Last Updated on 18th August 2021 by Charlie Walsh
Having a busy lifestyle can take its toll, this imbalance can start to show itself in many ways, we become tired, warn down and withdrawn. This can have a huge effect on the body and in particular the skin. Our immune systems struggle to cope with everything we throw at it and you can develop any number of conditions.
What are the major risks to our skin?
SUN
Sun is the biggest risk to your skin. Almost everybody enjoys sunny days and likes to get tanned. Sun makes us feel happy, positive and relaxed. But how does it affect us? Is it so positive in case of the health of our skin? Sun exposure is the main problem that causes changes of our skin. Ultraviolet light, as we all know as UV, damages elastin in the skin. When the sun damages elastin, the skin begins to sag and is not able to go back to its normal state after stretching, it also heals very slowly. We understand that when you are young, you probably just see beautiful, tanned skin but when you age – your skin will reward you if you look after it in your younger years. What else can sun do to your skin? Freckles (they are known as a symbol of beauty but as we see – not a symbol of health), fine and coarse wrinkles, mottled pigmentation (discoloured places on your skin), sallowness (same skin problem but yellowish), telangiectasia’s (the dilation of tiny blood vessels under the skin), pre-cancerous (actinic keratosis) and cancerous (also called basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma) skin lesions – due to decreases in the skin’s immune function, elastosis and tumour (which can be cancerous and non-cancerous).
What is skin cancer?
There are three main types of skin cancer basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. 95% of skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma and squamous and they are less serious then melanoma. However, non-melanoma skin cancers are highly curable when found at an early stage, cancerous melanoma (it comes from abnormal skin pigment cells called melanocytes) is the most serious form of presented skin cancer and causes 75% of all skin cancer deaths.
DEHYDRATION
First things first, you need to ask yourself: is it dry skin or dehydrated skin? There is a huge difference between these two phenomena. Dry skin is known as a skin TYPE whereas dehydrated skin is a CONDITION.
Dehydration means that our body is loses more water than you give it. It is not only about drinking not enough water but also maybe you drink too much caffeine or take medicines that make your body get rid of water quickly. If this is the case speak to your GP or Dr.
What are the symptoms of dehydrated skin? Dark circles around the eyes, dullness, surface wrinkles, sunken eyes, itchiness and shadows on your face, weakness, dizziness, dry mouth and faintness.
Remember, dehydration is a serious medical condition and should be consulted with a specialist as soon as possible.
SMOKING
Smoking is mentioned in many papers as a problem and a high risk factor to not only our lungs but here – also to our skin. The most common disadvantage are vertical wrinkles around the mouth and crow’s feet. Even if you are young- don’t write this off! You will prematurely age your skin. Why is smoking so bad for your skin? In general, everybody connects smoking with lungs, but the truth is that lungs as well as the skin are one of the body parts that transmit oxygen, and here – smoke. Smoking damages collagen and elastin that causes premature ageing of skin.
So what can we do about it? What measures can we take to ensure we look after our skin to protect it for the years to come?
Here we go, Bathmate created a list of the best options for you that you can use and make your skin glow.
1. DRINK MORE WATER
Ok, tea is also included but water is the purest thing that you should drink. It is said that you should drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. We understand that it’s hard. The best solution is to get a large bottle of water and drink from it during the day. People get used to new habits very quickly so just remind yourself to use the bottle during the day and try to cut down on all that caffeine! Another option is to download an app that reminds you throughout the day so you don’t forget.
2. COFFEE/POP/ALCOHOL
Try to drink more water and something like a nice herbal tea that will help you. Drinking alcohol, coffee and sweet fizzy pops make your skin dehydrated and it can turn into a huge problem in the future. The truth is, that major part of society prefers sweet drinks because they taste nice but is it really worth it? Try to think about your body too.
3. SLEEP
I am sure that your first thought was “hmm I think that I sleep fine”. How long do you sleep? Do you sleep in a dark room with silence around? Everything matters. Try not to use your phone for an hour before you go to bed and make your bedroom feel serene and peaceful. Drink a glass of water when you go to bed, and prepare another glass for in the morning. Why is sleeping SO important?
After a whole day at work, your skin wants to repair at night and turns those repairing mechanisms into action. When you do not sleep enough, suffer from stress all the time and do not pay attention to what you drink and eat, you cause your body to release more adrenaline and cortisol, which can trigger breakouts and other skin problems (dehydration and acne). The best amount of sleep is between 7 to 8 hours. To read about the effects of sleep click here.
