Skin Conditions: What Your Skin Does and How to Look After It

Your skin is your body's largest organ, covering the whole outside of your body. It protects you and keeps you healthy in many ways. It:

• holds body fluids in, which helps prevent dehydration;
• keeps harmful germs out, which helps prevent infections;
• lets you feel heat, cold and pain;
• helps control body temperature;
• makes vitamin D when sunlight falls on it;
• shields the body from heat and light.

Common skin conditions

Many problems can affect the skin. Some cause uncomfortable symptoms such as itching, burning, redness and rashes, and some change how you look. Among the more common:

Keeping your skin healthy

Because your skin does so much, it is worth protecting:

• Guard against injury. Wear the right protective gear — gloves, long sleeves, knee and elbow pads or helmets — to prevent cuts, bumps and scrapes.
• Treat cuts promptly. Clean a cut or scrape right away with soap and warm water, and cover it with a bandage while it heals.
• Avoid insect bites. Outdoors, wear long sleeves and trousers and use insect repellent.
• Prevent sunburn. Cover up and use sunscreen outdoors.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
• Be gentle when bathing. Use warm, not hot, water and mild cleansers, and wash gently without scrubbing.
• Moisturise. Use lotions, creams or ointments to prevent dry skin.

Sources

• MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Skin Conditions," drawing on the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. https://medlineplus.gov/skinconditions.html
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.