Download Protecting Your Skin

HEALTHY CHOICES:
Protecting Your Skin
Ms. Mai
Lawndale High School
Protecting Your Skin
Your skin is the largest organ of your body
Organ – body part made up of different
types of tissues that work together to
perform a certain task
Other examples of organs are your heart,
your lungs, your stomach, and your brain
Structures of the Skin
Your skin consists of two layers: epidermis
and dermis
The epidermis is the outer layer of dead
skin cells that is constantly being rubbed
off. The epidermis also produces nonliving
parts of your body like your hair and nails.
The dermis is the thick inner layer of skin that
includes blood vessels, nerve endings, and oil
glands
Structure of Skin
Purpose of Your Skin
Your skin serves four main purposes
1.
2.
3.
4.
Protections
Sensation
Temperature Regulation
Waste Removal
1. Protection
Your skin is your body’s first defense against
bacteria and viruses entering your body
Your skin is coated with an oily substance
called sebum that also helps protect against
disease-causing organisms
Your skin also keeps moisture inside your
body so that tissues and organs don’t dry out
2. Sensation
Receptors are nerve endings that receives
information about the environment and
sends that information to the brain
Receptors sense pain, cold, heat, contact,
and pressure
This sensory information keeps you aware
of the conditions around you and helps you
avoid danger
3. Temperature Regulation
In order for your body to function, it must
stay at a fairly constant internal temperature
of about 98ºF with the help of sweat glands
and blood vessels in your dermis
Sweat glands produce perspiration when our
body is hot
Blood vessels dilate to release heat
When perspiration evaporates, your body cools
Hairs and body fat also help maintain our
body’s temperature
4. Waste Removal
As our body takes in food, water, and air, it
also produces a lot of waste in the process
Some of the waste products are carried by the
blood to our skin and disposed through
perspiration (salt, urea, extra water)
Common Skin Problems
Disease, infection, injury, and
environmental conditions are often the
cause of skin problems
Many of these problems can be avoided
with good skin care
Dry Skin
THE PROBLEM - Weather conditions such
as wind, sunlight, dry air, or even heated
indoor air can cause the skin to become dry
and flaky
THE SOLUTION – scrubbing with a
washcloth when bathing can help remove
the dry skin and using a moisturizer can
help restore lost moisture
Acne
THE PROBLEM – oil glands produce an
excess of sebum which accumulates and
hardens in a pore (blackheads), bacteria
grows in the trapped area and the pore
becomes inflamed and filled with pus
THE SOLUTION – eating
foods that decrease your
skin problem
Dermatitis
THE PROBLEM – condition where there
are red, swollen, itchy patches on your skin
caused by an allergic reaction (contact
dermatitis results when irritating substance
touches the skin directly like soap,
perfumes, hair dyes, fabrics, make-up)
THE SOLUTION –
prevent contact with
irritating substances
Psoriasis
THE PROBLEM – patches of pink to
purple-colored skin covered with grayishwhite scales (generally don’t itch or cause
pain, and not contagious)
THE SOLUTION – no
cure, but can be treated
with medicated cream
Skin Infections
Skin infections can include insect bites,
scrapes, scratches, ringworm, athlete’s foot
Each disease-causing organism or break in
the skin is treated differently
Skin Cancer
Cancer – abnormal, uncontrolled growth of
cells that invade and destroy healthy tissue
There are different types of skin cancer, but
the most serious type is called melanoma
Melanoma begins as a mole or birthmark
and can spread quickly to other parts of the
body
Melanoma can be cured if identified early
and treated
Avoiding Skin Cancer
The best way to avoid skin cancer is to limit
your sun exposure
According to the American Cancer Society,
sunburns during childhood and teenage
years increases the risk of developing skin
cancer later
Half the people with skin cancer are
between the ages of 15 and 50
Caring For Your Skin
You can keep your skin healthy and
attractive by practicing good health habits
like eating balanced meals and drinking
plenty of water everyday
Regular washing keeps your skin clean and
free from odor
Moisturizers help hold moisture and protect
against dry skin
Caring For Your Body
Body odor occurs when bacteria come in
contact with perspiration
Deodorants and antiperspirants help prevent
body odor, along with daily bathing
Protection from Ultraviolet Rays
Although some exposure to sunlight is
needed to stimulate the production of
vitamin D in our bodies, too much exposure
increases your risk of skin cancer
Sunlight contains two types of UV rays.
UVB rays are responsible for causing
sunburns and skin cancer (UVA rays also
cause some damage, but not as much)
Protecting from Ultraviolet Rays
To protect your skin, always use sunscreen
when you are outdoors, even when you are
not tanning
Sunscreen is a lotion that blocks out some of
the sun’s UVB rays and reduces skin damage,
while sunblock completely blocks out the sun
Sunscreens are graded by a number called SPF
(sun protection factor) that shows how much
protection they provide against UVB rays