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Change the condition of your skin: tips on staying healthy |
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Thursday, 27 September 2007 |
by LINDSAY TIGAR
Lifestyles Editor
Appalachian State University students are busy.
With over 200 clubs, an array of majors and socializing opportunities all over campus, it can be easy to forget to take care of something everyone sees: their skin.
In
order to produce healthy skin cells, a person’s body needs to be
protected from the sun, away from cigarette smoke, washed gently,
moisturized daily, and shaved carefully, according to the
MayoClinic.com.
Although
on the surface, these guidelines may seem like general information, the
surface of a student’s skin isn’t as smooth as they’d like.
“I live two hours away, just off the mountain,” junior English major
Luke T. Howell said. “My body is different when I go home for a week.
When I come back, I break out and it takes a few weeks to get back to
normal.”
Some students may credit an increase in blemishes to the drier air found in the mountains.
“I’ve noticed a change in my skin since I came to college,” sophomore
sociology major Erika D. Searle said. “My skin is a lot drier.”
However, being a resident in the High Country is not the cause of drier skin.
“It’s not necessarily living here that causes skin to be drier,”
nursing assistant for Boone Dermatology LeAnn R. Martin said. “Skin may
get drier by using a lot of heat, but it’s not the air or location
itself.”
In addition, contrary to popular belief, diets are not directly connected to breakouts.
“There really isn’t an associate between diets and skin,” registered
dietician and family and consumer sciences professor Dr. Mary D.
Coleman-Kelly said. “They say chocolate, soda and ice cream cause
breakouts, but there is no scientific evidence to support those claims.”
However, Coleman-Kelly also stated that while certain foods aren’t the
cause of breakouts, other foods that are rich in certain vitamins will
help with damaged skin due to sun exposure.
“You want to make sure to eat foods that are rich in vitamin C, such as
bell peppers and citrus fruits,” Coleman-Kelly said. “You also should
eat foods with vitamin E, such as nuts, spinach or asparagus.”
Foods rich in vitamin A, such as bright orange, red or yellow
vegetables will help ensure a person’s skin isn’t dry or flaky,
Coleman-Kelly said.
The causes of breakouts and acne vary from each person and it’s not possible to categorize college students into one group.
“There is no way to know [the leading cause of acne in college
students],” Martin said. “Each person is in a different acne group, and
it has nothing to do with being in college. Some adults get it more
than college students.”
However, a few causes can be generalized for everyone.
“You don’t want to clog your pores,” Martin said. “Use oil free,
water-based make-up and we do recommend sunscreen, but not suntan oil.
It will clog your pores and make your acne worse.”
Follicular keratinization, or the excess of skin cells that build up on
the surface of the skin and clog pores, causes acne as well as excess
oil and sebum mixed with dead skin cells, according to acne-fact.com.
The best solution to keeping skin healthy is using lotion on a daily basis and not over- exfoliating the skin.
“You want to use a product that won’t clog pores and remember, you can’t wash acne away,” Martin said.
Pairing a lotion with daily washing is vital for healthy skin.
Certain words to look for when searching for the right acne cream are salicylic acid and retinoid.
Antibiotics for skin care are also available through Student Health
Services and Boone Dermatology is currently accepting patients of all
ages.
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