Tell me, does this describe you? What are the characteristics of healthy skin that you can see and the functions that it performs, of which you are unaware? Here, we take a look at the answer. Paying attention to your skin's appearance is not a matter of being vain. It is like a window to what it going on inside of the body.

Many diseases and health problems cause changes in the skin's appearance. If you pay attention to how your face looks in the mirror every day, you may be able to spot the telltale signs of poor diet, poor health, too much stress and the outward signs of age.

So, first we must answer; what are the characteristics of healthy skin. Ideally, it will be firm and blemish free. The pigmentation will be even, although the appearance of freckles or moles is not necessarily unhealthy. In most cases they are genetic. But, any changes in the appearance of moles or freckles should be reported to your doctor.

The pigmentation or color that you see varies among populations and is caused by melanin producing cells. Melanin contains DNA repair enzymes that reverse UV damage. People who like these enzymes experience high rates of skin cancer.

Areas of hyper-pigmentation, sometimes referred to as age spots, are a sign of overexposure to UV rays from the sun. Small amounts of exposure to the sun are healthy and necessary for the skin to synthesize vitamin D, one of the skin's functions that go on without you being aware of it. Over-exposure, spending hours and hours in sunlight without protection, causes damage on a molecular level that will eventually hasten the appearance of wrinkles and lost firmness.

What are the characteristics of healthy skin that are lost due to age? Actually, it may be possible to delay wrinkles and other signs of aging. The cause of them is free radical damage. If you are under the age of 40 and you look older than other people in your age group, the health of your inner body has also been affected.

The most likely causes are stress, chronic inflammation, overexposure to environmental toxins like smoke and poor diet, including a chronic lack of antioxidants. Other dietary factors include eating too many inflammatory foods, primarily they are red meat and pork, but corn can cause inflammation, as well.

What are the characteristics of healthy skin in your youth? Although there are varying degrees of "color", red patches indicate exposure to an irritating substance, as do rashes. Fine hair will be present all over the face and the body, except on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet where there are no hair follicles.

The follicles serve many functions, as well. But, that's a subject for another article.

Make no mistake about it. Even if you feel that your skin is oily, you should use a nourishing cream after cleansing. This protects the skin's health and appearance. Hopefully, this article answered some of your questions about what are the characteristics of healthy skin, although there's always more to learn.

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