Introduction in blog

Perhaps more than any other organ of the body, the skin is multidimensional; in the totality of human experience the skin is key. It is a physical presence and Chapter 2 of this book considers in some depth the biology of the skin. But the skin goes way beyond this. It has emotional and psychological importance, it can affect whether we are discriminated against, or not, it is a sexual organ, it is a work of art (and a canvass for works of art), it is used to determine social acceptability, it is a tool to market everything from the obvious (make-up) to the less obvious (sanitary towels) and we use and abuse it in the pursuit of youth and beauty.
This introductory chapter to ‘Principles of Skin Care: A Guide for Nurses and Other Health Care Professionals’ is a light hearted look at the skin and what it means to us as humans. It is however, a significant chapter. To be able to care for patients who have dysfunctional skin, it is key to understand what is meant by skin health. Whilst much of the rest of this book is dedicated to describing what happens when the skin is
no longer healthy, there is a recurrent theme of using nursing skills to promote skin health and prevent disease.
Thus, this chapter looks to answer the questions about what is skin and what is the human experience of skin, through a cultural lens. The multifaceted concept of skin health is introduced and will be revisited as a key topic throughout the book. Finally a summary of the contents of the book will be given.