by Gabriella D'Anton

Created on: November 15, 2009

When it comes to skin, Rodney Dangerfild is right: "it gets no respect".

Although the skin is the largest organ of the body and performs vital functions, people will abuse it in a daily base.

Would anybody ever think about scrubbing their lungs, resurfacing the brain, bleaching their liver, injecting synthetic fillers into their heart, lifting up the kidney or peeling their cornea? Probably not, but all of those abuses happen routinely to the skin and nobody gives it a second thought.

Just like any other organ of the body, the skin has important metabolic functions that will ensure good health.

Some of the skin functions are: protecting the body against environmental factors by regulating the body temperature and eliminating toxins. The skin is also involved in filtering sun rays (by releasing the melanin pigment - first defense against burning and skin cancer), and it has a primary role in synthesizing the vitamin D which will ensure strong bones.

Just because the skin is visible and could be touched it doesn't mean it should be treated differently than any other organ of the body.

While removing the dead cells accumulated on the top layer of the epidermis is important for stimulating the production of new and healthier ones, scrubbing it aggressively may result in potentially dangerous irritation.

Bleaching the skin (no matter what methods are being used) will create excessive sensitivity and will make the skin more vulnerable in terms of sun damage.

Synthetic derma fillers may migrate to other area result in bumps, while liposuction will often affect the elasticity and produce sagging.

Deep peelings could not be controlled in terms of their level of penetration and often affect the release of melanin leaving visible demarcation lines on the treated area. Even medium strength peels may cause infections.

By nature, the skin is a resilient organ, but constant abuse will diminish its resistance and make it vulnerable. Nobody's skin has ever became sensitive without an external cause.

The sensitivity of the skin is a direct result of abuse and wrong practices.

When understanding the importance of skin's functions it becomes easy to avoid damaging habits. Treating the skin with "loving care" is a must and getting the knowledge to do so should be a priority.

Being an external organ and instantly visible, the skin tells a story about people life style, about their general health condition, about the way they care for their skin and how realistic their expectation are in terms of aging graciously.

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