Human body is very sensitive and vulnerable. It is and has always been an easy target for an arrow, a sword or a bullet. In all the times people tried to protect their bodies as well as possible: medieval knights had iron armor; nowadays policemen use more effective protection – flak jackets - to survive in the battle with evil. It goes without saying that we should value these mankind inventions; at the same time, we must never forget about what nature supplied us with to resist the undesirable and dangerous influence of the environment. Skin is what I mean. Though it cannot protect us from a sword or a bullet, it has always been a very effective means of defense against ultraviolet rays, heat, cold, viruses and bacteria, which constantly try to make our bodies their home for some time, and then to gradually destroy them. Besides, skin is a multifunctional component of the human body. Thermoregulation helps us adjust to the temperature of the environment due to the widening or narrowing of blood vessels and the secretion of more or less liquids by skin’s glands. Metabolic function is realized during the gas exchange, water-salt metabolism, etc. After all, due to the skin’s sensation function we can feel the pleasure of touching. I am pretty sure that knights took good care of their armor for it to remain strong and reliable as long as possible. We should also do our best to preserve skin “in the working order” and to make it good-looking as well. So, to have healthy and beautiful skin it is desirable to:

avoid the sunlight, as its ultraviolet rays cause the most harmful changes in the skin structure, making it dry, wrinkled, thin and covered with age spots. They can also provoke skin cancer;

quit smoking, because nicotine is said to have the same influence on skin as sunlight;

clean and moisturize skin properly (scrubs, creams, ointments and lotions can be of great help in this case);

keep to a healthy diet with much fruit and vegetables to supply skin with all the necessary vitamins. Drinking much water helps improve its state as well;

avoid stress, because skin is like a mirror, reflecting everything that is going on in the human mind. It is easy to take care of skin when we are young. Smooth and plump, it needs, perhaps, proper cleaning only (excluding the cases of skin diseases). Aging, on the other hand, emphasizes the flaws in our appearance, takes away the beauty. It all results in dry, thin and wrinkled skin. This is a point, when preserving our natural body-cover beautiful takes much effort and skill to succeed. In order to make this process easier and more pleasant, visit Skin Care Center at Pillwatch.com. It is a place, where you can find the answers to many questions. Anna Iv is a pillwatch.com article author, aiming in supplying people with the most detailed and comprehensive data on health care issues.