Skin Cleansing overview & tips
Skin cleansing is essential for eliminating ill effects on the body due to medicinal, nutritional and environmental chemicals. Skin cleansing is an integral part of treatment for multiple chemical sensitivity, pesticide and chemical exposure as well as therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. Additionally, health-conscious individuals, wanting to decrease stored toxins in their body before conception takes place, use skin cleansing as a preventive measure.
Methods of skin cleansing:
- Contrast showers: alternating between hot and cold water increases microcirculation through body tissues and allows for detoxification, which strengthens the immune system by raising the white blood cells count. This contrast shower system helps bring necessary nutrients, oxygen and immune cells to stressed tissues and flushes toxic substances from the body. This method involves beginning the skin cleansing routine with three minutes of hot water, followed by less than one minute of cold water and the pattern to be repeated once.
- Sauna: is used in many cultures as a regular feature of detoxification. It helps in eliminating environmental chemicals stored in fat cells. One should avoid taking up this method after eating or when feeling weak. For best skin cleansing results from the Sauna method, a dry heat sauna, untreated with toxic chemicals is best. A 20 to 30 minute exercise program including cardiovascular workouts like running or exercise bicycle, before sauna use, helps stimulate the circulation of blood and lymph to the deep tissues. A 15-minute sauna sitting at a time, in a low temperature sauna helps detoxify while keeping the person hydrated and minerals balanced.
Tips to promote skin cleansing:
- Drinking 8-12 glasses of water daily makes for a good skin cleansing routine, while those going in for a sauna detoxification system need to drink more water.
- A health care practitioner can guide which are the right mineral supplements to take, depending on the health conditions of a person.
- Most mild, liquid cleansers help cleanse the whole body but some types available in the market are used without water also. These commercial cleansers are rubbed lightly over the skin to loosen cosmetics, debris and dirt and are followed up with a thorough warm water rinse. A clean dry cloth/tissue is used for drying off the excess but persons with sensitive skin need to take special care to remove all traces, as certain ingredients in a cleanser can be irritants for them, if left on the skin.
- A twice daily application of a mild skin cleanser is what doctor’s advice but to be on the safer side, it is better to consult personal health care advisors and determine skin-type and sensitivity before decide the cleansing routine and frequency.
Importance of Skin cleansing
The surface skin is the first line of defense against infection and environmental elements and facial skin is most vulnerable. Skin care experts recommend a thorough yet gentle cleansing routine for skin on the hands and face as skin cleansers also work as emulsifiers: they remove dirt, excess sebum, bacteria, cosmetics and exfoliate surface skin cells.