Twelve ways to effectively take care of the Skin

Beauty is a valuable asset but taking care of the skin to look beautiful seems expensive and definitely a good business. This of course has led so many people to have cashed in on this opportunity, to set-up spars and beauty shops in neighborhoods all round the world. In fact, women and young ladies especially celebrities today attach so much value and importance to their skins and the way they look. But truly, your skin says a lot about you whether you are a guy or lady and it also speaks volume about your personal hygiene, state of mind and body. It is an obvious fact that our skin shrinks as we grow old but a skin when well taken care of and maintained, could make a lady in her 60’s still look as young as a lady in her 30’s.

The thickness of skin also varies from location to location on an organism. In humans for example, the skin located under the eyes and around the eyelids is the thinnest skin in the body at 0.5 mm thick, and is one of the first areas to show signs of aging such as "crows feet" and wrinkles. The skin on the palms and the soles of the feet is 4 mm thick and the thickest skin in the body. The speed and quality of wound healing in skin is promoted by the reception of estrogen. So we need to pamper and care four our skin like an egg.

Sometimes the way we take care of our skin determines how long we still have to live on earth. In 2013, life expectancy at birth for both sexes globally was 71 years, ranging from 62 years in low-income countries to 79 years in high-income countries, giving a ratio of 1.3 between the two income groups. Women live longer than men all around the world. The gap in life expectancy between the sexes was 5 years in 1990 and had remained the same by 2013. According to recent analysis and report by WHO, the average life expectancy at birth in Africa, was 50 years in 2000, whereas it was 58 years in 2013 while in Nigeria the average life expectancy is pitched at 55 years. The reason for this drop in Africa is not far-fetched. Taking care of the skin is not a generally or well known practice in Africa especially among the blacks. So let’s take a look at ways in which one can personally take care of his/her skin. Here we go;

Sleep well: Sleeping is one of the best ways to keep your skin glowing again especially among women. Studies have reported that women who do not sleep well tend to have tired looking skins when compared to women who get enough sleep in a day. Generally speaking, adults need an average of about eight to nine (8-9) hours of sleep daily. Dark circles which usually appear at the skin directly under the eyes are often as a result of lack of sleep.

Avoid smoking: We all know that smoking is already a bad habit, but what most people don’t know is how it affects the skin generally. Smoking breaks down collagen which hastens the development of wrinkles and lines around the skin at the mouth, and hence the skin starts to lose moisture. Most chronic smokers have ugly skin because of the smokes which contains a greater percentage of carbons and sometimes sulphur and our skin definitely don’t need them.

Avoid spot picking: This is common among teenagers who are just getting into their puberty stage of life and have started experiencing changes in their body. Spot picking endangers the skin by rupturing its tissues thereby resulting to infections, discolouration of the skin and even scaling. If you must remove any spot from the skin, consult a skin specialist for a professional advice on how to use a good antiseptic healing cream to remove the spots. Do not stretch or break the skin because over-stretching could lead to early surfacing of wrinkles.

Body Cleansing: For ladies, make-ups are good but use less of them when tired. Most ladies (some men) like to take special care of their skins especially the face, hands and legs. Never go to bed with your make ups, always clean and wash them off before sleeping at night. But there is a secret rule which says that over cleansing the skin is a bad practice. If you do not clean them off before going to bed it could result to the inflammation of the eyes. Your sleeping ours should be when your face is free from make-up, dirts and pollutions in order to rejuvenate the skin throughout the night

Eat good Diet: One must learn how to eat a balanced diet every day, but if one can’t afford that then one must watch what he/she eats. Junk foods and eating in between meals should be effectively reduced or avoided. A poor diet will definitely produce a poor and unhealthy skin. Parents should be able to feed their children properly well; this will help to develop their skins as they grow into adulthood. Diets like fruits and vegetables are high in minerals and vitamins

Take your bathe and avoid hot water on the skin: Bathing twice a day, in the morning before going to work and then at night before sleep is regarded as the best practice. But a lot of people make that mistake of showering with a hot water. Do not use hot water to bath rather make use of the water is moderately warm and never hot. The reason is because when one baths with hot water, the skin starts to dehydrate and the connective tissues of the skin will damage and weaken.

Rinse the body well after bathe: Make sure to always rinse your body properly well to remove the soap foams formed during bath. Most people care less about this foams which are not so friendly to the skin because they contains chemicals which reacts with our skins. They jump in and out of bathroom for some seconds and come out with leather of soap on their bodies but seem not to be bothered. If the skin is not thoroughly rinsed, it could cause scaling and body odour especially in the hidden body parts like the armpits.

Use soaps that suite the skin: If you are allergic or that your skin reacts to antiseptic or medicated soap, why stress your skin? Do yourself some good and get a mild soap that suits your skin. Do not use harsh soaps or cream on your body skin. Harsh alkaline soap often reacts with and irritates the natural acid base of any skin. Avoid hormone initiating creams for it normally changes the body chemistry. Applying the wrong soap or cream on your skin may lead to skin problems like itching and scaling.

Get a body massage: Yes, body massaging is increasingly becoming popular not only in the west but all around the world (even though it is apparently expensive around here). One can get a facial or body massage therapy to help the skin ease off and relax its muscles.

Control your Emotions: If you think emotional swings doesn’t affect your body, well you might as well have a rethink. Learn how to watch and control your emotions because emotions when not effectively controlled will have a long-term effect on a person’s skin. In fact, negative emotions such anger, depression, anxiety and constant nightmares are reflected on the skin. Try as much as possible to make friends you can give a little bit of trust and who you can discuss your feelings with, otherwise I advice you go professional and hire a therapist. Then you can have a peaceful and harmonious inner state of mind and body, in that way your skin is relaxed.

Drink a lot of Water: Water is an essential source of a glowing skin. Water is definitely life as the saying goes but it does not just stop at putting an end to a thirsty throat or a dehydrated system. Water happens to be the number one ultimate requirements used by therapists in beauty and skin treatment. Be it a spring or tap water, it is meant for everyone of all age and at all times. If you have not formed the habit of drinking at least eight to ten (8-10) glasses of water daily, then you are depriving yourself of the best skin care and beauty treatment you can get anywhere.

Get some light skin exercise: This is sometimes called a quick skin pick-up. If you need a quick glow to the skin and all over the body healthier look, then do this easy routine daily. Bend over and forward at the waist, as far as possible until the count of thirty. This helps in boosting blood circulation to both the face and scalp speeding up the turnover of skin cells and reducing the possibility of breakouts. Benefits vary depending on the time of day one chooses to be doing it. In the morning, it helps one to focus on a busy work day and awakens the mind and body at the same time. While in the night, it helps to unwind after a stressful day, and also gets one’s heart rate and breathing back to normal.

Currently, there are lots of skin cleansing and treatment procedures available but one must be careful as to choose the best practices that suits the skin. Traditional methods of skin cleansing and treatment have proven to be good of late. They include;

- Facial skin treatment using masks made from tomatoes, clay, Banana , aloe vera herb and commonly honey.

- Use of raw sugar and small amount of olive to exfoliate the skin.

- Use of oatmeal and water.

- Use of vodka mixed with lemon juice to tone up tired skin.

- Use of soaked and mashed green beans or lentils mixed with honey to revitalize and nourish the skin.