Customer Reviews

The Life of the Skin: What It Hides, What It Reveals, and How It Communicates

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I learned alot about people and issues with skin that I never understood before. This book was both entertaining and informative and anyone who wants to learn more about their body and their skin should read it.

Very readable look at dermatology and why healthy skin is so important. It is told though cases where the authors were the physicians.

This book is thoughtful, playful, educational, and very well written. This book, thankfully, avoids 'text book' style narration and instead opts for a comfortable writing style packed with easily absorbed information. The Balin couple have a way with words! Together, they help to portray dermatology and the practice of skin care and maintenance in a way that's palatable for just about anyone, giving a more substantial insight into the largest organ of our body.

I recommend this book for young and old, those new to the idea of 'skin care' or even a seasoned professional. I have actually purchased this book for a client of mine, and she loves it! Wonderful all around. Give it a read!

No one can argue with the credentials of the authors of this interesting and engaging book. It is certainly an interesting account of the life of a dermatologist and some interesting case studies. However, if you are looking for a book on the effects of sunlight on human health I would urge you to look elsewhere. The authors exclusive focus on pathology gives them a kind of tunnel vision which misses the larger health picture and their resulting advice (in a nutshell, wear SPF 30 sunscreen and stay out of the sun) may be harmful. While they give a passing nod to the health benefits of sunlight (allows the skin to synthesize Vit D), they seem to have not read the literature on the effects of sunlight in lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar, decreasing cholesterol, building lean tissue, increasing the production of sex hormones, and actually increasing the resistance to infection and cancer. None of these benefits are available to the person slathered in SPF 30 sunscreen. I would urge you to read Zane Kime, MD's book "Sunlight Could Save Your Life" or Dr. Downing's book "Daylight Robbery" before you decide to follow the advice in this book. Of course, caution IS well advised. The two books just mentioned help the reader to determine how to get the benefits without undue risks. Unlike the Balin's, Dr. Dowling says that sunlight actually stimulates production of antibodies and strenghtens the body's defenses which actually help suppress the growth of melanoma. The Balin's seem to totally ignore a several thousand year history of sunlight therapy in medicine and the fact that many human cultures haved lived under intense sunlight all their lives without the constant care of dematologists and SPF 30 sunscreens and without dying of melanomas. The Balin's should pay more attention to the abnormal conditions of modern life (indoor living, ozone depletion, high use of polyunsaturated fats & refined foods) which seem more to blame than sunlight for the current epidemic of melanomas. Sunlight can be a blessing to our health if we use it wisely but you would never know it from reading this book.