SKIN IS POWERFUL

Recognising the importance of skin is the first step in caring for it

The largest organ of your body provides much more than just protection. The sensory receptors on your skin are responsible for making you feel some of the most powerful human emotions.
Your skin is powerful. Keep it healthy.

Your skin has the power to make him feel safe

Skin-to-skin contact with your baby is essential for growth and development. When you hold your baby on your chest, the warmth of your skin regulates his body temperature and slows down his heart rate. This strengthens the immune system, helping your baby grow stronger while making him feel safe and protected.

mom and her baby

“Touch is crucial for forging that first emotional bond with a parent and for creating the unique human experience.”

David Linden, Professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University

Martha Thomas, Writer

mom and her baby

Your skin has the power to build a sense of belonging

Hugging improves communication between loved ones. 

A hug will activate the amygdala, which is the part of your brain responsible for emotional learning. This improves our ability to identify different emotions and therefore know the people you love on a deeper emotional level. This builds a sense of security between you and your close personal network.

“It may be that the sense of touch diminishes with age, but I'd argue that the impact of touch increases.”

Daniel Reingold, President and CEO of RiverSpring Health

Your skin has the power to turn stress into calm

People who receive regular skin-to-skin contact have lower levels of stress and anxiety. 

Physical contact with loved ones gives people positive feelings about themselves as it releases oxytocin in the brain, increasing trust and making them feel calm. A massage is an effective way to relieve stress as it immediately relaxes and soothes.

woman hugging

“Massage is the body's natural antidepressant.”

Tiffany Field, Dir. Of the Touch Research Institute

pregnant woman showing her belly

Your skin has the power to create lifelong bonds

Although unborn babies won’t experience touch in the same way, affectionate touching on a pregnant belly promotes feelings of bonding and attachment between mother, father and baby through the release of oxytocin. 

This is also how fathers can bond with their child. Being tactile with both mother and baby brings families emotionally and physically closer.

“Touch is a two-way street. The person offering the hug or warm touch also profits from the human contact.”

Susan Friedrich, RN Nursing Supervisor