REVELATIONS - December 2015 -  Santa Fe 

How Important is Our Skin's Health?

By Umerah Mujahid 

 

No matter how you think of it our skin is extremely important.  As our body's largest organ, our skin comes into contact with the rest of the world.  It not only holds body fluids, preventing dehydration, it also protects the body by keeping harmful microbes out, which lead to infections.  Our skin also makes vitamin D when the sun shines on it. Vitamin D is important for the health of our bones and other parts of our body.  Our skin helps to keep our body at the right temperature and because it is full of nerve endings, it allows us to have the sense of touch.  If we couldn't feel things like heat, cold and pain, we would get badly hurt and not even know it!

 

Why is it then that in the city known for its outdoor lifestyle and healthy eating, that so many of us in "the city different" tend to neglect our body's largest organ?  Our skin health is so extremely vital to protecting our bodies and keeping us healthy, that we really ought to pay it more attention.  It seems at best we apply creams and lotions to our skin. Creams and lotions and often even 'organic' labeled products can contain harmful chemicals, toxins, carcinogens, synthetic preservatives and other highly processed and contaminated ingredients that have been proven to have drastic long-term effects on our skin and our overall health. These compounds are absorbed by our skin and the toxins can drastically effect our hormone levels, and contribute to liver toxicity, poor digestion, stress levels and weaken our immune system to name a few.  By applying these products to our skin on a daily basis, we negatively affect our body and actually age our skin much faster than we need to.

 

In order to provide nourishment to our skin in a more healthy affective way, we should look for and choose skin care products that are in fact organic and made with ingredients that are grown free of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified organisms. Organic products that are truly authentic do not include harmful additives such as petroleum waxes, fillers and artificial chemicals, and unlike harmful synthetic alternatives, pure organic products are healthy for your skin and body.  Remember, what you put on your skin eventually ends up inside our body.

 

Also, keep in mind the mind body connection and how our internal wellbeing directly reflects itself on our outer appearance and our skin's health.  It is important to look at the whole mind, body, soul connection.  Skin can be affected by any combination of various things: what we eat, drink, how much sleep we get, stress levels and many other factors. For example, if you are always stressed, this can impact your skin long-term. In this case, stress-related eczema could develop. From a holistic approach using pure organic products in combination with essential oils to soothe external inflammation, and using aromatherapy, herbs, meditation, yoga, reiki, and reflexology would be well suited to help soothe the inner stress and bring about balance to our whole body which in turn reflects on our outer appearance.

Receiving a good holistic facial on a regulary basis, just as we get our hair cuts and manicures, using quality raw, unrefined organic products will help to cleanse, tone, moisturize and nourish the skin, brighten our complexion and fight aging skin. Quality facials also promote wellbeing, relaxation, stress relief, reduce fatigue and tension, headaches and sinus issues and fight aging, in addition to boosting immunity and aiding sleep.

 

Achieving optimal overall health is not just about what we eat and how much fresh air and exercise we get.  It is time to raise the bar on our skin care practices, and slow down and take the time to care about ourselves on all levels.  We should make our skin care routine something we take time to do for ourselves and it will be that much more powerful.

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