Our bodies are amazing! There are so many systems that regulate and control the thousands of functions required for daily living. We have focused on our endocrine system and our lymph system in past blogs and this week, we wanted to look at the Integumentary System; also known as your skin system. Your skin is a whole system on its own and this week, we wanted to talk about its most important facts and functions. We also wanted to look at why using products that contain toxic chemicals can harm this system.

  1. Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Larger than your heart, lungs, kidneys,etc, it covers our whole body! We wouldn’t put toxic substances such as aluminum or parabens on these organs directly to be absorbed, so why are we doing that to skin?
  2. One of its most important functions is protection. Our skin protects us from all sorts of stuff like UV rays, bacteria and injuries to tissues and organs underneath the skin.
  3. Our skin helps maintain water balance and keeps us from getting dehydrated.
  4. It helps regulate our body temperature so we don’t overheat (one of the reasons why it is good to sweat).
  5. Skin is sensitive: it allows us to be able to tell the difference between hot and cold, light pressure and deep pressure and senses pain.
  6. Our skin stores fat. Some of us would rather it didn’t, but this is an important function as a little bit of fat is good. It provides heat and insulation for our body, is part of cell membranes and can be used to make energy in the body.
  7. Skin also helps form Vitamin D. Vitamin D is very important to our bones, immune system and overall health.
  8. Our skin is absorbent. A study in The American Journal of Health found that on average 64% of what is applied to skin is absorbed. However, absorption can be 100% in the underarm and genital areas. Toxic substances do NOT belong in these areas and most of the commercial deodorants and antiperspirants have these toxic substances in them!

With all the skin does, it is important to think about what we put on it every day. Lotions, make up, shampoos and yes, our deodorant are all applied directly to our skin and their ingredients absorbed into the skin: ingredients such as aluminum, talc and parabens. We know that after application and absorption by the skin, it only takes 26 seconds to enter our bloodstream. Yet, how many of us stop and think about what we are dabbing, rubbing and applying to this important system? We think about it here at Evelyn Kay and that is why you will find NO toxic substances in our deodorant that share with you. Most importantly, we want to share information about these substances, how our bodies work and how they can be affected by what we apply daily.

Come join the club and no longer worry about what you are applying to your skin!