Today, when you go to buy products for your skin your first consideration is your skin type – dry, oily normal or combination. However, creating the right daily skincare routine for you begins with you learning about your skin.
To fully understand your skin you have to look at how it interacts with the rest of your body’s internal systems.
“Given the skin’s intimate bonds with the nervous system, the role of the mind in skin disease should be small surprise; all the more so when you consider that psychologically as well as physically the skin is your boundary with the world outside, …”
Taken from Skin Deep by Ted A. Grossbart, Ph.D. http://grossbart.com/sd/Skin_Deep2.html
The nervous system is the body’s control center and communications network and it controls the actions and reactions of the body and it’s adjustments to the environment. The nervous system has three main functions
- It senses change within the body and within the outside environment
- It interprets the changes
- It responds to the interpretation by initiating action in the form of muscular contractions or glandular secretions.
Think about how your skin reacts to situations that influence your life.
Stress
Some people may find that their skin reacts to emotional turmoil. Changes, even positive ones can cause stress – a new job, a new baby, a beautiful house, a new romantic relationship, a new and exciting phase of life, constant traveling.
All these things can influence how your skin behaves. Incidences that cause pressure, anxiety and tension, strain and hassle can affect the skin of some people. Glandular secretions of our various internal chemicals and hormones circulating within the bloodstream can show up and affect your skin. While all of this is happening, you can still be in the category of oily, dry, combination or normal.
Hormones
Your skin is a reflection of the internal harmony, strife or conflict that takes place inside of you. We have many hormones and chemical that reacts to bring balance in our circulatory, respiratory, reproductive, nervous, lymphatic, immune, and digestive functions, all to maintain the right chemical balance for our bodies. Our skin is subject to the various fluctuations of hormones in our bodies and some people are affected more directly than others.
For some people, a change in hormones can cause the breakout of acne. These can be influenced by adolescence, premenstrual, menstrual menopausal, pregnancy, breastfeeding phases or other change of life phases. The over production of oil (sebum) is triggered by an exaggerated response to normal hormone fluctuations.
This type of skin response can change from day to day and tends to improves as you get older. Here too, you can be oily, dry, combination or normal.
The Environment
Your skin can reacts to its surrounding environment. You skin may change as a result of contact with many outside elements – perfumes, soaps, changes in the weather, to allergens, insect bites irritating fabrics, soaps, creams or cosmetics to name a few. Your environment is more than the air you breathe. It’s the food, water, and clothing, cleaning products, pollen, car exhaust, cigarette smoke and dust around you. Sometimes the sun and your skin don’t mix well. All these external factors can affect your skin..
For you, less is better. The fewer fragrances, preservatives and additives in your skin products, the better it is for you. Sensitive skin needs careful attention in order for it to be radiant. Simple, uncomplicated care is your key to great skin.
Extrinsic Aging
Your skin has been damaged by the environment. This is not something that has happened overnight, but one that has developed over time. You skin has become damaged as a result of long term exposure to out door elements without any protection. Bare, uncovered and open to the damaging elements of the sun, wind, cold, pollution, and harsh chemicals.
Skin shows signs of extrinsic aging in the form of fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots and spider veins, brown spots or freckles, and loss of bounce. You just start looking old. It seems to happen overnight but in reality these signs had their origins many years ago.
Signs of over exposed skin can begin around age 35 or younger. In general, people with damaged skin are not bothered by acne. Nor is their skin particularly sensitive. They may even have a thicker, coarser texture than that of other people their own age
If this is the condition of your skin you may want to consider visiting a dermatologist for options not available by over the counter skin care creams and lotions.
Good Healthy Skin
You are fortunate. Your skin looks great and you don’t need to spend much time taking care of it. You probably look better than most people your own age.
Well balanced skin, that’s been protected and nourished through activity, good food and a balanced lifestyle. That’s what we all want. And we can have it. You just have to understand that your skin type goes beyond dry, oily normal or combination. Creating the right daily skin care routine for you begins with you learning about your skin.