With November being National Healthy Skin Month, we wanted to shed some light on caring for your skin. During this month, people around the country take the time to learn about healthy skincare habits while also understanding how to prevent common skin problems. This includes proper use of sunscreen and ways to check yourself as needed to help prevent skin cancer.
Also known as your body’s largest organ, your skin plays a big role in keeping you healthy. It serves as a barrier against multiple threats to your health such as irritants and bacterial infections. Your skin can also show important warning signs about potential health problems if you know what to look for.
Recognizing Skin Health Signals
If you notice any changes in texture or color in your skin, another health concern may need to be flagged. For example, itchy skin might be an early sign of cirrhosis or hepatitis. In the past, researchers have found that liver disease has had a strong correlation with chronic itchy skin.
Women with cystic acne or facial hair may have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), especially if they have an irregular menstrual cycle or a family history of the syndrome. Health care providers can screen for these and other potential health concerns that could be detected through changes in a person’s skin.
Some other health problems detectable through skin changes include:
- Diabetes
- Shingles
- Lymphoma
- High cholesterol
- Allergies
- Hypothyroidism
How to Self-Examine Your Skin
Being able to recognize changes in your skin can help prevent more serious problems from occurring later on. This may mean a new mole or spot, itching or bleeding that previously wasn’t an issue. Being able to flag these concerns to your doctor early on can make it more likely to treat problems effectively, especially skin cancer.
Check out this infographic to learn how you can spot skin cancer and check your skin on a consistent basis. You can also review this body mole map to help keep track of the spots on your skin and make note of any changes over time.
Ways to Keep Your Skin Healthy
Thankfully, there are many great ways to keep your skin healthy over the years. One of the most important ones is to always protect it from sun exposure. This is because years of constant sun exposure can lead to damaged skin and even boost the risk of skin cancer. To avoid developing early wrinkles, age spots and other skin issues use sunscreen generously as needed.
Try to avoid being under the sun when its effects are the strongest, typically between the hours of 12 pm and 4 pm. If you do find yourself under the sun’s rays, try wearing protective clothing and wide-brimmed hats to limit your exposure.
Other great ways to protect your skin include avoiding cigarettes, eating a healthy diet, and having good outlets for stress and anxiety. If you’re living a healthy lifestyle, chances are your skin won’t have as many problems as it could if that weren’t the case. Strong cleansers and hot water can also strip skin of essential oils, so try to use gentle skincare products and warm instead of hot water whenever possible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, taking care of your skin can make a big difference to your overall health. Doing so can help prevent many different problems including big concerns like skin cancer.
During National Healthy Skin Month, take the time to establish good skincare habits and learn how to examine yourself for any changes to your skin over time. Remember that establishing a healthy lifestyle can be a great way to boost your skin health, so try out some new stress-relieving activities and limit your sun exposure whenever possible.
AUTHOR
Maneeza Hasan – Maneeza is a content marketing professional from Los Angeles, California. She loves to create content that helps people live better lives. To learn more about her please visit her website at www.maneeza.com