Your skin is the largest organ of your body. It not only serves to make you look very beautiful but is also the first line of defense from any harmful microorganisms. It is a physical barrier that will prevent the entry of the microorganisms. Your skin is quite tough even though it may not seem like it and it is made of a water-resistant protein that prevents water from entering your skin. Your skin has its own combination of bacteria and fungi that are mutualistic and beneficial to us, these are called the fauna and flora of your skin. It is important to note that these are not harmful pathogens on your body but are rather a part of the defense mechanism of your skin.
The existing bacteria and fungi are kept at a balance, that is, the number of bacteria is balanced by the number of fungi and the number of fungi is balanced by the number of bacteria. If either of these become unbalanced then the other species would completely take over and cause harmful diseases. For instance, if the bacteria start to deplete by the use of antibiotics then you might start to get fungal diseases due to the increase in the number of fungi. There are a myriad of factors that could unbalance this and result in problems and there are also other external factors that could harm your skin in different ways:
Harmful UV radiation
UV rays pose a very serious threat to your skin. They are referred to as a physical mutagen because they can physically alter the DNA in your skin cells resulting in abnormal growth. For this reason, it is always advised to wear sunscreen which has a natural suncare property. This can shield your skin cells from these harmful UV rays. It is important to get the correct sunscreen ideally suited to your skin to ensure maximum effect. The reason you get significantly darker when exposed to sunshine without sunscreen and sometimes even with sunscreen is your body’s natural method of ensuring that the DNA is not damaged.
DNA is found in the nucleus of the cell and when the sun rays hit these cells they produce a dark pigment meant called melanin which will begin to accumulate around the nucleus and physically prevent the suns rays from entering the nucleus and damaging the DNA. Overexposure to sunshine results in people getting darker due to the buildup of this pigment. Of course, after a few days, this pigment is naturally broken down and normal levels are restored.
Overuse of antibiotics and antibacterial creams
This may sound shocking to many that we are actively asking people to stop or minimize the use of antibiotics and antibacterial creams. The reason is, as mentioned above, there is a natural balance of the fauna and flora in the skin. If this balance is upset, that is, if you drive the equilibrium away by the use of products such as antibacterial creams and antibiotics without the specific need then you will cause other skin problems.
