Your Skin Desperately Needs Help – A Complete Guide on Skin Health and Skincare

If you don’t have a skincare routine, it might be time to rethink your choices. Your skin is an organ that needs care and support. This is the only guide on skin health and skincare ingredients that you need to learn everything you need to know.

Skincare is self-care. Keep reading to find out what the function of the skin is, why you need a skincare routine, and what you should do to support its health. Think basic, not complex. A skincare routine does not have to be 12 steps! A 2 step routine may be all you need.

Meet Your Skin

Many individuals overlook the fact that the skin is in fact an organ. It is a vital barrier that helps protect your insides from the outside environment. 

So, let’s get real personal with our skin. Your skin is more than just something to look pretty for makeup or tattoos. It is our largest organ and weighs about 5 kg or 11 lb. This will obviously change depending on your height and weight.

The skin is an organ with the ability to regenerate itself. It is active 24/7, performing functional activities for the body. Since this vital organ is exposed to many outside factors that can negatively impact it, it is important for us to have a good skincare routine to help address any concerns and support skin health.

Layers

The skin is composed of three layers, all of which serve different purposes. The epidermis is the outside layer of the skin. It is the barrier that the body has between the internal organs and the outside world. The purpose of this layer is to defend us from UV radiation, bacterial infections, and fungi.

The dermis is the middle layer of the skin. Its job is to be strong, thick, and elastic. The dermis protects us from physical impacts and is involved in regulating the temperature of the body. Because of the cells and nerves found in this layer, we can feel different temperatures, pain, and touch.

The hypodermis is the third layer deep in the skin. This is where the storage of fat can be found. This fat can help us maintain our internal body temperature and can provide insulation for when it’s cold outside.

Functions of the Skin for Health

Here are the main functions of the skin broken down further. This is to help illustrate how important the skin is and why a skincare routine matters so much.

Protection

The skin literally acts as a physical barrier that protects our insides from the outside world. It also contains its own microbiome which can help our overall health and immune mechanism.

Sensation

Without healthy skin, we are unable to feel. The nerves in the skin help us sense touch. The reason why skin is so sensitive is due to all the nerve endings that have receptors for temperature, pressure, vibration, touch, and pain.

Internal Temperature

The skin is also responsible for regulating body temperature. This happens through sweating, which can help eliminate substances and cool us down. It also contains a layer of fat that further helps insulate us, keeping our body temperature just right.

Vitamin Production

Skin is where vitamin D is produced, the sunshine vitamin. This is a nutrient that also acts as a hormone and is involved in many biological processes.

Why Do You Need a Skincare Routine

So, if the skin is so complex and great, why does it need a skincare routine? The skin barrier starts to degrade over time. This can be caused naturally due to aging, but it may also be accelerated due to UV radiation, pollutants, and other environmental damage. 

A good scientific skincare routine aims to support skin health, resulting in a strong skin barrier. It can help protect, repair, and regenerate the skin, allowing it to stay strong and healthy. Signs of an unhealthy or damaged skin barrier include sensitivity, excessive wrinkles, acne, redness, and many other skin concerns. For information on a science-based skincare routine that actually works, check out this article here! In the meantime, read on to learn about the basics right below.

Skincare Routine Basics for Skin Health

Here are some simple basics for a skincare routine. A skincare routine does not have to be 12 steps, nor does it have to take hours upon hours every morning and every night. Here is the bare minimum.

Nighttime Routine

At night the first thing you’re going to want to do is cleanse. This will help remove makeup, dirt, environmental pollutants, and other impurities that have stuck onto you. Remember the skin of the body as well, so choose a cleanser designed for the body. The skin of the face is sometimes a bit more sensitive, so it may be beneficial to have a cleanser specifically for the face as well.

Next, you’re going to want to moisturize. Moisturizing is for everyone, even individuals that are acne-prone or have oily skin. Moisturizers ensure your skin has optimal hydration to help it perform all its biological functions and processes.

And that’s basically it for a nighttime routine!

Morning Routine

In the morning, it is just as simple. Some people find it soothing and beneficial to cleanse as soon as they wake up, but others just prefer to rinse off their face.

Next, you’re going to want to moisturize again. This is just to ensure that the skin has adequate hydration and moisturization throughout the rest of the day. Moisturizers are usually designed with other beneficial ingredients such as antioxidants that can help protect the skin from environmental pollutants or UV damage.

Finally, and perhaps the most important, you’re going to want to finish off with some form of sun protection. This is to help protect the skin from UV radiation. Sunblock can help prevent DNA damage, cell deterioration, and collagen loss. This helps the skin stay healthy and look pretty!

The Takeaway

The skin is something you need to take care of, no matter who you are. It performs many functions and needs some extra love and care to be at its best. Try out a very basic skincare routine and watch how your skin starts to feel and look better and better.

Remember that health comes from within. Eat nutritious food, exercise when you can, and take care of your mental health. The small daily habits you cultivate become the basis for overall wellness. Don’t forget about microbiota health too! Gut microbiota affects the entire body, from the skin to muscles, to immune and mental health! Get all the resources you need about microbiota health for free here!