Beautiful and healthy skin is what most people want. Here’s how to care for the skin to stay healthy and youthful. The skin does not only function as a sense of taste. The skin also protects the body, regulates body temperature, and much more.
Covering the entire human body, the total area of skin that each adult has is about two square meters and weighs about 3.6 kg. A patch of skin with an area of about 6.4 square centimeters contains an average of 650 sweat glands, 20 blood vessels, and more than 1,000 nerve endings. It’s really complicated, isn’t it? The skin is a fairly complex organ. Likewise with its function for humans.
The skin has six main functions as follows:
- To protect the body from disease-causing pathogens. In the skin there are Langerhans cells which are part of our immune system.
- As a sense of taste because the nerve endings in the skin will detect touch, temperature, pressure, vibration, and injury.
- As a storage area for fat and fluids.
- As a body temperature regulator.
- The skin will maintain a normal body temperature by producing sweat and widening blood vessels when we are overheated. Meanwhile, when cold, the skin will goosebumps and constrict blood vessels to prevent body heat from escaping so that body temperature remains normal.
- Retains water to prevent nutrients from being wasted from the skin. Controlling the loss of body fluids by preventing evaporation of water.
What about the skin color function?
Human skin can vary with variations from a dark almost black color, to a light color almost white.
Most of these color variations are caused by a pigment or skin colorant called melanin. In addition to melanin, skin color is also caused by the connective tissue under the skin and hemoglobin or red blood cells in the skin’s blood vessels.
The main function of melanin is to protect the skin from damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Too much exposure to UV rays can cause skin cancer.
Melanocytes protect the skin from these risks by producing more melanin when the skin is exposed to UV light. As a result, the skin will look darker. That is why human populations living in areas with more UV exposure tend to have darker skin.
For example, residents of the tropics at the equator. On the other hand, people living in areas with less sunlight and UV exposure will have less melanin in their skin.
Therefore, their skin color will tend to be lighter. But whatever your skin color, exposure to UV rays should still be avoided as much as possible so that skin health is maintained.
How to care for skin to stay healthy
You can to do treatment at a skin beauty clinic KL Skin Specialist to maintain healthy skin. Basic care and a healthy lifestyle are enough to help slow down skin aging and prevent various skin problems.
You can apply the following simple skin care methods:
1. Protect skin from sun exposure
One way to maintain healthy skin is to protect it from ultraviolet rays that can damage the skin.
Too often exposed to sunlight will cause the appearance of wrinkles, spots, and even skin cancer.
You can do these easy tips to protect your skin from ultraviolet rays: Always use sunscreen when you are outdoors.
Choose a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) above 15 and reapply every two hours.
Use on the face and all over exposed, sun-exposed areas of the skin.
Take shelter and avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. In this period, ultraviolet rays are very strong.
Wear clothes that cover your arms and legs when you are out in the hot sun, such as long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and wide-brimmed hats.
2. Don’t smoke
Smoking will speed up the skin aging process. As a result, wrinkles appear more quickly and the skin looks dull and unhealthy.
Smoking cigarettes also makes the fine blood vessels in the outer skin narrow. This condition causes reduced blood flow and the skin will appear pale.
Smoking habits will damage the collagen and elastin in the skin, so the skin loses its elasticity.
The risk of squamous cell skin cancer will also increase due to smoking.
3. Gently clean the skin
Use soap with a mild chemical content and avoid long baths using hot water. The reason is, hot water can reduce skin oil levels.
Don’t forget to apply moisturizer to your skin. Choose the type of moisturizer that suits your skin type and condition.
4. Healthy eating pattern
Eat lots of vegetables and fruits, and drink enough water to keep your skin hydrated. Also consume foods that are rich in omega-3 content, and reduce the consumption of fats and processed foods to have a positive impact on skin health. Given the important function of the skin for the body, maintaining its health is crucial. The reason is, the skin is the body’s foremost defense against germs and other microorganisms that can threaten the body.