Here comes the science
The average adult has 21 square feet of skin (2 sq m) which weighs 7lb (3.2 kg) and has approximately 300 million skin cells. Skin is thickest on the palms & soles (1.2mm to 4.7mm) and thinnest on the lips and around the eyes. Facial skin is approximately 0.12mm thick and on the body is about 0.6mm.
Your skin reflects your general health and social behaviour. Situations which affect your health can have an important effect on your skin, for example cigarette smoking causes ageing and wrinkling of the skin with time.
On average each square half inch of skin contains
- 10 hairs
- 15 sebaceous glands
- 100 sweat glands
- 3.2 feet (1m) of tiny blood vessels.
As in other mammals, human skin is composed of an outer layer, the epidermis and an underlying layer of fibrous tissue called the dermis. Beneath the dermis is the subcutaneous fat. The epidermis is constantly growing from the bottom upwards and the dead skin cells (stratum corneum) are shed (usually invisibly) from the surface. This whole process normally takes about 52-75 days but can be much quicker in some skin diseases such as psoriasis.
Look after your skin
A daily skin routine is essential and your skin gets used to what you do to it, follow our recipe for healthy glowing skin and take a look at AESTHETIKA’s Anti Ageing Fact Page
- Cleanse
- Sunscreen
- Exfoliate
- Antioxidants
If you want to know more about what we are recommending today as the best sunscreen, anti oxidant and exfoliating products why not call in to clinic for a consultation where you will be given information to help you get some of the best advice about caring for and protecting your skin today, alternatively leave us a message here and we will get back to you shortly.
Protection from the sun
There is no such thing as a ‘healthy tan’. The process of tanning means that skin has had to go all out to protect itself and you from the suns harmful rays UVA and UVB rays. The major cause of premature ageing of our skin is excessive and repetitive exposure to UltraViolet Radiation ( UVR ), thats from either sunlight or sunbeds and results in tanning. Ultraviolet causes pigmentation changes e.g. brown spots, liver spots or sunspots, broken blood vessels, thinning of the dermis and wrinkling of the skin and it is proven to cause some skin cancers. In order to prevent this, protection of the skin against ultraviolet light is essential. Certain skin types are more susceptible to these effects. All skin types are vulnerable to the suns harmful rays, but most at risk are those with fair skin that burns easily.
In 1990 the British Photodermatology Group ( BPG ) Consensus View on Sunbeds for Cosmetic Tanning’, published a summary of the adverse effects of cosmetic tanning with UVR sunbeds and recommended that people should not use them.
We are aware of no studies that show any benefits of sunbed tanning, there are a number of short and long term health risks associated with their use.
Many sunbed users believe that skin damage is avoided provided their skin does not burn. Unfortunately this is not true since damage can be shown to occur with UVR exposures below those necessary for burning. The short-term damaging effects of excessive exposure to sunbeds include:
There may also be long-term effects:
- Sunburnt skin, which becomes painful, red and may blister and peel
- Skin dryness and itching
- Bumpy itchy skin
- Possible rash if certain medicines are taken or lotions are applied to the skin
- Eye irritation or conjunctivitis, if suitable goggles are not worn
- Premature ageing of the skin, which will then look coarse, leathery and wrinkled
- Skin cancer - the more exposures, the greater the risk
- Increased risk of cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye) later in life, if suitable goggles are not worn.
(We are grateful to The British Association of Dermatologists for providing some of this information)
