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What Our Skin May Tell Us About Our General Health?
Skin is the body’s undisguised hero. And there’s a lot to deal with in the UAE: heat, humidity, dust, air conditioning, and the list goes on.
Our dermis and epidermis – the two primary layers that make up human skin – act as a barrier to infection, protects our muscles, controls temperature and transmits essential signals to our brains from moisture and heat to pain and discomfort.
For the average human, this massive organ is roughly 21 square feet and can account for about 15% of our body weight. Yet, despite its size and scope, its position in our overall health is often overlooked.
But in truth, the skin is a window to the rest of our bodies and serves as a fantastic indicator of many issues that exist underneath the surface.
Although many skin disorders are transient irritations that don’t run any further, it’s worth remembering common issues like eczema, rosacea, pimples, and so on because your body may just be trying to tell you something.
Acne/Pitches
Here’s one that we all know about. Almost everybody has had a spot or a pipe at some point in their lives.
For some, they fade quickly enough, while others may have been dealing with acne for several years. Whatever the length of the outbreak, spots should not simply be considered a fact of life.
Stress is an especially common underlying cause of facial spots.
Our brains and our skin are derived from the same cells, according to leading dermatologists at Baylor College of Medicine, that causes us to break out while we are under stress.
So if you’re going through a particularly stubborn stretch of spots, the stress levels are the first place to look at.
When it comes to more extreme cases of acne, it is also our hormones that are to blame.
Acne is often a sign of underlying hormonal imbalance – especially in women where it can be an indication of PCOS. In these cases, the treatment of the root condition typically resolves acne where other therapies have failed.
So if you’ve tried countless treatments in vain, it’s worth a trip to the doctor to discuss your hormone levels.
Psoriasis and eczema
Here we have another common skin disorder that occurs due to the inability to maintain moisture.
It results in red, itchy patches all over the body. As the other conditions on this list, eczema is not caused by a single factor. Anything from stress or irritants to biology is thought to play a role.
In a 2015 report published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, there was a potential link between overweight and obesity and skin conditions.
Dry Skin
The first place to check is diet, as is most health problems. Dry skin may be a symptom of a deficiency in oily fish, nuts and fruits such as avocados, even without omega-3. It strengthens the membranes of our cells and governs cell rotation.
The absence of this can slow down the natural exfoliation process, leading to dry skin.
Look at the consumption of water, too. So it should be enough to ensure you get plenty of liquids. If you suffer any symptoms, such as exhaustion or sudden weight loss, it is worth checking with your doctor for more severe symptoms.
Dry skin may be a symptom of a deficiency in oily fish, nuts and fruits such as avocados, even without omega-3.
Itchy/blister patches
Here’s another common skin issue that’s sometimes written off as just one of those things. You or someone you know are likely to have encountered tiny, dry (often red) patches of skin and thought very little about it.
However if they continue to occur, there is a fair possibility that your skin will want to warn you something.
These tiny patches of itchy skin are commonly found around the elbows, knees, and face. And they are one of the most common signs of allergies to gluten.
What you see on the skin is simply an allergic reaction and thus it is not enough to treat the symptom itself. So if you’ve tried every rash and blister cream under the sun, book an appointment with your doctor to have an intolerance examination.
