“Beauty is skin deep”, is an old saying but is it? The skin is the largest organ in the human body. The skin makes you beautiful not just from the outside but from the inside too. It protects us from the ultraviolet rays of the sun, and infection keeps us hydrated, regulates our body temperature and helps us remove waste products from our body.
It is said that a healthy skin is a symptom of a healthy individual. But what does healthy skin mean?
To measure a healthy heart there are parameters such as heartbeat and blood pressure. Is there some sort of similar method to determine the healthiness of skin? No, not exactly.
You can examine skin to see if it is a little moist, flexible and has no noticeable disease, discolouration or marks.
Is there a secret to making skin more healthy?
Yes, of course, there are simple steps you can take. Replenish some the nutrients that the skin loses naturally for starters.
The skin has a tendency to lose oil, one of its main nutrients, causing the skin to lose its vigour. Use soft oils to help hydration is one idea. I recommend oils such as Sesame oil or Skinelle Oil, a rich but mild citrus scented six blend oil to massage with daily.
Heat from the sun or from central heating, dust and environmental pollution can have a drying effect on the skin. If this is the case use a moisturizing cream with a sunscreen factor in it. I recommend Coconut cream or Radiant crème for this. The advantage of an advanced but natural cream such as Radiant crème over Coconut cream is that contains a complex of 7 skin brightening botanicals and sun protection factors such as Alpine herbs, Liquorice and Zinc oxide with SPF 25. These Alpine botanicals naturally inhibit Tyrosinase, an enzyme which is responsible for the production of melanin, to help give a brighter and even skin tone. It also has Peptides that give protection from sun, wind and heat and help stimulate collagen production.
Add a few of these foods to your daily diet too to make the skin healthy from the inside. Drink lots of water and eat foods like beans, lentils, peas, blueberries, carrots, apricots, yellow and orange coloured vegetables and fruits, nuts, salmon, mackerel and similar fatty fish, spinach and other green leafy vegetables and tomatoes. Try reducing or cutting out smoking cigarettes, which causes the skin to dry and reduce heavy drinking.
Sushma Bhanot
MRPharmS Dip (Nutr) Dip(Hom) Dip (Ayurv.)
