
What is the Skin?
The "Skin" is the largest organ of the human body and of transcendental importance. It is our outer covering and its basic function is to separate the organism from the environment.
The human skin has 3 main functions:
- Barrier: The skin acts as a barrier, as it controls the exchange that the skin carries out with the outside world. The skin also acts as a protection against external aggressions (sun, cold, pollution, infections, etc).
- Thermal Regulator: The skin allows and maintains a body temperature of 37°C, thanks to its insulating power and other processes such as perspiration.
- Vitamin D Generator: The only vitamin produced by the human body is vitamin D, under the action of UV rays. The skin, under exposure to the sun, turns provitamin D into vitamin D, essential for the body to function (allows the creation of bones, protects against chronic diseases, etc).
Skin Types
There are four basic types of healthy skin:
- Normal Skin: Skin in good balance.
- Dry Skin: Skin that produces less sebum than normal skin.
- Oily Skin: Skin that has a high production of sebum.
- Mixed Skin: Skin that consists of a mixture of the 2 skin types, dry and oily.
Skin type is genetically determined. However, the condition of our skin can vary considerably according to the various internal and external factors to which it is subjected.
1 - Normal Skin
"Normal" skin is a term widely used to refer to skin in good balance. The scientific term for well-balanced skin is “eudermic”. Normal skin is well balanced: it is neither too oily nor too dry.
2 - Dry Skin
"Dry" skin is used to describe a skin type that produces less sebum than normal skin. As a result of the lack of sebum, dry skin lacks the lipids it needs to retain moisture and form a protective shield against external influences. Dry skin can feel tight and rough, with a dull appearance.
3 - Oily Skin
"Oily" skin is used to describe a skin type that has a high production of sebum. This excessive production is called “seborrhea”. Oily skin has shine and visible pores.