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Your skin is your body’s largest organ and first line of defense. This “covering” is a complex system made up of nerves, glands, and cell layers, each having a role in your health. It serves as a buffer that helps protect you from extreme temperatures and toxic chemicals, while also producing antibacterial compounds that defend you against infection. Your skin also plays a role in the production of vitamin D.
Although your skin is capable of all of these functions, it needs protection, too. If not cared for properly, it can become dry and rough, produce wrinkles, and/or become susceptible to certain skin problems.
Skin Care 101: How to Promote Healthy Skin
There are a couple of ways to promote healthy skin. First, eating right means feeding your skin nutrients and antioxidants. I recommend consuming only organic whole foods and avoiding processed foods, which are high in harmful compounds that may damage your skin.
Second, you should be careful with what you apply on your skin. I strongly believe that, like in your diet, you should take extra caution in choosing what you apply to your skin topically. Your skin is highly permeable and can easily absorb whatever it touches.
Before you apply another personal care product on your skin, it important to be a conscious, savvy reader of labels. Are you sure the ingredients in the product are safe for your skin and not a chemical cocktail?
They Promise You Great Skin and Beauty – But These May Come at a ‘Toxic’ Price
You'll be surprised to know how many chemicals enter your body through the use of skin care products like lotions, shampoos, and cosmetics.
Most personal care products on the market contain toxic chemicals like parabens, phthalates, and triclosan – chemicals linked to hormonal imbalance, toxicities, reproductive health problems, and even cancer. Instead of nourishing your skin, these chemicals will disrupt your skin and overall health.
You'll probably be more shocked to know that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require companies to test their personal care products for safety. In fact, out of the thousands of ingredients used in skin care products, only 20 percent or less are reviewed.
Safety tests on the small percentage of ingredients are conducted by the Cosmetic Ingredients Review, which runs the cosmetics industry. Manufacturers add a wide range of chemicals and synthetic fragrances to their skin care products, and can leave them out of the product labels if they wish! This is true even for some products labeled “natural” or “organic.”
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