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Claire Procter - womenrepublic |
The Biggest Enemies of Your Skin
The skin is the largest organ on the human body. It comes
under attack from dozens of sources both from outside and from within. Many of
these dangers are within our control but some are not. The main four threats to
our skin are:
- alcohol
- pollution
- smoking
- stress
- UV light (the sun)
Alcohol
The consumption of alcohol adversely affects your skin in two ways. Firstly,
it dehydrates the skin leaving it dull and more importantly dry. Dry skin is
more prone to wrinkles an premature aging. Secondly drinking excessive levels
of alcohol also over dilates the blood vessels. Over a sustained period of time
the capillary walls under the skin become so overcome they burst. Leaving those
red blotches you can see on any heavy drinker. Obviously, the odd glass of wine
wont make this happen but don't think for one minute it's a symptom only unique
to alcoholics.
Pollution
Smoke and other pollutants in the air damage the skin on our bodies. They
can interfere with the skin's natural protection system which adversely effects
the skin's ability to grow and repair itself. Large cities like london and Birmingham
are significantly more polluted than the rest of the country. A person living
and working in a large city can be exposed to damaging levels of air pollution
for several hours every day. This can eventually take its toll on the skin.
Short of moving to the countryside, the best thing you can do is make sure you
cleanse and moisturise your face regally.
Smoking
Of all the dangers to your skin, smoking is the worst. Research has shown
that smoking increases wrinkles by at least 75% not to mention turning your
skin and hair yellow. If that wasn't bad enough, recent tests indicate that
smokers are three times a likely to develop certain types of skin cancer than
non smokers. Still fancy lighting up? Amazingly, millions of us still do. The
nicotine in cigarettes reduces the oxygen and vital nutrients in your skin. By
smoking you are in effect starving your skin of what it needs to breathe. Of
course your skin will never die but after twenty fags a day for ten years it
will look like it has.
If you really must smoke make sure you have a diet high in foods that can to
some extent counteract the negative effects on your skin. Many vitamins act as
anti-oxidant which not only resist the smoke radicals but help prevent the
formation and growth of cancer sells. However, don't for one minute think the
right diet means you can puff away as you like. The fact is if you smoke your
skin will pay the price.
Stress
Stress can often exacerbate a number of skin conditions,
including acne, hives, dandruff and and eczema. In today's world we are more susceptible
to stress than ever. It is now questionable whether the so called stress free
life now exists. Even a seemingly simple task like taking the kids to school
can be an incredibly stressful experience. Unfortunately for most of us stress
is unavoidable. All we can do is deal with it with it comes and try not to let
it envelop us. Easier said than done.
UV light
Nearly 90% of skin damage results from exposes to the sun's
UV or ultraviolet rays. This damage manifests itself in premature aging,
sagging, discolouration and in many cases skin cancer. The sun adversely
effects the skin in three ways:
- it slows the growth of new skin cells and the discarding of old cells.
- it stimulates skin cells to produce enzymes which destroy collagen; an
essential component of our skin
- it directly damages the skin cells causing increased
levels of melanin; the very substance that makes our skin darker after exposure
to the sun
Of course we can't stay out of the sun forever but we can take precautions.
You should always wear as high a sun protection as possible, even if it's an
overcast day. A large percentage of skin damage occurs on cloudy days because
people wrongly assume they are not exposed to the sun and therefore don't
protect themselves. Do not linger in the sun during the hottest part of the day
form 11am to 3pm. In you are sunbathing, sit in the shade and wear a hat to
cover your face. And finally don't use a sunbed. You may think it's a small
price to pay for a tan but you will only begin to see the real price in the
years to come. You will have nothing but regrets. Sourcehttp://www.womenrepublic.co.uk/beauty/skin/enemies/
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