Health Notes

Hutt News, Volume 11, Issue 13, 25 August 1937, Page 1

Health Notes

I — make to your skin tbom BELOW. (By H. K. and D. W. Adamson.) ' In these days of rouged lips and the hundred and one cosmetics which help efface (or improve) nature's handiwork, wo are no doubt embarking upon a touchy topic when we question the modern and almost universal policy of womanhood, and indeed manhood also, of artificial facial adornment. For centuries past, mankind has endeavoured with 'more or less success to 1 make a better job of his .personal appearance by the use of various artifices than the processes of heredity and creative forces hawe presented him with, and far from discouraging ihim in such efforts let us rally round and render what little assistance we ace capable of givin'g. We woulidi even go so far as to say that it is incumbent upon every paTent to implant, not only the ideal cf physical beauty into the plastic*' mind of the child but it is the duty of the parent to lay the concrete basis of physical perfection in ihis growing tissues as well, for herein, is the secret of health as well as :that which wo call beauty. «, Firstly, we must :rid our minds of the idea that the skin is merely a covering for the body, or even a good background for the brcusli of an artist. Far from it, the skin ist just as important an organ as is the li'ver or the kidneys. True enough the skin, acts as a protection for the more delicate tissue beneath, but it is also <one of the chief means by which poisonous wastes are eliminated from the body. Its mechanism for accomplishing this work consists of millions of tiny glands or .poxes which link up with the .multiplicity of capillaries or blood vnssrls which are contained within the d sepor layers, for, as everyone should know, .the skin consists of several layers and' that which we use to hang thingsoofu f the cuter layer, consists of cells w hieh commenced their life cycle beneath the skin. The cells propagate* by the simple process of sub-division and as they reach the outer layer they die and peel or rub off. : The internal' or germinal layers are continuously", reproducing themsclvos in this maune r and as the life of the cells is very ,short, 'just a day or two in .fact, we has e an entirely new skin every few days. .Just think of it, a brand new skin ev>ery week and yet pounds and pounds '.of cosmetic material arc applied yearly ivi our efforts to prevent the outside world from seeing it. As already mentioned, the skin is a most important organ of elimination. Through the millions of little sweat glands or pores, the "body throws off large quantities of acids and other waste material which if it were possible to entirely check, would quickly kill us, because we would accumulate more poisonous, material in our blood than the other, organs could .sa,fely deal with. Then in addition to -these sweat glands, the skin contains another gland which secTetes a lubricating oil to keep' the skin nice and soft and to offset the ■ deleterious effect which the acid wastes from the sweat glands would- produce. | These glands supply the key to a good skin. The kind of skin that glows with health and which needs no artificial aids to improve its lustre. Firstly, their activity depends upon the blood circulation, and incidcn tally, it 'is interesting to note that the blood vessels in the skin are capable of absorbing almost one-third of the elatire quantity of blood in the bodj\ Active glands and active cells demand more blood and the more blood that can be coaxed into the skin layers, the ruddier is the glow of health whicih emanates through the external layer, providing the blood is of a rkh, healthy red. This brings us to the second consideration, which, however, is really fundamental, & nd that is the constitution of the bi'ood itself. Healthy blood is bright rL > L 1 such as is seen in arterial Wood. On the other hand, unhealthy blood is dark coloured and similarly, where the circul the dull coloured muddj complexion simply reflects 'the conditii 111 of the stagnated and impovcrlislicd Wood in the capillaries beneath the skin. Generally speaking then, the treatI nien t of tVie skin resolves itself into a question of, firstly, improving the blood i *,sel£, and secondly, the use of local measures to bring the skin back to a l,j,r \ state of functional activity. Kemeni ber, in an active skin, the blood circul atos morc ra P idl y an(i thc morc rapidlj ' circulates the healthier is the <rlow Wi "radiates through. It is, impossible ° £ course to P rescribe a B P eci " fic dietarj T for aIL alld sundl T in these notes but in the main > tSIG suggestions outlined fro ™ wcek to week arc 4 uit ° sufficient in i. w»t eases. Then in regard Ito local applit tiolis - Sira P le hot > thelv cold, applicatk II,S t0 tllc skin a PP hcd alternately for . ve to ten minutes before going to bi and followed by a brisk friction rub ' witt a KOarse towcl will do more for t. skin than all the expensive emolieirts T ou can , | .ii i — , '