Before getting into skin care, it is advisable to understand the skin first. The skin has three main layers, namely, the epidermis, the dermis, as well as the hypodermis. The hypodermis refers to the deepest layer. It contains a layer of fat also. It houses the larger blood vessels as well as nerves.
The dermis contains the smaller blood vessels, nerves, hair shafts as well as the sebaceous glands. These sebaceous glands produce sebum, which is an oily substance that it secretes into the hair shaft. Sebum tends to make its way up to the top of the skin through this hair shaft. There it covers the outer layer of the epidermis by providing a protective barrier for the skin from the exterior forces. A small coating of sebum can protect the skin quite effectively. But an excess of sebum can lead to oily skin as well as cause acne.
Within the epidermis are many sub layers. There is no need to get into the intricate details here. It is sufficient to know that cells are created at the bottom level, but they constantly migrate to the top where they keep on falling off the body. This upward cell movement helps to defend the skin from harmful invaders by acting as ocean currents, besides moving foreign debris up and out of the skin. When we talk about basic skin care, we are focused on the epidermis, mainly.
As far as caring for the skin is concerned, everybody has to take baby steps first. Yet there are some people who attempt to launch into a sophisticated skin care program before they have learnt the basics in skin care. In fact, without knowing the first steps of skin care, your program will either be ineffective or may even be harmful to you. You will find many articles here which cover the basic knowledge which you need in order to embark on an effective as well as safe skin care program.