The Skinny On Skin Care 
by Nancy Zare

Do you suffer from chapped lips, cracked elbows, chafed cheeks, and blistering scabs? You’re not alone. Cold weather and indoor heating can take a toll on your skin. Skin is the first barrier against the harsh climate of New England, and so it requires extra care this winter and spring.

Skin Composition

Skin is the largest organ of the body comprising about 15% of the body weight. The total skin surface of an adult ranges from 12 to 20 square feet. Chemically, the skin contains a large percentage of water, about 70%, with the remainder being protein, lipids, trace minerals, nucleic acids, and numerous other elements.

Skin consists of collagen, elastin, glycosoaminoglycans and proteoglycans. Collagen gives skin its strength and durability. Picture collagen as a grid of proteins underneath and supporting the outer skin. It is composed of essential amino acids. As we age, collagen production declines, which is partly responsible for thinning of skin, wrinkles and sagging.

Elastin is more stretchable than collagen and helps maintain skin resilience and elasticity. It too is a protein. If both elastin and collagen are abundant and undamaged, skin easily regains its shape after being stretched or folded. Elastin also declines with age and leads to wrinkles and facial sag.

Glycosoaminoglycans (GAGs) and proteoglycans are special biological polymers chiefly responsible for holding moisture in the skin. GAGs and proteoglycans are composed of proteins and special water-holding sugars that come from glyconutrients. They are the body’s natural moisturizers. GAGs and proteoglycans help skin stay plump and provide mechanical support for skin cells.

Good Nutrition and Proper Hydration

For skin to stay supple, radiant, and protective, good nutrition should include supplementation with certain vitamins, especially A, C and E, trace minerals such as selenium, various enzymes, essential amino acids, anti-oxidants, and key plant sugars called glyconutrients. (For more information on glyconutrients, see “Introducing Good Plant Sugars” in the Spring 2002 issue of BMS Magazine.) Since water makes up a significant portion, healthy skin also requires sufficient water intake.

Did you know that dry skin not only feels uncomfortable, but it also interferes with normal metabolism and tissue repair? Although dehydration is not the major cause of wrinkles and skin aging, it does make a person more susceptible to damage from sun exposure, pollutants, and harsh detergents. Furthermore, dry skin makes the skin more prone to infections and irritants because of the many fine cracks that allow toxins and bacteria to sneak in.

When the body lacks adequate water, it directs its limited supply away from the skin to the more crucial organs such as heart and brain. This fact explains why drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water daily promotes healthy skin. While consuming enough water, avoid foods and beverages that cause excessive water loss. Coffee and alcohol, for example, are well known drying agents.

Dry skin can also result from washing with regular soap. Soaps strip the skin of its “acid mantle”, the oil-rich protective film that results from a combination of skin oil (sebum) and sweat. Even plain water has been shown to dry the skin. For best results, wash once or twice a day and use a special moisturizing cleanser.

Essential Moisturizing

Besides nutrition, using a moisturizer hydrates the skin. Immediately after washing is an ideal time to apply a moisturizer. Are you aware that most moisturizers are short-lived, lasting only an hour or two? No wonder why skin dries out! Yet frequent application of creams and lotions could clog pores and promote acne. So be sure to select a moisturizer that lasts 8 hours or more. Even though moisturizing won't lift sagging eyelids or reverse wrinkles (except recent fine lines), it will help slow down any further damage, and allow other skin care treatments to work better.

Moisturizing is particularly important when relative humidity is low. Low humidity promotes faster evaporation of moisture from the skin. Here’s the reason why New England winters are especially hard on skin.

Dry skin also tends to increase with age. Most people over forty have some degree of skin dryness and need to moisturize. Women near, during or after menopause especially notice an increase in dry skin, due to lower levels of estrogen.

Correct Application of Skin Care Products

The best time to apply any skin care product is after emerging from a bath or shower because the skin is clean, warm and moist, and the pores are open. When bathing, use comfortably warm but not hot water, because excessive heat accelerates skin aging.

Before applying skin care products, most people need to use a facial mask or body scrub. As you may know the uppermost layer of the skin is mainly composed of dry, dead cells. As adults age, this layer becomes quite thick and the active ingredients of skin care products have trouble penetrating deeply enough into the skin to have an effect. In this case, an exfoliant or gentle scrub enhances absorption without damaging skin. Recommended use of a mask or scrub is two or three times a week.

Moist, warm skin allows for better penetration of skin care products. While applying, use short, firm strokes. Never stretch or rub the skin. Then gently tap the area with your fingers for half a minute.

Skin is a dynamic system whose condition and properties depend on nutrition, temperature, hydration, environment and other factors. Treat your skin well and you’ll be rewarded by its good appearance and enjoy a strong barrier against the elements.

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