The only skin care we do is to wash our face twice or thrice a day, use fancy creams and lotions to look good. Of course in skin care, we do manicure our nails. But as for the rest of the skin, well, it generally goes un-noticed except when we find a sore, or a blister, or it is itching.

Well, the skin really is the body’s first defense against the threat from the environment. You may be living in a completely natural place – no factories, no motorways, and the air is fragrant, and there are trees and bushes, and plants and flowers, so beautiful! Yet from the same vegetation, used because of the limited vocabulary of the writer, does and can carry viruses which do attack you. And the first soldier who sounds the warning is your skin. Go back again to the first paragraph of this article, and you will realize the truth in that.

Now if you want that early warning system, your skin, you must take care of it; not only on your face and with manicure. You have to do a little bit more in skin care.

Skin care can be done at home itself, unless you have a medical condition. Generally skin care consists of maintaining the right balance of water and oil levels. These are generally controlled by dietary considerations like reducing or limiting use of ‘junk food’ moving away from red meats to lean meats, using fresh green vegetables, and eating at regular intervals, with plenty of fluids, which should be more of fruit juice or plain water. If you are travelling choose mineral water, rather than what is called water purified by RO process. That process, according to this author, may remove some of the essential minerals and salts from the water rendering it a little more sterile that what is required.

Skin care is simple and can be done every day, and there are some which can be done once in a week or once in a fortnight.

Skin care begins with cleaning it first. Use soft soaps, preferably those specifically meant for babies. They contain a lot more moisturizers and less of detergents, have antiseptic cleaning properties. Or, you could use an antiseptic lotion, such as Dettol, or Savlon, and put just one teaspoon into your bath, or just mix it in a mug of water. When taking a shower, dip your soft soap in this milky fluid, and apply it gently all over your body. Your body will start tingling. That is the antiseptic, which is creating that sensation, and it is pleasurable, as the body responds to that attack. The antiseptic cleanses the clean a little more thoroughly and probably kills the inactive bacteria or active bacteria from reaching a mature stage to attack!

After a bath, skin care dictates that you pat yourself dry with a soft towel, and not scrub yourself dry. Let the moisture linger. It will go away by the time you have brushed your hair, or would get absorbed in your bath robe.

Skin care also requires you to exercise, just as obesity, or blood pressure, or diabetes does. Walking is the best way, and it helps every part of the body. Walk just the way you want and don’t strain yourself. When you return, and have a shower, you will find a glow. It won’t happen in a day, but yes, after a week of continuity you should see the results.