SKIN ANALYSIS

A SKIN CARE:
We all were born with a soft & smooth skin, but not many of us can boast of finely glowing skin we grow. This is because, most of us take our skin for granted either we neglect it or apply synthetic cosmetics, or alkaline soaps over your skin, day after day. Like any other living tissue, if our skin is not looked after properly, it will get tired and it will respond to tender care & attention. So it is essential to know about your skin, how full of life your skin is and understands how it performs its various functions. Then logically you will take care of your skin. Knowledge about your skin will enable you to make an active use of your skin in relating more positively to your environment.

SKIN STRUCTURE:
Skin consists of three layers the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous tissue. The surface epidermis is a relatively thin layer. Beneath the epidermis is the thicker & much stronger dermis. The subcutaneous tissue or the fat containing layer lies below the dermis.

THE EPIDERMIS:
The epidermis is a fairy thin layer. Its thickness varies around the body, depending on the special needs of that area for instance, the epidermis over the eyelids is particularly thin, while that over the palms & soles is very thick.

The epidermis is itself make-up of several layers. On the surface is the horny layer the stratum corneum. This layer is made up of dead cells, which are continuously being shed. The cells are shed off as small aggregate become larger and are then visible as scales. This is exactly what happens in dandruff and when our skin is deprived of moisture. Below the layer of dead cells do stakes of living cells comprise the stratum, malpighi. This layer produces the main skin protein known as epidermis. The inner most layer of the epidermis or the basal layer is where new cells are produced. These new cells take about a month to travel to the surface. In some diseases, however, the movement of the cells to the surface is speeded up and this also results in scaling.

The skin pigment, melanin, is produced by special cells called melanocytes, melanin is very important for the protection of the skin from the sun, this is precisely the reason why melanocytes are stimulated on exposure to the sun, resulting in darkening of the skin.

THE DERMIS:
The dermis is a much thicker layer than the epidermis. It is made up of a connective tissue frame work in which are embedded blood vessels, lymph vessels, nerves, several types of glands, hair and a whole variety of cells. The connective tissue of the dermis is made up predominantly of a protein called collagen. Presently this protein is being popularly used for the treatment of a variety of skin problems like wrinkles and scars. Elastin or elastic fibers are the other type of protein fibers in the dermis.

The dermis also contains a complex system of blood & lymph vessels & a highly complicated nervous system. The nerves receive & pass on an endless stream of valuable information to the body. Any type of skin massage is thought to facilitate the drainage of lymph glands and also enhance the circulation of blood. Similarly, it has been suggested that massage smoothen the nerves in the skin.

THE SUB COETANEOUS TISSUE:
The sub coetaneous tissue: -below the dermis is the fat storage bank of the skin. The amount of fat stored varies in different parts of the body. In some part of the body, it has been given fancy names like collocate". This tissue has been a source of considerable controversy in scientific and cosmetic circles.

THE SKIN GLANDS:
The dermis has three types of glands; the apocrine glands; the eccrine sweet glands and the sebaceous glands.

The apocrine glands are present in association with hair follicles. They are found mainly in areas where there is obvious body hair such as in the armpits and around the genital area. These glands are under hormonal control. A large part of the body odor can be traced to the apcorine glands. By them selves, the secretions of these glands are odorless, but bacteria act on the secretions to produce the characteristic body odor.

The apocrine sweat glands are distributed widely over the skin and produce a much larger amount of secretions. These glands are concerned with the regulation of body temperature. Under normal circumstances, the sweat glands produce about half a liter of sweat in a day. In very hot climates, the generation of sweat is increased tremendously and as the water is lost, the body cools down.

The dermis also contains sebaceous glands. These are present throughout the entire surface of the skin, except on the palms and soles. They are particularly numerous in the scalp & on the face secrete an oily lubricant the sebum. This contains cholesterol, proteins, fatty acids, and waxes. Sebum forms a film, which lubricates them soft & shiny. When sebaceous secretions are inadequate, the epidermis becomes dry & dry wrinkled and when the glands secrete heavily, the skin becomes oily & shiny.

SKIN FUNCTIONS:
The functions of the skin are truly a puzzle. Skin is both a barrier surrounding & protecting your body from innumerous external assaults and at the same time, it is the means of your constant contacts with the environment. One of its main jobs is to regulate temperature. Another is to preventing the loss of body fluids, as it forms an almost waterproof barrier. Simultaneously, it also functions as an active organ of excretion, helping to rid the body of wastes in the form of sweat. Skin is the most active link with your surroundings. Quite apart from its role in your personal appearance, the skin is vital in conveying the sense of touch and forms the principal organ of sexual attraction & communication. It is of utmost important to know about the 'look' and 'Feel' of your skin to know what type of skin you have. Skin types fall into four major categories normal, oily, dry and combination.

1. NORMAL SKIN: This skin type is neither oily for nor dry. It has a soft, velvety texture. Colour glows under its translucent surface. Beautiful as it is, it needs care, it is to last. People with normal skins start showing signs of age and wrinkling sooner than others, if they tend to neglect their skins. Daily cleansing, toning & nourishing is adequate care for normal skin.

2. OILY SKIN: In this kind of skin, the sebaceous (oil-producing) glands are over active. They produce more oil than is needed, which oozed up, giving the skin a greasy shine. The pores are enlarged and the skin has a coarse look. It is also prone to black heads, pimples and acne. Oily skin needs special cleansing to keep the pores unclogged. The flow of sebum (oil) increases during adolescence and start decreasing with age. Other times of life, like pregnancy and menopause. Hormonal imbalances can also upset the oil balance and increase sebaceous gland activity.

3. DRY SKIN: The skin lacks both sebum and moisture. It looks fine textured, transparent, patchy and fragile. There may be tiny expression lines and there may even be creepiness. It flakes and chaps easily. There are many factors, which affect dry skins and make them, even drier. For instance, washing with soap and water not only removes grime but also the natural oils that protect the skin. Exposure to the sum, air conditioners and heaters also take their toll.

4. COMBINATION SKIN: This type of skin has a greasy area, while the rest is dry or normal. The forehead, nose and chin, i.e. the T-zone, may be greasy & the rest dry. Combination skins are very common and are one of the most frequently misunderstood and mistreated skins. This type of skin requires separate treatment for each area. However, both the dry and greasy areas need moisturizing.

Our scientifically tested unani herbal formulas not only enhance beautiful skin but tackle problems such as premature aging. Balding, skin disorder, acne, dandruff & burns areas many women are often too embarrassed to talk about.

AGE AND YOUR SKIN

As a small child grows, his weight increases; so the skin has to stretch to accommodate this gradual, albeit massive increase in mass. At times, especially when there is a spurt in the growth, the growth of the skin fails to cope up with the growth of the body; the stretch then forces the elastic fibers in the skin to rupture, resulting in stretch marks or striae. These marks can develop at any time of life, but there are two occasions when they are particularly likely to develop.

1. During the adolescent growth spurt, about half of all children develop stretch marks. Marks usually show up in parts of the body where the elastic fibers of the skin are put under the greatest stress. Varying in length, they are pink to start with & in variable fade to white scars. As years go by they finally become wrinkled and papery and are then barely perceptible. Adolescent boys usually develop striae on their backs, buttocks & abdomen, while girls develop the marks on their breasts as well.
2. Women also develop stretch marks on the tummy & breasts during pregnancy though there is no certain way to prevent stretch marks from developing but scores of preparations are available in the market, all claims to do just this; many of these contain exotic additives like collagen, vitamin 'A' & allantoin. These creams are as good as or as bad as plain moisturizing creams in preventing stretch marks and nothing better. Gentle exercising of the abdominal muscles is suggested as a way to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy. Wearing a good maternity bra can minimize stretch marks on the breasts.

Once the marks have developed, the most effective way to deal with them is by using unani herbal preparation. Many patients want to know about the efficacy of surgery. Surgery is definitely not advised, because the scars of surgery may eventually be more noticeable. Applying herbal remedies is the best available solution to treat stretch marks.

Skin changes with age:

As we grow older, several changes become apparent on the skin.
1. There is a patchy increase in the amount of pigment in the skin; so eventually the skin appears blotchy.
2. Dead cells collect on the skin, this result in dryness and roughness of the skin.
3. The natural oil production is reduced adding to the dryness of the skin.
4. The connective tissue beneath the skin loses its natural elasticity, because the elastic fibers break down.
5. In case of woman the breasts begin to sag, loose or shrink.

All these changes combined with the effects of the different environmental factors like the sun, winds & chemical produce wrinkling of the skin. Smoking has often been mentioned as a reason for the early development of wrinkles. This is probably because smokers tend to screw up their eyes against smoke the wrinkles then develop along these lines. It is possible to slow down the process by natural healings.

There are countless remedies available for wrinkles; most of them are actually useless. The popular anti wrinkle creams are nothing but masking creams and they just camouflage wrinkles. Vitamin 'E' enriched creams have been used extensively with doubtful effect. Special electric treatments & exorbitant rates though there seems to be little benefit from these and they actually harm the skin. Special diets & anti wrinkle pills are also a waste of money. Vitamin supplements also do not help wrinkles. Only unani herbals effectively remove wrinkles. This is widely & wisely used for more than a thousands years.

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