhalations from the lungs.

It may be mentioned here that the animals have a warm body that continuously emits heat. The water vapor as well as sweat is quite significant and it is enhanced to a great extent when a person undertakes rigorous work outs or during the scorching weather. According to a rough estimate, approximately 100 grains of matter, especially nitrogenous, are eliminated by the body through the skin pores every day. In case this waste matter is held back by the body, it will increase the already heavy workload of the kidneys. On the other hand, if this waste is allowed to remain in the blood stream, it may prove to be fatal for our health as well as life. Hence, it is essential that we take particular care of our skin and keep its pores open to enable it to function without any obstruction.

Hundreds of years ago, Sanctorius, the Italian physiologist who pioneered the study of metabolism, had established that about two-third of the food and drinks consumed by us is eradicated through the skin pores, while the remaining one-third of the waste materials produced by the body is excreted by the bowels, kidneys and lungs. When the process of sweating is blocked for a couple of days, the level of impurities in the blood will raise to an unbelievable amount. This, in turn, will give rise to several diseases as the waste produced by the body is not eliminated through the skin.

Whenever our skin is exposed to a cold environment for a long time or cold is applied to the skin or there is reduced sweating, it is certain to give rise to bowel disorders, irritation and tenderness in the chest or some other internal organs. In fact, our entire body suffers when the skin fails to perform its routine functions. In such cases, we will experience discomfort in the heart, lungs, liver, bowels, stomach, the brain as well as the nerves. As our blood becomes loaded with toxic materials, our health becomes weak and susceptible to diseases. This puts a great burden on our health and it can only be removed by reinstating the normal functions of the skin. Hence, taking proper care of the skin is of utmost importance for our overall well being.

In order to ensure that our skin functions properly, it is very essential to keep the skin pores open. And this can be achieved by maintaining a clean skin all the time. Therefore, the first thing the people ought to do every morning is to take a through washing. They may take a shower or a bath and subsequently wipe the surface of the skin with a rough cloth. Doing so serves several purposes that are beneficial for our health. When we rub the skin surface with a coarse cloth, it helps to get rid of the perspired substances that have been released by our body during sleep. If these waste materials are not removed from the skin, they may be soaked up by the body again and transported to the blood system, which will once again become loaded with toxic matter. In addition, rubbing the skin with coarse cloth also reinforces the process of our nervous system.

You may also dry brush the skin with normal, boar, quill brush or massage it till it becomes reddish and enhances the temperature of the skin. Adopting this process will facilitate eradication of toxins from the skin. Alternately, you may also use the heat from an infra-red lamp or take a sauna as both these methods are exceptional tools to help in eliminating the waste substances from the skin's surface. In addition, taking foot baths are also helpful in removing cold as well as toxins from the system. For taking foot baths, the water ought to be as hot as possible and used for about 10 to 20 minutes at a stretch. For better results, you should add a tablespoon of dry mustard to the hot water before taking the foot bath. Taking a bath with baking soda and scrubbing the skin well is another excellent way of eliminating toxic substances from the skin. At the same time, for better results, you need to cleanse the base of your feet and wear detox pads on the soles of the feet during sleep. When you wake up, you will be surprised to find the amount of waste deposits on the detox pads thrown out through your feet.

As discussed earlier, controlling the body temperature is another crucial function performed by the skin. For instance, when an individual is suffering from fever or is undertaking strenuous physical tasks, he or she perspires profusely. And, this is our body's own mechanism to lower the temperature. In addition, our skin also shields us from the disparaging substances entering our body and gets rid of several contaminants that get into the body through consumption of food and drinks or through the skin pores themselves. The skin also reduces the workload of the kidneys and the liver that filter out the spin-offs or waste materials produced during the metabolic process in our body.

Interestingly enough, our skin also respires and performs an important function in reinforcing the immune system. In fact, our skin performs numerous functions and the ones mentioned thus far are few among them. Therefore, it is very important to take care of our skin, not only for the external beauty, but also for our internal health and overall wellbeing.

Basically, there are three major elements that need to be nourished in order to take proper care of our skin. Here is a brief discussion on each of them.

Superior nourishment

Things you consume should be simple, fresh and natural or unrefined. Remember when you consume simple food, your body will require to do little or no processing at all saving plenty of energy. Similarly, the fresher the foods you intake, the better it is for you. In fact, fresh fruits and vegetables enclose most of the nourishments we require to remain healthy mentally and physically. You may certainly have some processed and high-fat foods at times when you are eating out or attending a lunch or some other time. However, it is essential to ensure that you consume natural and unprocessed foods most of the time. At the same time, experiment with your diet and change it at times. Don't always stick to the same food habits and always try something new - maybe a new vegetable dish.

Ample rest and recreation

Try not to overwork yourself. Exerting a lot of pressure or taking more than sufficient workload is neither necessary nor desirable. In fact, when you exert yourself beyond a certain limit or suffer from exhaustion, it may prove to be detrimental for your health and, at times, even turn out to be fatal. Therefore, it is advisable that you spend some of your time resting or in recreational activities so that you are able to regain the energy and concentration that is lost during a hard day's work. Remember, your body requires adequate rest for it to reinforce its organs.

Drink enough water

This is perhaps the most important aspect of remaining in good health as well as for our overall wellbeing. Our body requires enough water in order to function properly. In fact, water is essential not only to prevent the body cells from dehydrating, but also to get rid of the toxins and wastes produced during metabolism. It is, therefore, essential to drink at least three liters of water every day. When you drink less water, you don't perspire and the body is unable to eliminate the toxins and wastes through the skin. In addition, deficiency of water will also cause your urine to become dark and smelling. These are only a few conditions that deficiency of water may cause. You may experience several other conditions, most of them not perceptible until it is very late, if you do not drink enough water regularly.
If you fail to drink a minimum of three liters of water daily and regularly, you are certain to suffer from dehydration. In such an instance, either your body will fail to function as it should, or it will acquire fluids from any place it can. You may already be familiar with the symptoms of dehydration - dry scaly skin, parched mouth, dark urine, and cracks on your tongue, dry lips, and untimely wrinkles and so on. Now, the choices are up to you - either you drink water and remain healthy, or shrink from dehydration!

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