Already caking in many a pretty penny, the beauty industry is slated to be worth an estimated $630-billion dollars by 2017.  

From hair and cosmetics, to fragrances and skin care, the beauty industry is a major part of our daily lives, as there is a product for every one of our personal needs and tastes.  

Because we face the world with our skin, it seems, regardless to how much money we have in our wallets, we tend to readily shell out the cash for looking good and feeling fresh.

And, something that we all share in common: skin. As the body’s largest organ, it’s essential that we protect and nourish this vital covering; in fact, there’s quite a lot to look after.

Everywhere we go our skin is with us.  

Did you know that we carry approximately eight pounds of this amazing organ all the time and that it’s equal to an area of 22 square feet?

Our skin, a unique and complex organ, is a cell-making factory made up of miles of blood vessels, millions of sweat glands and an array of nerves.  

Skin contains one-half to two-thirds of the blood in the body and one-half of the main immune cells.

Even more fascinating–each inch of our skin contains approximately: 

• millions of cells
• 15 feet of blood vessels
• 12 feet of nerves
• 650 sweat glands
• 100 oil glands
• 65 hairs
• 1,300 nerve endings
• 155 pressure receptors
• 12 cold and heat receptors

Again, that’s not our entire body of skin, but each inch of our skin!  

What else makes up our skin?  

Seventy percent is water, 25 percent is protein and less than five percent is fat.  

With all these stats, there’s an infinite amount of skin care to discuss.  

And, that’s what we’ll do in SkinGab, a new ongoing series, that discusses the science of skin, skin care and the latest in skin news.  

Now that we have some fun facts about skin behind us, check out some quick tips for how to best take care of your skin during this dry season.    

Not completely out of winter and not fully entering into spring yet, the climate is extremely dry which can imbalance our skin. 

To protect and nourish your skin and increase its moisture levels during this dry time, here are some quick tips:

Humidity Helps

Invite a houseplant to stay–the United States Geological Society recommends that you add a plant to your home; they increase moisture. Or, get a humidifier.

Spoil your Skin

Using a serum underneath your moisturizer can increase skin hydration, “feeding” your skin with high-quality and high-performance nutrients that work to lock in moisture.    

Drink Up

Water can make all the difference in hydrating skin. We lose more water in drier weather, so fill up on water, decrease caffeinated drinks and alcohol since they can speed up dehydration.

Reach Contributor Tiffany Walton here.