Did you know that skin accounts for 15 percent of our body weight and contains half of the primary immune cells? In each INCH of skin there are millions of cells, 15 feet of blood vessels, 12 feet of nerves, 650 sweat glands, 100 oil glands, 65 hairs and 1,300 nerve endings.
Skin is the largest organ in the body which includes layers of skin, nerves, cellular functions, hair follicles and glands. It is meant to protect the body from outside elements in many complex ways such as with melanin, which protects from the sun, amazing self healing properties which fight against infections as well as trapping water into the body. The skin has sensory nerve endings which respond to touch, pain, cold, heat, and pressure which sends messages to the brain. The skin has heat regulation for the entire body using hair follicles, blood vessels and sweat glands to keep our bodies at the temperature it needs to be. Sweat glands in the skin excrete sweat and detoxify the body by discharging excess salt and unwanted chemicals. Our skin in constantly excreting sebum and oil onto the surface of the skin to protect and keep the skin soft. The skin also has absorption properties, which is limited but includes absorbing oxygen as well as products.
We are born with the skin we are born with, that is an important thing to remember when treating skin. Genetics and ethnicity determine skin types although skin is very fickle and is forever changing. The body replaces billions of cells daily but it takes about six weeks for adult skin to completely turn over and show results of product usage. There are five different skin types: dry, normal, combination, oily and sensitive. Dry skin does not produce enough oil and needs assistance in creating a barrier to protect. Normal skin is balanced, it may be a tad oily or dry at times and is basically blemish free. Normal skin should be treated for maintenance and prevention. Combination skin is both oily and dry, either in different areas or with overall dry skin with too much oil production, overlapping. Combination skin needs to be balanced by either treating the separate areas differently or frequent exfoliation to break down dead skin and allow the oil production to balance out naturally. Oily skin has excess oil and sebum production and frequently has blemishes. Oily skin is tricky to treat because over maintaince can strip the skin and irritate it however it is important to find a balancing routine and one should seek assistance from a professional to determine a correct routine. Sensitive skin is easily irritated by touch or products. Sensitive skin should be treated with nonirritating, minimalist products to calm and nourish. Every skin type needs to use a sun protectant daily.
Aging skin is influenced by heredity, sun exposure, the environment, health habits and lifestyle choices. The sun causes about 80 to 85 percent of aging which is why we should be protecting our skin daily from birth. Aging skin is typically sensitive, dry and showing signs of fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmintation/hypopigmitaion(dark spots/white spots). Elastin and collagen, which are what keeps the skin firm and smooth, do not replace naturally after time, however, there are product ingredients which stimulate elastin and collagen growth.
Healthy nutrition and a healthy mind is very important for skin. Diet and water intake directly effects the status of skin regulating hydration, oil production, and function of cells. A lot of acne, especially cystic acne, is caused by something going on inside the body and those with severe acne should seek assistance from a dermatologist. The skin is the last organ to receive messages of stress and other emotions. Some skin shows signs of stress in many different ways such as “breaking out”. It is important if you do struggle with stress breakouts or other challenges from stress to take time out for personal wellness such as meditation, yoga, massage, facials or what ever it is that relaxes you.
At The Brown Barn Bath Company we strive to treat the skin with natural balancing products. We have products to assist all skin types in finding balance. There are products to target balancing acne/oily skin, sensitive skin, dry skin, aging skin and of course normal skin. For assistance choosing the correct products for your skin please stop in and ask or even email me with your skin challenges and description for a personalized routine. I can be reached at thebrownbarn@gmail.com.
The Brown Barn Bath Company wishes you a "blemish-free" weekend!
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