Pore over your skin health

Your skin has a very important job. It’s your body’s protective cover, helping to shield your internal organs, and protect against bacteria, viruses, and parasite infections. It also helps to control body temperature and is your primary sense of touch.

Some of the factors affecting skin health are:

• Ageing
• Sun exposure
• Skin injuries
• Nutrition
• Hydration
• Certain medications
• Infections.

Our lifestyles can have – both good and bad – impacts on our skin health. Some lifestyle choices that may impact skin health are:

• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Sleep
• Obesity. 

Our skin changes as we get older. As we age, elastin and collagen decline, and hormonal changes can cause skin to become thinner and drier. Also, sun exposure over time adds up and may lead to changes in skin appearance. 

Some tips to keeping your skin healthy include:

• Protect your skin from UV damage
• Keep your skin moisturised and avoid strong soaps
• Keep stress at bay
• Regularly check your skin for suspicious moles
• Eat a healthy diet
• Don’t smoke or quit smoking.