There are so many ways to describe skin… beautiful, smooth, pale, tan, dark, bumpy, freckly, and so on. Each of us was created with a unique and gorgeous type of skin that provides us with so many benefits. Our skin is truly amazing in all that it does for our bodies.
As a pediatric nurse practitioner, I have gone through multiple courses regarding the anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology of the skin. Rather that boring y’all with all the nitty gritty scientific terms and processes involiving the skin, I want to keep this short, simple, and to the point. My goal is that you will love the skin you are in and take the necessary steps to keeping that beautiful skin of yours nice and healthy.
Did you know that skin is made up of 3 layers? These 3 layers consist of the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous layer. Each of these layers provide vital functions to keeping our bodies healthy. In the medical circle, skin is recognized as our bodies largest organ and our first line of defense. As our first line of defense, skin provides the protective barrier against various infectious organisms.
If you take a really close look at your skin, you might see tiny little dots. These little things are your pores. There are hundred of thousands of pores on your skin that absorb vitamins, acids, water and oxygen. Absorption of these materials play a role in moisturizing and nourishing our skin.
The skin also acts as our largest waste removal system. When we sweat, our body is getting rid of toxins. Our pores act as the portal of exit for these toxins. In addition, our skin secretes a substance called sebum. Sebaccous glands in the skin are tiny exocrine glands with ducts that open into the hair follicles. It is the sebacceous glands that are responsible for secreting sebum, a waxy, oily substance that lubricates and waterproofs the skin. This sebum also has an acidic pH, which further helps protect the skin from outside invaders (infectious organisms).
Our skin also plays a role in regulating our body’s temperature. Have you ever noticed when you are hot, you start to sweat? Or when you are working out, you start to sweat? I always admire those that “glisten” when they workout. If you are like me, I am the furthest thing away from glistening… I am literally drenched in sweat. On a positive note, us super sweaters are getting out all those toxins out! To get back to the point, skin cools our body temperature through sweating. When we sweat, water in that sweat evaporates, which gives of heat and cools our body. When we are cold, our bodies naturally start shivering. When we shiver, our body is contracting our muscles. The contraction of our muscles is our bodies way of producing energy to warm our cold bodies up.
Lastly, but not least, our skin is a source of sensation. Our skin contains millions of nerve endings that respond to various stimuli, such as, heat, cold, pain, and pressure. You know that wonderful feeling of having your back scratched or your tired feet rubbed? You get to enjoy all those wonderful feeling because your skin and bodies are able to recognize sensory stimuli. Tip: tell your significant other that you want to practice experiencing your bodies ability to recognize sensory stimuli… more back scratches and feet rubs for you!
As I previously mentioned, the skin uses sunlight to manufacture Vitamin D, which is vital for our bone health. But just how much sun exposure do we really need for the process to be effective? Most reputable medical resources (National Institute of Health [NIH] and the American Academy of Dermatology) recommend 10-15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure. In other words, basking in the sun without sunscreen for 10-15 minutes is optimal for Vitamin D production. After that, it is important to apply sunscreen. Although staying out longer in the sun without sunscreen may give you that bronzed goddess look, we are actually doing our bodies a disservice and setting ourselves up for serious health conditions like skin cancer.
To be the bronzed goddess, or not to be the bronzed goddess, that is the question. To be a bronzed babe, we must expose our skin to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light for prolonged periods of time. The ultraviolet light causes melanocytes in the epidermis to produce melanin. Melanin is what gives our skin pigment (the color of your skin); therefore, more melanin means darker skin and less melanin means lighter skin. Melanin also is protective factor against the sun’s harmful rays.
You might be wondering, why is it such an issue to expose my unprotected skin to the sun’s beautiful rays if I have these melanocytes that produce melanin, which helps protect my skin? The main issue at hand is the prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, specifically, UVA and UVB. Overtime, UVA and UVB causes the skin to be less elastic (I’m talking about saggy skin), leathery, wrinkly, thin, and to have dark spots. Basically, the more you expose that beautiful body to the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, the quicker your skin ages. On a serious note, over exposure to these ultraviolet rays can harm the DNA within your skin cells. Damage to the DNA skin cells can disrupt the normal process of cell proliferation. Side note – our skin is constantly shedding and being replaced by new skin cells… it is the DNA in the skin cells that tell them how often to make more new skin cells. When the DNA is damaged via UV rays, it causes the skin to abnormally grow and divide. This damaged process of cell proliferation is much more rapid than usual and can result in the development of skin cancer. For this reason, it is so important that we take the necessary steps to protect the beautiful skin that God has given us. The main take away message is that over exposure of your unprotected skin to UVA and UVB rays increases your risk for skin cancer. Check out this website on the different types of skin cancer: https://www.aad.org/public/spot-skin-cancer/learn-about-skin-cancer/types-of-skin-cancer.
Make a wise choice and protect that skin. Resources like the National Institute of Health, the American Academy of Dermatology, and the Center for Disease Control provide recommendations on how to protect your skin. Here are some quick tips from the NIH on how to protect your skin (https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2014/07/sun-skin).
1. Stay in the shade – Limit sun exposure, especially between 10 AM and 4 PM, when sunlight is the most intense
2. Use sunscreen – Get sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher with both UVA and UVB protection. If you have very light skin, use SPF 30 or higher. Apply sunscreen 20 to 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply often, at least every 2 hours.
3. Protect your eyes – Choose sunglasses that protect the sides of your eyes and that are labeled to guard against both UVA and UVB.
4. Cover you skin – Protective clothing and a wide-brimmed hat can help reduce sun exposure.
5. Avoid indoor tanning – Tanning beds and sun lamps use special light bulbs that speed up tanning but also deliver harmful UV rays, increasing your risk for skin damage and cancer.
There are a few key things to be on the lookout when buying sunscreen. Make sure to buy sunscreen that provides protection against UVA and UVB rays. How often do you look at the ingredients list on your sunscreen? If you don’t already, here are a few good reasons to start. Some common sunscreens market themselves as sun protectors, but in reality, they lack some of the key ingredients necessary to truly provide sun protection from the potential harmful effects of UVA and UVB. So let’s say you pick up a bottle of sunscreen and you are looking at the ingredients list. What exactly are you looking for to ensure that the sunscreen is of good quality? The answer is zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are natural minerals that block sun radiation. They form a physical barrier that sits on top of your skin to protect it from the harmful rays of the bright sun.
Key points to purchasing a quality sunscreen:
1. Buy sunscreen that provides protection against UVA and UVB rays
2. Buy sunscreen with SPF greater than 15, or greater than 30 if you are fair
3. Buy sunscreen that contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide
My absolute favorite brand of sunscreen that contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide is EltaMd. This sunscreen is not greasy and it goes on so smoothly. I wear it religiously and absolutely love it. If you are in need of some amazing sunscreen that actually works and is good for your skin, check out EltaMd’s website at https://eltamd.com/inside-elta-md/. You will not be disappointed.
XOXO,
Patricia
Resources
https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(05)04596-2/fulltext
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2018-07-18/how-much-time-in-the-sun-do-you-need-for-vitamin-d
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2014/07/sun-skin
https://www.britannica.com/science/sunlight-solar-radiation
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/a19663176/titanium-dioxide-zinc-oxide-mineral-sunscreen/