Skin—Our Largest Organ

What a remarkable organ skin is. Covering every part of our body, it certainly qualifies as our largest organ. Except for our face, though, we tend to take our skin for granted—until it bothers us, that is.

If our skin develops a rash, we notice it. If it itches, we scratch, moisturize or cover it with a steroid cream to suppress the itch. Dry, oily, wrinkled—now our skin has our attention! Beyond that, though, how many of us realize the extreme importance of this "backup" organ?

Fact: Approximately 15-20% of the average adult's total body weight is skin.

Fact: Skin is filled with billions of cells, thousands of sensory points, sweat glands, sebaceous glands -- each performing its own function for keeping the skin healthy.

Fact: Skin is a protective barrier, our first line of defense against foreign invaders, infections, dehydration, injuries and other outside elements.

Fact: Skin has a enzymatic detoxification process similar to the liver—in other words, it helps us clean out.

Fact: Topical nutrients applied to the skin are absorbed and transferred directly into the bloodstream.

And that's where the problem comes in.

Nondiscriminatory

Skin does not discriminate between natural and synthetic chemicals—it absorbs whatever is applied to it. When you shower without a filter on your showerhead, you absorb more undesirable elements through your skin than you would if you drank straight tap water.

Here’s why All the stuff in regular tap water that made you start drinking bottled or filtered water—especially large amounts of chlorine—is being absorbed through your skin in your bathtub. You cannot escape the chlorine; it is used to disinfect municipal water systems, just like it is added to backyard swimming pools to disinfect the pool. You know better than to drink pool water. You probably take a shower after getting out of the pool to rinse off the chlorine—but did you realize you’re merely rinsing off with more of the same?

Chlorine chemically bonds with the proteins in the body, causing dry skin and hair and irritating the eyes. Inhaled directly into the lungs via shower vapor, it can contribute to a number of other health problems, such as cancer and reproductive dysfunction.

What can you do? Use a shower filter to trap the chlorine, dirt, and smells inherent in tap water before it gets to your body.

Scary Problem, Delightful Solution

Once you have a shower filter, all you have to do is exfoliate.

Yup, that’s the answer. Whether dry, oily or "normal," your skin needs to be exfoliated regularly. Sloughing off dead surface cells oxygenates the skin and revives its texture by clearing out congested sebaceous or "sweat" glands and opening up clogged pores.

Clogged, dirty pores resist nutrient absorption and hold in toxins.

Open, clean pores allow for nutrient absorption and toxin release.

And it feels so good.

There are salt scrubs. There are sugar scrubs. But, as the label on a jar of Warming Organic Body Polish by Trillium clearly states: “Be Warned, Healthy Skin Can Be Habit Forming!”

Where Can I Get More Information?

Environmental Systems Distributing

Environmental Health Perspectives

Free Beauty Tips

SoYouWanna.com

Trillium Organics, 800-734-7253

Sprite Shower Filters

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The recommendations provided by this site are suggestions only, and not intended as replacement for medical care from a
licensed physician or healthcare provider. For additional complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) advice, please seek out a local naturopathic physician, Chinese medical doctor, or qualified herbalist.

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