Looking
after the skin means different things to different people.
To some it means nothing more than a splash with water
or a scrub with a soap bar, carried out as thoroughly,
regularly and frequently as the other claims made on one's
time permit.
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To
others it means a regular skin care routine of cleansing,
toning and moisturising, involving considerable expenditure
of time and the use of many
cosmetic products, sometimes several times a day, often
followed by the application of decorative cosmetics.
The cosmetic industry (and its customers)
have to face up to its critics, including some doctors,
who accuse it of the excessive promotion of cosmetic
products that they consider to be irrelevant to skin
care.
But how many of us understand how
our skin benefits by cleansing and moisturising to combat
the effects of constant immersion and the daily damage
done by the environment and the wearing of decorative
cosmetics? Most people need information on skin function,
as well as advice on to how to meet their skin's specific
needs.
From the day we are born our skin,
though astonishingly robust and renewable, needs some
care. Skin care involves both protection and treatment:
protection against the long-term effects of the sun,
wind and water, together with management of whatever
happens to the skin on a day-to-day basis.
It
is never too early to start looking after your skin,
or that of your child.
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In this chapter we talk about
skin care from birth to old age. We look at the types
of product available, and examine how they work. |
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Diet, vitamins and skin care
Week by week, magazine articles carry dozens of suggestions
as to how we could make our skin healthier. As we have seen, healthy skin is the
consequence of a well-hydrated and intact epidermis, together with avoidance of
sun damage and a balanced diet. When we are fatigued, poorly nourished or stressed,
our skin shows it.
While the use of daily vitamins has for years been recognized as an important part
of maintaining health, only recently have researches started paying attention to the
relationship between nutritional intake and skin health. Vitamins have long been
used in topical skin treatment for their beneficial effects on their skin's surface
and for their antioxidant properties, but obtaining skin benefits via ingested
vitamins had not received much attention. Today, a number of studies reveal that
certain vitamins and minerals, when taken internally, can positively influence
skin appearance, beauty, and a woman's overall health. |
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