The skin is the largest organ of the human body, so it's no wonder that healthy skin often reflects a healthy body. Often when people feel the need for a massage it's usually because they have tight muscles which cause them discomfort, headeaches, lethargy etc. However, before the massage therapist starts working on the muscle they have to first touch the superficial tissue above it, which is the skin.

Some factoids about skin:

- Is the body’s largest organ
- Makes up about 16% of our total body weight
- Every 24 hours, the surface of the skin sheds a layer of dead cells
- All the skin on your body renews itself about every 28 days
- Dead skin cells make up about 90% of household dust
- An average of 40 kilos of skin is shed during a lifetime
- Varies in thickness from 1mm on eyelids to 3mms on palms and soles

Functions of the skin:

Acts as a protective barrier from the external environment – guarding against bacterial invasion, dehydration and ultra-violet light (UVL).

Resilience to injury - resumes its previous shape withstanding considerable trauma w/out permanent damage.

Purifies our system by eliminating waste fluid.

Regulates body temperature by fine tuning heat insulation – like a thermostat.

Provides a waterproof barrier to prevent excess loss of body fluids, and penetration of external substances.

Why your skin loves massage:

As if massage wasn’t enjoyable enough for stress relief, it is even more enjoyable knowing it’s good for your skin, as well.

Massage increases blood flow, improves circulation and releases toxins, all of which can help keep the skin clear and healthy. In fact, healthy circulation does quite a bit for the skin; it stimulates sensory nerve endings, heightening physical awareness and perception, and also floods the body with oxygen, imparting the skin with a healthy color and tone.

More importantly, because massage helps improve circulation, it may also help keep the pores clear and the skin unblemished — a skincare goal for most everyone! Additionally, improved circulation stimulates the sweat glands, which regulate body temperature, as well as release toxins from your body. Improving this function may help improve the clarity of the skin, as well.

And there’s more! Massage may help reduce or re-align superficial scar tissue after surgery, reduce the appearance of stretch marks, and promote tissue regeneration. As the skin heals from a trauma, scar tissue may form, which often binds together many layers of muscle and connective tissue resulting in an unattractive or even painful scar. Also, depending upon the size, as it heals a scar may limit your range-of-motion or movement. By manipulating the skin and muscles with deep-tissue massage, you may be able to side-step some of this discomfort and speed healing. However, always check with your doctor first before starting a course of massage therapy as some wounds need to heal completely before they are manipulated or disturbed by a massage.

The massage medium such as oil or lotion, will hydrate the skin. Depending on your massage therapist they may choose a specific oil which will benefit your skin type or they may use a general purpose oil which suits all skin types. If you have an aromatherapy massage your therapist will also incorporate the use of essential oils dependent on both your physical and mental condition.

Massage will not only have your muscles thanking you but your skin too!