It's often the first thing we notice about others but something we don't always take care of ourselves - our skin. Many people put a huge amount of effort into looking after their facial skin, regularly spending large amounts of money on the promise of youthful unblemished wrinkle-free skin. Sometimes even the hands get a look in, but the rest of the body is often forgotten, that is, until it plays up by becoming dry, red or itchy.

The largest organ of the body our skin plays many important roles. I've already hinted at its cosmetic role, but it goes deeper than this. Skin gives a good indication as to how healthy or under pressure someone is. Glowing well-toned skin usually reflects overall good physical and emotional wellbeing, whereas dull and dry skin is common when someone is feeling run-down and under the weather. In medicine the skin tells us a great deal. For instance, dehydration causes the skin to look dry and wrinkled, anaemia can cause the skin to look pale, and liver problems can result in yellow jaundiced skin.

But there's even more that we should thank our skin for. It protects us from physical impact and injury by putting up a barrier against outside forces and invaders - such as chemicals, germs, toxins, and objects that come our way. It helps regulate body temperature and through the sense of touch is involved in our interpretation of the things we come into contact with – the warmth of a hug, for example. If that's not enough, manufactured in the skin is vitamin D that we need to help absorb calcium effectively, calcium being needed for strong bones.

It's incredibly common for things to go wrong with the skin, and so for people to seek advice. It's estimated that up to one in five consultations in general practice is for a skin complaint. This shouldn't come as a surprise when we have so much of it – approximately one to two square metres. In fact, I see lots of people with concerns about their skin in my clinic, and receive lots of emails too.

One person emailed saying, 'I have seen signs of more puffy eyes but don't know if it's eye bags, I am 51, don't smoke and look young for my age but I look tired with the puffy eyes'. This common problem can be down to inherited genes and the natural process of aging. There's nothing you can do about this. If someone looks tired, then they probably are tired and being over-tired is often responsible so even if someone is getting their usual amount of sleep but are feeling tired the following morning they may not be getting enough sleep, or enough refreshing sleep, because of a partner snoring, for example. Ways to address this problem, and importantly to help the skin all over the body remain in good condition, include eating healthily making sure to get plenty of vitamins C and E, and also the mineral zinc, to drink enough water – you'll be amazed how just drinking water can improve the skin's appearance dramatically in a few days - not smoking, and only drinking alcohol within recommended safe amounts. Specifically for puffy eyes placing a slice of cucumber or potato over the closed eyes for 20 minutes each day, or placing a compress of cooled camomile herbal tea over closed eyes for 5-10 minutes a couple of times a day helps.

Of course, dry skin is a very common problem, made worse by central heating indoors, cold weather outdoors, stress, and missing out on the skin-supporting nutrients highlighted earlier – water in particular. I've seen many people over the winter who have said, 'My skin seems so dry and it's getting me down'.

Moisturising the skin a couple of times a day is essential, doing this more often if the skin is dry or itchy. And that reminds me. If skin itches, don't scratch it. Although scratching brings relief, this is temporary because scratching releases histamine that triggers more itching and so on. In the process of scratching the skin often gets damaged allowing infection to develop. So, when you feel the urge to scratch, take some moisturising cream and gently massage this into the affected area using the finger pads. This will relieve the itch, without kicking off further problems. And remember to protect the skin from UV sunlight if you don't want it old before it's time.

And a gentle request. When you see someone with a skin complaint, please don't stare at them. It can be hard enough to deal with a skin condition without having to deal with other people's, often hurtful, behaviour too. All too often I hear from people saying, 'I feel so ashamed. People stare at my skin. Some even pull their children away from me. It's easier if I hide myself away'. In fact, time and time again reports have highlighted how people with psoriasis, and scalp psoriasis in particular, and other long-term visible skin conditions such as eczema become socially isolated and won't venture outdoors because of the reaction they get from others, who wrongly believe that the flakey and red patches of the skin are infectious or due to poor hygiene. Even loved ones won't come anywhere near, making any physical contact as brief as possible. Reactions like this actually make things worse for the individual with the skin condition – physically because stress often make symptoms worse, and emotionally because it makes people become depressed.

We are covered by our skin, and well-taken care of by it so it's only fair that we reciprocate by giving it the care and attention it needs. And before I forget, I've always found it somewhat ironic that people smoke and expose their skin to harmful UV radiation – both of which prematurely age the skin – and then go to great, often expensive lengths to try and reverse the damage. I like things simple so surely it's best to avoid these damaging behaviours in the first place.