5 Surprising Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Your Body’s Largest Organ…
Aside from lathering on some sunscreen to protect it from UV rays or putting on lotion to keep it hydrated, there probably isn’t much else you think about when it comes to your skin… Here are a few more things you should be aware of:
- Your skin can give clues to your state of health. For example, darkened skin around the neck area can be a sign of diabetes. Those with under-active thyroids may have dry and thickened skin on their palms and soles.
- Age spots are not what you think. Many people think that as they age, they’ll just naturally get age spots. Not true. Those spots are the result of cumulative sun damage over the years. Most medical professionals recommend applying sunscreen daily to prevent these spots as you age and accumulate more sun exposure.
- You have some control over stretch marks. When stretch marks are “new” and are reddish or purple from the inflammation, applying a retinoid cream regularly can lessen their appearance. This is because the cream promotes cell turnover and skin regeneration.
- Skin cancer can show up with no colour. You know to look for dark, irregular moles on your skin as a means of detecting skin cancer. But sometimes, these moles don’t have a specific colour, and can be the same colour as your skin, white, red or even purple. Just look for irregularities and for anything that doesn’t seem to “belong.”
- Your skin’s level of oiliness determines what kind of hair will grow in that area. Your oil glands and hair act as a single unit. Where there are large oil glands, you will tend to have thin hair, and thick hair in areas of skin that are not oily, or contain smaller oil glands underneath.