What You Need to Know About Common Skin Concerns

Your skin is your largest and one of the most valuable organs in your body. Though seldom life-threatening, skin disorders can really be uncomfortable and they may cause further health concerns down the line such as psoriatic arthritis. Moreover, since much fo your skin is often visible to the public, skin disorders can lead to low self-esteem and other psychological stresses.

These are some of the most common skin conditions that people face, and what you can do to help avoid them:

Acne:Acne is a skin condition associated with hair follicles and sebaceous glands. With this condition, the sebaceous glands are clogged, leading to pimples and cysts among other disorders.

It is one of the most common skin disorders in the world. In fact about 80 percent of people between the ages of 11 to 30 years old are commonly affected by this condition at some point, although often occurring during puberty. During this stage, the sex hormones increase in both girls and boys, causing sebaceous glands to become highly active, resulting in an increase in the production of excess sebum which can lead to blocked pores.

There are other causes of acne such as:

  • Hormone levels changing during the menstrual cycle
  • Some drugs, for instance…lithium, corticosteroids and barbiturates
  • Grease and oil from the scalp, cooking or mineral oil, and some cosmetics can cause acne to worsen

Acne can also be aggravated however by squeezing the pimples, or by scrubbing the skin hard.

Psoriasis: Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that is characterized by red patches on the skin, accompanied by silvery white scales in the form of dead skin cells. It is believed to be an autoimmune disease; this means that the body's defense system attacks healthy cells in the body. This leads to the creation of skin cells that mature and die quickly. The build-up of dead cells on the skin is called plaque. Plaques can occur anywhere on the skin but are commonly found on the hands, elbows, fingernails, toenails, back, elbows, chest, scalp, and folds in the buttocks. While the condition affects the skin, psoriasis goes beyond being a cosmetic problem. The development of psoriatic arthritis is associated with the swelling of the joints causing tenderness and pain.

Eczema: Eczema is a very common skin disease. The word 'eczema' is a Greek word that means 'boils over'. Eczema is characterised by inflamed and itchy skin patches particularly on the face in small children, as well as inside elbows, behind the knees in teenagers and adults. Eczema is commonly referred to as atopic dermatitis and is commonly caused by an overactive immune system. Eczema is common in babies and young children but can occur in adults too. In fact, up to 20 percent of children and about 1 to 2 percent of adults develop atopic dermatitis. There are other types of eczema apart from atopic dermatitis.

Allergic contact dermatitis is also a common eczema type of skin condition just like atopic dermatitis. It begins to show in adulthood and is mainly caused by environmental factors such as cosmetics, fragrances, and metals in jewellery. Nummular dermatitis is also another type of eczema. It looks like red and flaky coin-shaped patches of skin and is brought about by dry skin. This type of eczema is mainly characterized by itchiness and red patches on the skin.

Seborrheic dermatitis leads to itchy, red, scaly rashes skin in different parts of the body, and particularly the scalp, eyelids, eyebrows, behind the ears, and on the sides of the nose. Dyshidrotic dermatitis commonly affects the fingers, hand palms, and soles of the feet. They cause itchiness, and scaling on the skin that flakes persistently or becomes red, painful, or cracked.

The three abovementioned skin conditions may be common, but they should also be seen by a health professional, or your GP should their symptoms become severe.

The following skin conditions are also very common, but they may be addressed by supporting the skin using high-quality supplements and natural skincare products.

Hyperpigmentation or skin discoloration: Hyperpigmentation is a common skin condition normally characterized by the skin losing its natural tone and color. It is usually harmless but can leave unsightly dark patches on the skin. The darkening is due to the formation of deposits in the skin by melanin. Hyperpigmentation affects the skin color of all people of any race. Hyperpigmentation commonly affects the face, arms, and hands. Age spots, freckles, sunspots, liver spots, melasma, and a typical darker skin or brown skin are examples of hyperpigmentation.

Crow's feet: These are fine lines that appear around the eyes and are caused by excess facial muscle activity. Crow's feet are the first and the most prominent skin lines to appear on the face. These lines are visible when someone is smiling, squinting or laughing. They occur naturally when someone is aging, however excessive exposure to the sun and smoking are other major contributions that can cause these lines to appear more prominent. When it comes to common skin conditions, one condition that almost always affects us is premature aging. Environmental conditions, pollution, fast-food diets etc., are affecting the age and appearance of our skin.

In conclusion, the health of the skin can be maintained with not only a good skin care regimen but also with a healthy diet. The foods that we eat provide nutrition to our skin impacting its overall health. Nutritional supplements also help in providing the skin with the required nutrition.

In addition to using Xtendlife's men's and women's range of Age Defense Active creams, it's crucial to remember that nourishing the skin from the inside out is just as important for your daily skincare regimen.

Our Omega 3 / DHA Plus will assist provide you with the ideal foundation on which youthful, healthy skin can be built...naturally improving your skin's appearance from the inside out...and complementing our natural skincare products which work on the skin's outer layers as well as the layers just under the skin.

The skincare products that supplement your daily cleanse, tone, and moisturize regimen are Xtendlife's Eye Contour Serum is specially formulated to moisturize and nourish the delicate skin around the eye area. Our Eye Contour Serum contains 10 specially selected ingredients, including EyelissTM and HaloxylTM two powerful effective ingredients proven in clinical studies to help "de-age" the appearance of the skin around your eyes.

Our Natural Whitening Day Cream is a natural way of lightening and brightening your skin. Its unique formula not only lightens the skin without irritating or harming the skin, it also has the anti-aging benefits of our Age Defense Active Day Cream. The Natural Whitening Day Cream contains many beneficial ingredients; including extra pone nutgrass which has been shown to reduce melanin.

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