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Skin is a vital organ, as important to our health as our heart and liver. It
regulates our temperature, and is also a barrier to pathogens and injuries from
our environment. Because it is derived from the same embryonic layer as our
brains and nervous systems, our skin acts as a kind of external brain — sensing
our external environment and translating impressions to our inner selves, and
then reflecting our response back to the outer world.
Our skin also
mirrors our state of health, and is often the first place in our bodies to
register emotions, fatigue, and stress of all kinds. Skin is also affected by
external factors, such as sunlight
and air pollution,
as well as by internal factors, such as cigarette smoke
and a diet that is low in the antioxidant vitamins B, C and E.
The skin has three layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and the innermost fat
layer.
The Epidermis
The outermost layer of the skin, called the
stratum corneum,
is comprised of dead skin cells that form as fresh cells made in the deeper
layers of the skin push their way to the surface, flatten, and die. The stratum
corneum is sloughed off continually as new cells take its place, but this
sloughing process slows down with age. Complete cell turnover takes place every
28 to 30 days when we are young, while the same process takes 45 to 50 days when
we are in our sixties. This is one of the reasons why the skin loses its
freshness with age.
Underneath the stratum corneum is the basal layer of the epidermis, where new
skin cells are produced. This layer also contains the cells known as melanocytes
that produce melanin — the pigment that determines the color of the skin. The
more pigment your skin has, the darker its tone.
The Dermis
The dermis lies underneath the epidermis and makes up about 90 percent of the
thickness of the skin. This is the area that contains the nerves which sense
pressure, temperature, and pain, and also sweat glands, hair follicles,
sebaceous glands which produce oil, and also blood vessels. The sweat and
sebaceous glands secrete a thin layer of perspiration and oil that forms a
protective acid mantle on the skin. If you wash with products that are not
pH-balanced, you will be removing this protective mantle, thus leaving yourself
more vulnerable to infection and break-outs.
The dermis also contains the skin’s collagen layer, a dense meshwork of fibers
that give the skin elasticity and strength. Starting in our late twenties, this
collagen layer begins to get thinner — with wide variation between individuals.
In general, those with darker skin tone have thicker collagen, and are therefore
more wrinkle resistant, than those with fair skin. By their late thirties and
early forties, many women begin to notice that their skin becomes drier and more
“crepey.”
This results from both decreased oil secretion by the sebaceous glands and from
thinning of the collagen layer.
The Fat Layer
Beneath the dermis and epidermis lies the fat layer, which
serves to insulate and protect our inner organs and acts as a sort of cushion
that helps keep our skin plump.
Together these three layers form what constitutes the
boundary between ourselves as individuals and the remainder of our world. We can
therefore see how important it is to care for this very special “barrier” organ
with not just topical efforts and applications, but from the inside out, by
eating healthy foods and drinking clean water, getting adequate exercise and
rest, and by cultivating the light of our inner spirit.
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