Body Skin versus Facial Skin: How does the Skin of your Face Differ from the Skin on the Rest of you

Most of us look after our facial skin on a daily basis. Why? Because it is on display to the world, however, the rest of our skin should receive just as much attention and the use of a good quality, natural skin care range range that includes products for the hands, feet and the rest of your body's skin is essential for healthy, vibrant looking skin that will be able to perform all of it's very important functions.

Your facial skin is exposed to the surrounding environment 24 hours a day. UV radiation, pollution, etc., is in direct contact with your facial skin. Unlike your face, the rest of the body's skin is usually covered by clothing, which ads an additional layer of protection between your skin and its surrounding environment.

Its functions of the skin include:

• Providing a barrier that prevents toxic substances from damaging the body's vulnerable interior;
• Providing a first line of defence that prevents bacterial, viral, and fungal organisms from causing disease;
• Providing a thermostat that regulates body temperature, allowing humans to live in various environments;
• Sensory perception such as sensing stimuli through touch and temperature.
• The skin also contains sweat glands, oil glands, and hair follicles. Its extreme versatility enables tremendous growth from childhood to adulthood and efficient repair following injury.

The functions and roles of the skin are the same irrespective of where on the body the skin is located, however, the thickness and sensitivity does vary. For example, the heels of your feet are covered by thicker skin then are the tops of your feet. Similarly the skin of the inside of your upper arm is very sensitive and rarely exposed to full sunlight, where as the back of your hands are exposed, just like your face, directly to the surrounding environment.

As a result, the different areas of your skin need a slightly different skin care regime. That is, the face is not the only skin that needs to be considered when purchasing skin care products. A good quality, natural hand cream should also be part of your range of skin care products, as should a general, natural body moisturising lotion.

In addition, you may also wish to include a skin care range specifically for your feet, because your feet are a primary heat exchange site where your body does loose a lot of water. Unfortunately, most people pay very little attention to the skin of their feet until there are problems.

As outlined above, your skin performs many important functions and requires just as much care and attention as your Heart, Kidneys and other organs. If the skin is unable to perform its functions, problems can ensue and these may be difficult to treat. Remember, prevention is better than cure as cure can be difficult to achieve. Thus using a good quality, natural body moisturising lotion is a great first step to ensure the health and viability of your body's skin.