 The genetic constitution determines our skin characteristics. More... |
Genetic constitution
| The appearance of our skin is strongly influenced by our genetic disposition.
 Skin colour, for example, is inherited from one's ancestors. The genetic disposition also determines if you are sensitive for getting some skin diseases, e. g. (atopic) eczema.
If you get acne and then how strongly you may be affected by it is also often determined genetically. |
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| Hormones have an impact on the skin. More... |
Hormones
| Hormones also have a significant impact on the skin.
 Hormones are chemical messengers that are produced within the body and are sent through the body to initiate changes and metabolic processes. The sexual hormones are a good example: during puberty or the female menstrual cycle they increase the production of sebum in the sebaceous glands. The skin becomes oily, and comedones and spots appear. |
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| Skin reacts to physical and mechanical irritations. More... |
Mechanical irritations
 Skin reacts to so-called mechanical irritations, for example blows, friction and pressure.
You all know that: if you knock against something, you’ll get bruises. Or if you wear too narrow jeans, they will leave marks on your skin. Friction can make blisters appear on the skin. |
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| Some substances can irritate the skin. More... |
Substances irritating the skin
Some substances can irritate and damage our skin. If the protective layer of the skin is hurt, the upper layers of the skin can become damaged.
 In medicine, one distinguishes between weakly irritating and strongly irritating substances.
If the skin is exposed to strongly irritating substances, the skin will react immediately at the first contact, e. g. in the case of strong acids, bases or solvents (chemical irritants) or inflammable substances (physical irritants).
In the case of weak irritants the skin reacts only after repeated and regular contact. Good examples for this are water, soap, detergents, oil and grease, weak solvents etc.
There are even substances in cosmetic products that can evoke skin irritation. For this reason we recommend that you read thoroughly through the list of ingredients before you use or buy cosmetic products. Please find below a list of substances that can irritate the skin.
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| Some substances can trigger allergic reactions on the skin. More... |
Allergens
| Another group of substances that is able to damage the skin are allergens. Allergens are substances that may release a reaction of over-irritability.
 If the skin gets exposed to an allergen, it will react to it. This is called “contact allergy”. To develop an allergy (to become „sensitized“), you usually must have had repeated contact with the allergen. This is the reason why many people with allergies have contact to the allergen some time before they actually react allergic to it.
Well-known allergies are for example allergies to nickel (in buttons or costume jewellery) or to fragrances in cosmetics, perfumes or detergents. |
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| Climate and pollution of the air have an impact on the skin. More... |
Climate and air pollution
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Climate has a strong impact on skin health as well: wind, cold, heat and sunlight have an effect on the skin.
The climate can be good or bad for our skin. In winter, the constant change between cold outside and warm and dry heated air inside may dry out our skin. And sunlight, especially UV radiation , has a strong effect on our skin.
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| Our lifestyle leaves marks on our skin. More... |
Life style
| Life style has an additional effect on our skin. How we treat our body may show on our skin.
 The skin reacts to diet, for example. So it is a good idea to follow a balanced diet. And its condition will improve if you give up smoking and enjoy alcohol only moderately, as caffeine and nicotine accelerate the skin aging process.
Skin wants to be cared for and conditioned.
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Some good hints about this can be found in a separate chapter: Skin care. |
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Skin reacts to our mental and emotional situation. More...
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Mental factors
| Skin is also influenced by psychological factors.
 It makes a difference to the skin if we feel relaxed and rested or completely stressed out. Skin reacts to our emotional condition.
In healthy skin, this difference may not catch one’s eye. But if you are already affected by skin problems, your emotional condition may determine whether you will have another episode of your illness or not. The skin is more sensitive in that situation and reacts rather intensive to your emotional condition. |
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