Do you take preventive measures before skin problems arise, or do you only think about treatment when faced with a disease or issue? Preventing skin problems is less costly than treating them. Proper nutrition and skin care help maintain its health and beauty. Skin diseases can have adverse effects on the appearance of the skin. This article discusses the prevention of skin problems and chronic skin diseases. The structure of the skin includes the epidermis and dermis layers, which have protective and strengthening functions. Some of the most common skin problems include wrinkles, acne, and blemishes.
1. Photodamage:
- Sunlight, while essential for life, can lead to skin problems. When the skin reacts to sunlight or tanning devices, it encounters ultraviolet (UV) rays. These UV rays, in addition to helping produce vitamin D in the body, can damage skin cells and extracellular components. This condition is known as “photodamage.”
2. Dry Skin:
- The underlying layers of the skin usually contain moisture, but as cells are produced and move towards the skin surface, the amount of extracellular water significantly decreases. This process is known as “transepidermal water loss.” The stratum corneum of the skin acts as a barrier to reduce water loss from the body to the environment. A combination of components in the stratum corneum forms a natural barrier to retain skin moisture, known as the “natural moisturizing factor.”
3. Skin Laxity and Wrinkles:
- Skin laxity occurs due to the weakening of the epidermis support by the underlying dermis. Loss of collagen, damage to collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis, or structural changes at the dermo-epidermal junction are factors contributing to wrinkles. Avoiding factors like blood vessel loss in the dermis, smoking, photodamage, and sugar consumption can help improve the skin. Nutrition also plays a role in the development of wrinkles.
4. Skin Aging:
- The signs of aging are first noticeable in the skin. However, the effects of aging on the skin’s appearance are often similar to damage caused by sunlight and environmental factors. Natural skin aging is characterized by reduced structural and nutritional support from the dermis to the epidermis. The grooves at the junction between the two skin layers decrease, leading to reduced mechanical protection of the epidermis by the dermis. Additionally, collagen and extracellular proteins in the dermis are less organized and abundant in older individuals, leading to increased fragility and laxity of the skin and reduced nutrient delivery to the skin. These changes make the skin appear dull and lose its protective abilities.
