A species of atoms are naturally forming themselves into an element. Our skin’s chemical elements contain “… mainly carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen with small amounts of phosphorous iron, sodium, magnesium, sulphur, calcium, and chlorine and traces of many others.” Due to that chemical composition attached to the skin, it makes every sense that some type of skin with a certain condition may react upon contact with other natural elements. Shedding a bit of light to understand skin irritation, here are the most common natural elements that trigger the skin to react to its temper.
Sun. It consists of 70% hydrogen, 28% helium, 1.5% carbon, nitrogen and oxygen, and 0.5% of all other elements. Our skin has its own ‘adaptor cells’ called ‘melanocytes’ that adjust the light and heat absorption through the layers of the skin. If these melanin-producing cells are not fit to do their task regularly, the skin may irritate.
Water. In general, “water (H2O) is made up of two hydrogen atoms covalently bound to an oxygen atom.” However, there are 2 types of water, (1) ‘Hard Water’ is water that contains salts of calcium and magnesium principally as bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates; and (2) ‘Soft Water’ is water that contains low concentrations of ions and in particular is low in ions of calcium and magnesium. The higher the mineral in the water, the harder the water. The harder the water, the more difficult for the skin to adjust to its own elements composition. Failing to adjust may suffer the skin into dermatitis tragedy, such as eczema and psoriasis.
Salt. We produce sweat which is primarily water that contains “minerals or salts such as sodium, potassium and calcium. Trace elements such as iron and copper can also be present.” Water with a high amount of salt easily leaves to some sort of crystal formation on the skin surface. This crystallization can also cause skin irritations in those who have sensitive skin. Because salt is subject to heat, so the heat absorption and the freezing capacity of the salt-coated skin may worsen the skin temperature, resulting in the skin cells to breakage easily. Not to mention that salt-coated skin creates the sticky surface on the outer layer of skin. Inviting more dust and microbes to hang cool on the skin surface, triggering acne and microbes friends to join afterwards.
To be continued next week 7 Natural Elements that Can Lead to Skin Irritation Part 2.
Image Credits: Miguel Á. Padriñán