The skin of life

First, the following from a year ago:

Think about it.  We humans are animals.  How often do you see other mammals taking leisurely baths?  Most would rather not go anywhere near water other than to drink it.
I don't mean to suggest that we stop showering.  Hell no.  But, if we start from that point of departure that the largest organ--the skin--needs to be treated with care, then we will think about showers also very differently.

I referred to Uncle RM--remember him?--who was known for his "காக்கா குளியல்" (to mean that he had very, very quick baths.)  During one of his visits with us, when I would hang around him for his witty and insightful remarks, he said that the less we bathe the better it is.

But then in a hot and humid place, what about the stinky sweat?  I suppose that's also why women wore jasmine and other fragrant flowers on their hair, and men splashed their torsos with rose-water and sandalwood paste!

Modern science is catching up with the late Uncle RM about water and skin care.

Before I get into that discussion, let me draw a parallel.  I don't always floss my teeth.  About once a week or ten days, I work a lengthy piece of floss in between the teeth.  Initially, the dental hygienist was concerned about my "bad" habit.  I explained to her that it was all about moderation.  A healthy diet and daily brushing of the teeth should work well, I explained.  Over the years, the hygienist has stopped asking me about my flossing habit.  Hygiene is never about the flossing--starting with a balanced and healthy diet is way high on the list for dental hygiene.  If one thinks that they can floss and forget eating healthy foods, well, good luck!

I suppose the parallel has already become clear.

Skin care is not merely about the superficial showering and soap and lotion and whatever else.  Soaps, lotions, and almost everything is a whole bunch of evil advertising about stuff that you don't ever need.  Though, I did like the pomegranate face wash ;)



Even the original idea of what shampoo meant is far removed from how we now understand its supposed importance. 

So, "What is all the scrubbing, soaping, moisturizing, and deodorizing really doing for the body’s largest organ?"

In one word?  Nothing!

In fact, the scrubbing, soaping, moisturizing, and deodorizing might be doing plenty harm.

experts want us to think of hygiene more expansively—as a matter of health and balance, rather than one of sterility and purity. With all our soaps and sanitizers and antibiotics, in addition to so much time spent inside, away from dirt and animals and fresh air, we’ve created new problems for our immune systems, which miss out on the chance to encounter benign triggers and instead learn to overreact to perceived threats. Excess hygiene can also be a problem for the skin’s microbiome, which has an ecology that we’re just beginning to understand.

Though Uncle RM didn't know about the biology of the skin's microbiome, he had an intuitive understanding about taking care of the skin.

So, take a minute first to appreciate and respect your skin:

Skin is a strange little miracle. Were it removed, you would quickly lose the water in your body and die of dehydration. It protects you from deadly radiation and pathogens and helps you stay within the narrow temperature spectrum your body can tolerate, yet it is, at its thinnest, half the width of a penny.

You take good care of it, and it will take good care of you.

[The] science of skin health, as described by Hamblin and Lyman, suggests that we err when we think of skin as static or as separate, to be ministered to by surface applications of various cleansers and moisturizers, goops and goos. (Hamblin scoffs at the idea of trying to promote skin’s internal collagen production by rubbing on, or ingesting, collagen: “It’s like if you needed new tires and you put rubber in your gas tank.”) Skin is, literally, an ecosystem, in constant connection with the health of the rest of our body, as well as with the world beyond.