Let's talk about skin: The functions of skin

Do you ever wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and think oh 'h to the no’! We'll that was me a month ago when I woke up to discover some mammoth spots on my face. The spots had also clearly invited some of their friends to play in the form of uneven skin tone, clogged pores and bumpy surface.

Skin, and more specifically my issue with my skin, plus my breakouts and scarring is a topic I have touched on here in the past. More recently I talked about my hyperpigmentation in this post, which so many of you seemed to resonate with.

I was really fired up after that post and determined to start my journey. One week later I was armed and ready, and 3 days after that I had a serious reaction to a product that left me needing to take a course of antihistamines, loads of omega 3 fish oils and to go on the Dr Perricone 3 day diet, which consisted of mainly salmon, berries and salad. It calmed my skin down after a few days but left me terrified to use anything for a while. Just when I thought my skin was returning to normal is when I woke up and discovered my skin looked like a bit of a hot mess and needed to be sorted out.

Skin is such a touchy subject, especially when you don't feel that you have the best of skins. No matter how much we try to shy away from it, our image or our perception of our image plays a big part in how we feel and can dictate and define our mood, confidence etc. We all have to show our skin (especially our faces) to the world everyday and let's face it even the least vain of us would always like to put a clear and smooth face forward.

So I decided that enough is enough!

Rather than putting a plaster on a wound that really needs stitches, or in this case rushing out to purchase more lotions and potions, I took a step back and did what I should have done a very long time ago. I decided I needed to learn.

I love the following quotes

"People perish for lack of knowledge"

And

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

So knowledge is what I went to get. I decided it was time to really learn about skin. How it works, what affects it from the inside and out, different skin types, what ingredients really work, techniques and how to effectively treat the skin and any conditions.

I am also learning about the internal as I'm a big believer in your outside skin is often a reflection of what's going on inside, so most times you can't treat one without treating the other

So as part of my "looking bootiful" plan to take over the world, cue evil bootiful laugh. (Bad joke? I'm working on those – sorry that’s a lie) I have started studying and learning everything I can about skin and how it works.

Hereby providing you with the opportunity to look beautiful vicariously through all my learning 

Question? Does beauty school count as reading beauty books and Google? With the amount of studying and hours I'm putting in, let's all agree that it does.

So onto our first quick lesson, I will keep it brief as I know this is a rather long post. 

Ooh ah - The functions of skin.

Why would I lead with this you ask? Because my dear LPM lovelies, it's where I started on this jorney. On a more serious note though it's important to know what your skin does and doesn't do

1. Largest organ - your skin is your largest organ, it covers your entire body and guards your muscles, bones and internal organs. I read somewhere that it is 16% of your body weight"
2. Protector - it plays a key role in protecting your body against water loss and pathogens
3. Regulator - it regulates your body temperature via sweat and the opening and closing blood vessels as required
4. Organ of sensation - sounds quite sexy doesn't it? It has receptors that help you detect things like heat, cold, touch, pain and pressure
5. When exposed to sunlight it synthesis Vitamin D to develop strong bones and organs
6. Healer - annoying I know especially when it's a scar from a spot, but it's actually your skin trying to help. It helps to heal all the harm we inflict on it everyday. From cuts, bruises, bumps and yes picking at our spots

That's the lesson for today, I will be developing it and taking it much deeper as I explore what really works and why, as well as putting it to test on my face. I will be sharing everything I learn on here in the hope that it really helps you to put your best face forward.

Let me know in the comments below what you are struggling with, to do with your skin and I will include it in my studies.

Xx