Can the Complexion of the Skin be really Enhanced?| Which Factors normally influence the Complexion of Skin & How do they influence?

The largest organ in the human body is skin. Good health is depicted on the basis of glow and softness of the skin. Complexion in humans is the appearance of the skin with respect to texture and color. Though complexion is related to the skin in general, people use the word especially for facial skin. Biologically, complexion is the result of genotype which is carried from the parents to offspring. There is a protein called melanin (a pigment) which is responsible for the color and tone of the skin. This melanin protects the skin against the harmful radiations of the sun.

Depending on the age, hormone levels one has, the geographical area one lives in, heredity factors, complexion of the skin can be enhanced to some extent. Improvement of complexion needs long time treatment. It is done in two ways which are complementary with each other. One way is following some procedures externally and the other way is to make the skin to glow naturally. According to some aestheticians, when two treatments like exfoliation and hydration is done, skin glows instantly. There are many ways to enhance complexion as mentioned by some aestheticians. Procedures like cleansing, icing, cooling the facial skin, facial acupressure enhance the complexion.

• Natural way of enhancing the glow of the skin is by consuming the balanced diet in the right time. Inclusion of more and more fruits and veggies, green leafy vegetables, foods rich in antioxidants are helpful in increasing the skin glow. On top of all, consumption of sufficient quantity of water would be helpful in removing the toxins from the body which in turn may brighten the skin.
• Using sunscreen lotions in right proportions, moisturizing the skin, washing the skin with cold water at regular intervals help in keeping the skin in good health.
• Environmental pollution should be avoided to be healthy. Substituting aerated drinks with fresh fruit juices, using natural substances in place of chemicals for application on the skin would be helpful.
• Good sleep, enough exercise and yoga, meditation and many more ways which reduce the anxiety, stress, gradually bring about healthy glowing skin.

There are many factors which influence the complexion of the skin of humans. Usually the people having a good complexion and healthy skin impress others. Some low self esteem people have dull appearance of the skin. Some of the factors which influence the complexion are listed below.

Geographical Region On Earth. It is believed that the people near equatorial region with more quantity of melanin producing cells called melanocytes lived for longer periods. Excess quantity of melanin on the other hand makes the skin to look dark. The people living nearer to poles have lighter skin as melanin content is lesser because the need for protection is not much required against ionizing radiation compared to the people of equatorial region.

Biological Factors. The biological factors which influence are:

• Hormones. In females, the hormones such as progesterone and oestrogen have great influence on the color of the skin. They produce more quantity of melanin by stimulating melanocytes. The variation in the production of these hormones takes place during menarche, pregnancy and menopause. Melisma a condition of the skin is also caused by the distribution of the melanin unevenly on the skin.
• Acne. Sometimes, there will be collection of dust, oil or dead skin cells in the hair follicles which lead to the formation of acne. This is an inflammatory skin disease which may leave behind the marks on the skin. These are the post inflammation pigmentation on the skin. The people who are upset because of acne even try to squeeze or break the acne. This worsens the condition.
• Excess of Iron Accumulation. Iron is an essential mineral required for the deficiency which causes serious health conditions. Accumulation of excess of iron in the body also causes the problems like hypermelanosis where melanin is produced in excess. Darkening of the skin is caused to some extent by the iron supplements.
• Deficiency of Vitamins. Health of skin is maintained by vitamins c and also vitamin B complex. Vitamin C makes the skin elastic by producing collagen, a protein in the skin. Deficiency of Vitamin C gives the skin a saggy look. Deficiency also makes the skin dull appearance and dry. Patchy skin is caused by the deficiency of Vitamin B complex and folic acid. People who do not consume sufficient vegetables and fruits have dull complexion.
• Hyperpigmentation. Radiation of sun can cause pigmentation by producing melanin in larger quantity. Lentigines are an illness of skin caused by continuous exposure to sun for long duration.
• Anemia. Deficiency of iron causes anemia indicated by dark circles under the eyes. Anemia also makes the skin to lose its normal tone and causes paleness.

Genetic Factors. A pair of genes is responsible for inheritance of any character to the offspring from the parents. Likewise, the color, texture, type and complexion are also inherited by particular genotype. Sometimes, human races having specific gene pattern have complexion which may be predicted.

Age. As age advances, the skin appears thin and becomes loose. Many people have dry skin also in their old age.

Improper Nourishment For Skin. People having oily skin have to cleanse the skin properly. The pores of large size should be closed by giving steam and then toning. Dry skin needs more moisturizing which would otherwise give dull look and also the skin becomes flaky.

Usage of Unsuitable Cosmetics. Some facial creams and beauty soaps rich in oil also worsens problems of the oily skin. Chemicals present in oil based make ups also have the adverse effects on the skin. Even strong soaps spoil the texture of the skin. Mercury drugs present in some of the fairness creams causes patchy skin and also decolorize it as mercury is photosensitive.

Environmental Pollution. The dust particles and other pollutants are collected on the skin and in the hair follicles which causes acne intern responsible for changing the texture of the skin. They also impair the detoxification reactions in the skin occurring naturally causing skin problems.

Change in Weather And Climate. Seasonal variations like winter and summer change the complexion of the skin. In winter, the skin becomes dry and dull that too if not moisturized well. During summer, skin becomes too oily and also because of production of more sweat, it is more prone to skin diseases.

Stress. Doctor sometimes can easily guess the negative emotions like stress, depression, anxiety just by looking at the texture of the skin. These also cause aged look.

Toxins. Collection of toxins in the body due to many reasons like side effects of medicines, pollutants, food preservatives, flavoring agents, etc., affects the glow of the skin.

Insufficient Intake Of Water. Water is an important substance which is required for various processes occurring in the body. To maintain the fluidity of blood, to carry out different metabolic activities, as a medium for many biochemical reactions, to regulate temperature and for many more processes, water is essential. Likewise, it is most important to keep the health of skin in good condition. Dehydration can be easily detected in the body by observing the skin.

Complexion enhancing can be achieved internally and externally. The effective result can be expected when both these go hand in hand. There are many skin lightening treatments which can be adopted like microdermabrasion, usage of whitening serum, arbutin – a plant extract, using natural form of Vitamin A (retinol). These make the skin wrinkle free, make skin lighter, avoid pigmentation and hence increase the glow of the skin. Anyways it is always better to have a healthy and balanced food to keep skin in healthy state.

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