All living creatures-from slimy amoebas to still slimier car salesmen-are made up of cells. So if you’re an exfoliating junkie, limit your sessions to twice a week, and moisturize your skin to replace the natural oils you’ve just scrubbed away.Ĭells are the smallest building block of life. While exfoliation may improve the feel of your skin and temporarily enhance its appearance, exfoliation overachievers are likely to end up with dry, inflamed skin.
Some people swear by special scrubs and brushes for removing dead skin cells. To keep your defenses up, rub lotion on your hands when they become dry (for many people, that means after every washing), and use gentle cleansers on other parts of your body (like your face).Įxfoliation. Unfortunately, this dry skin loses its natural protection against bacteria, which can then slip in through cracks and fissures in your skin. They strip away the natural oils in your skin. As the bacteria digest this mixture, they produce a foul smell that will earn you some extra personal space on the subway. If you leave your dead skin undisturbed, it will mix with sweat and dirt to form a very tasty snack for the bacteria that live on your skin. Neatniks take heart-even dead skin needs a regular bath. In this chapter, you’ll learn everything you need to know to care for your very own body wrapper.īasic cleaning. That’s because the study of skin holds secrets that can help you smell nicer ( Body Odor), stave off wrinkles ( Wrinkles), and commit the perfect crime (see the box about fingerprints on How Fingerprints Work). Learning about your skin is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon (and a surefire way to impress your dermatologist). Removed and laid flat, your skin occupies about 20 square feet of space-enough to cover the top of a twin-size bed and make it the surprise winner of the “largest organ in your body” award. It’s also home to a few other important bits of human machinery, including your hair, nails, and sweat glands.
It’s a washable, stretchable, self-repairing fabric that lasts a lifetime with minimal care. Skin does far more than the obvious task of keeping your insides on the inside.
But by far, the most impressive covering you’ll ever encounter is your skin-the 8 to 11 pounds of watertight wrapping that covers virtually every square inch of your body. That’s why you wear a raincoat when you visit London, use plastic wrap to save today’s dinner for tomorrow’s lunch, and don a ski mask when you climb snow-capped mountains (or make an unscheduled withdrawal from someone else’s bank account). Every practical person knows the value of a good outer layer.
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