亞健康(sub-health) is a term that most people have heard of but may not fully understand. According to the definition of the World Health Organization, “health” not only refers to the absence of disease or physical fitness, but also to being in a good state in terms of physiology, psychology, and social adaptation.
Even if the body has no obvious symptoms, when there is discomfort in the physiology and psychology, it falls between the threshold of health and disease, and is called “sub-health”. Simply put, it is a state of health before the onset of disease or clinical symptoms, and is a warning signal from the body.
Diseases usually have clear symptoms or diagnostic criteria, but there are no recognized diagnostic criteria for sub-health. What is the relationship between sub-health and medical aesthetics? Many people do not have skin diseases, but always have small problems, such as dullness, dryness, and lack of radiance. These problems are not treated by traditional dermatology, but they reflect that the skin is in a state of “sub-health”.
What is healthy skin? The skin is like a baby, with smooth skin, even skin tone, sufficient moisture, firmness, normal skin barrier, and no skin diseases. Obviously, most people have not achieved a completely healthy state, but they are not in a state of disease either. However, if these small skin problems are not taken seriously and accumulate over time, they will develop into larger problems. For example, skin dullness is a direct response to the effect of ultraviolet rays on the skin, which makes melanin uneven. If skin protection and improvement of melanin are not done well, sunspots, freckles, and other problems will gradually form. For example, if the skin lacks moisture, it reflects a lack of glycosaminoglycan (GAG), a water-locking molecule in the dermis of the skin (hyaluronic acid is a type of GAG). If it is not treated properly, the skin will develop fine lines and lose its elasticity.
The term “sub-health” is not yet well-understood by most people, nor does it appear in mainstream medical books and literature. However, I believe that in medical aesthetics, this concept can help everyone understand and deal with skin problems, so that repairs and treatments can be made before obvious skin problems occur. I hope this concept of health can be promoted in medical aesthetics!