Dr Mrinal Gupta
Even though I am the largest organ of your body, rarely do you notice me or the daily hardships which I have to go through. Right from the moment you wake up, when you start your day by giving me scratches over the head or ample rubs over the eyes, where I am the thinnest at only 0.5 mm thick, I have to go through a lot the whole day. As you wait for your water bucket to fill, you again give me a good scratch which happens more during the dry winter season as the dry, cold air sucks out the moisture from me, making me more irritated. Dryness activates the body’s inflammatory response causing the body’s immune cells to release a large number of inflammatory chemicals which send signals to your brain urging it to start the itching process. The itching seems pleasurable in the beginning as it engages the pleasure centers in the brain but scratching for long will make me even more inflamed, thus creating a vicious itch-scratch cycle.
I know that the hot water bath is extremely soothing to you but I sincerely urge you to stop after 8-10 minutes and use lukewarm water in place of the boiling hot which you relish. Long, hot shower baths take away my natural moisturizers as do the harsh soaps and cleansers. A gentle bath with a soap-free cleanser in lukewarm water will get rid of all the dirt and will also maintain my moisture, keeping me healthy. Another thing which I urge you to do is avoid too much washing of your face as it literally irritates me making me more dry and unhealthy. Once a day face cleansing with a mild cleanser is more than sufficient as it clears up my blocked pores and also removes the extra oils and dirt. Now comes my favorite part, which is the after bath application of moisturizers which are paraffin based, thick and rich in natural oils. They help retain my moisture and keep me supple and healthy. I really want their application atleast twice a day in winters so that I stay healthy and glowing.
You may not know but I am your first line of defence against the germs, so your health is literally in my hands. If I am not healthy, all the bacteria and fungi will gain an easy access inside your body and the result is highly undesirable for both me and you. If I get too dry, I will appear scaly and cracks will develop in my outer surface which can act as portals of entry for the bacteria. If I am healthy, I will protect you from the all bacteria which you unknowingly come in contact with as when using your normal ATM, public transport or even your mobile phone which is teeming with all kinds of bacteria. My outer layer has a wide variety of natural oils with antibiotic properties and also harbors a large number of healthy bacteria which prevent the disease causing bacteria to enter into the body. I know that you do a lot of things to keep yourself germ-free but I really don’t like too much use of those hand sanitizers which are being used a bit too much nowadays and seem to have become more of a fashion statement. They cause me a lot of trouble as they make me dry and also kill the friendly healthy bacteria, so my advice will be to keep their use to the minimum.
Another complaint which I have is that you are not using the sunscreens adequately especially when going out in the bright sun. I know you are using moisturizers but you have to protect me from the sun also. A plain calamine lotion or use of an umbrella will also work in case you don’t like sunscreens. Maybe you don’t realize that those ultraviolet rays are always around as long its daylight, regardless of whether its summers or winters or even cloudy. These ultraviolet rays penetrate deep inside me and accelerate my ageing process and bring all those unsightly wrinkles, freckles and the age spots. Unbelievable but true, these rays also cause a large variety of skin cancers which thankfully are rare among us Indians but their incidence is on the rise even among us. I don’t want that you spend hundreds of rupees buying those sunscreens with extraordinarily high SPF number. I suggest that a good sunscreen with an SPF of even 15-20 is sufficient for us Indians and will also not burn a hole in your pocket, but please use it atleast twice a day and in good amount.
Now let’s talk about my favorite diet. I really like green leafy vegetables, fruits and fish and I know that you like them as they are good for your health also. Fruits and vegetables provide me all the essential minerals and vitamins while fish is rich in proteins and omega-3 fatty acids which restore my oils and help me in maintaining my immunity and help in my repair processes, thus keeping me firm and young. I know that you are unaware that I am not a static organ and being replaced with a new layer every 56 days, so all these nutrients are very important for my regeneration and in keeping me healthy. Also take plenty of water so that I remain hydrated otherwise I might appear wrinkled or as dark circles around your eyes.
Your lifestyle is also important for me. Believe me, I really hate that smoking habit of yours. I know that you like that feel of lighting and smoking a cigarette every now and then but that smoke from your cigarettes impairs my blood supply and hampers my regeneration, thus bringing those early wrinkles, bluish lips and early ageing. I also don’t like that late sleeping routine of yours. I need a good sleep to do my repair process as all day long I am making new cells and pushing up the dead cells to the top layer to be sloughed off. It has been seen that people who get uninterrupted, good quality sleep show less signs of ageing than poor sleepers and also have less wrinkles and good elasticity and skin texture.
I know that beauty is more than skin deep but believe me, only when I am healthy, then only you will feel healthy and beautiful and that’s worth all my efforts. Stay beautiful, stay confident.
(The writer is a practicing dermatologist in Jammu.)
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