THE SKIN YOU’RE IN

       By Eve Prang Plews,
Licensed Nutrition Counselor
(originally published in Sarasota's Natural Awakenings magazine July, 2007)

     Meet your skin. Expand your understanding of this 8 - 10 pound sack of protein you call your home. When anonymous said, “If you don’t like your body, where you gonna live?” perhaps they had in mind the image presented by the skin. Your reflection in the mirror and the surface you can touch references your personal image of your body first as skin the “you “presented to the world. Yet so little respect is paid to this complex organ.

  
Often health is assessed rightly by the “glow,” the “radiance” the skin projects as a statement to the body’s well being, however great or poor. Each mark or mole, every blemish and scar is testimony of a biochemical process expressed on or in the exit door of your skin, the body’s third kidney.

It is difficult to care properly for something if you don’t know all that it is. With the recent trend of dietary pop culture alkalizing the world, it’s easy to miss that skin is naturally acidic. Yup, a pH of 4.5 to 5.5 on a pH scale where 0-7 is acidic and 7-14 is alkaline. Any alkaline cleansers, soaps and lotions remove much of the skin’s acid-balanced mantle, the topmost layer composed of sweat and sebum (or oil) that is best left intact. Acidic skin inhibits bacterial replication thus helping protect you from surface infections. Often even fancy, expensive la-la soap is as alkaline as dish soap. Alkaline cleansers erase the mix of sweat from sudoriferous glands and oil from sebaceous gland that mix to create the acid mantle, our first barrier to injury and infection.

     Since all the touchable surface skin or epidermis is replaced every 4- 10 weeks (depending on your age) it is a reflection of both whole body nutrition over the prior month and also a measuring tool for the health of elimination via the liver, kidneys and bowel. The epidermis serves to protect the internal layers and help prevent evaporation of water from the body. Other than contact dermatitis or poison ivy, almost all skin conditions are related to digestion and elimination through the other four organs that take out the trash; the bowel, bladder, lungs and always a surprise – the tear ducts! Perhaps they eliminate emotional waste.

Improve the bowel function and elimination, you improve the skin. Improve detoxification of harmful, environmental exposures via the liver, you improve the skin. More than any external agent, enough water is the most critical ingredient for healthy, bio-active skin. The daily need of water is no less than half your body weight number, expressed in ounces, i.e. 150 pound person needs 75 ounces of good water per day and 128 pound person needs 2 quarts or 64 ounces a day. That’s not coffee, tea, soda, wine, beer, juice soup – it is pure water. Never distilled water, is the first rule. Water should provide nearly 1/3 of our mineral needs. Minerals are removed from distilled and reverse osmosis water. The better choice is bottled water transported over interstate lines. Then the Federal Government requires testing for over 400 contaminants. If you filter water at home, choose something larger than a pitcher filter or ones that screw on the faucet, they’re just too small to do much. Best choices include solid or compressed carbon or ceramic filters. Avoid granulated carbon filters or one’s containing silver.

     Light is the next most critical need of not just skin but the whole body. We are kin to plants in the ability to photosynthesize. In humans, we don’t make carbohydrates we make vitamin D. The buzz on this misnamed hormone-like vitamin has only begun in the last two years as more and more studies reveal the vital protective nature of adequate amounts of precious vitamin D. Low vitamin D is the cause of more than rickets. The list now includes hypertension, osteoporosis, MS, cancers of the prostate, breast and colon, rheumatoid arthritis and many other auto-immune conditions. In this fear driven disease care system, the warnings about staying out of the sun and not tanning may be far off the mark. Allow 15 – 30 minutes of direct sun on the skin prior to application of sunscreen and wait for 30 minutes after returning indoors before showering to allow time for the body to absorb the ‘D’ just made on the skin’s surface.

      Sunlight also stimulates the pineal gland located in the center of the skull just above the eyes. Esoterists call it the “third eye.” This gland produces melatonin which regulates our internal clock. Melatonin is an antioxidant hormone that not only allows for refreshing sleep, it protects against cancers. In years past, sun therapy was used to treat many health conditions – a Nobel Prize was awarded for proving that sunlight could heal tuberculosis and treat staph and strep infections. To keep our skin looking young and healthy, this intermediary large organ of skin acts like a line between our insides and the external environment. Skin requires adequate protein and Vitamin C to create the building blocks of collagen, the skin’s protein matrix. Low protein equals sagging skin. Low Vitamin C equals bruising, wrinkles and broken capillaries.

      Remarkably, both dry and oily skin can be imbalances of essential fatty acids. Omega-3 fats, primarily in seafood, especially fatty fish, (with lesser amount in flax seeds and walnuts), makes up nearly 15% of every cell wall. Many skin conditions from allergic eczema to psoriasis respond quickly to 1,000 mg or more of a combination of EPA and DHA, the two active fatty acids found in fish oil supplements. Best fish oils come from Northern Europe, where stringent regulations screen for mercury and other toxins. When the cracks in your heels are gone and your skin is smooth all over, you’re on your way to fatty acid balance.

     The skin’s middle layer or dermis contains the blood vessels, nerves, hair roots, oil and sweat glands. Underneath the dermis is the fat layer or subcutaneous tissue. Over-promising topical skin care products have a hard time creating improvements until the dermis or true skin is nourished properly with sufficient rest, adequate hydration, proper protein consumption plus appropriate amounts of Vitamin A, zinc and Vitamin C. These three nutrients, along with omega-3 fats will help keep the skin clear, smooth, supple and taut with proper healing responses. Shortage of Vitamin A and Zinc slows healing time and creates a rough surface especially on the back of the upper arms.

     According to Arielle Karver, M.D. once daily cleansing with a soap-free cleanser (it’ll say so on the label) is all that’s needed. Of course, cleansing is needed twice daily if needed to remove makeup before bed. Create a daily regimen to cleanse and moisturize without preservative laden products containing potentially irritating chemicals like quaternium -15, oxy-benzone and dozens more nasty ingredients primarily used to keep bacteria and fungus from growing in the product!

     Body and facial care treatments like scrubs or masks can harm or heal depending on both ingredients and proper use. Since the Federal Government regulations on cosmetic products can allow that a “70% organic” product contain 70% “organic” water plus 30% who knows what, don’t look for protection from labels alone. Look for companies with a strong eco-stance and commitment to health for high quality, safe ingredients. As Kimberly Bozan, M.D. medical reviewer for ‘Science Daily’ says, “Alternate names for ingredients maybe used on labels.” So stick with earth committed companies for the fussiest, cleanest formulations.

     Take care of your friend, your skin. As your body’s largest organ, it allows you to move through life with one elegant wrapping for a collection of often not so attractive parts. Skin expresses your health in many ways. Improve your health and you improve your skin. The effort is worth it.