The Skin

SKIN PHYSIOLOGY The skin is the largest living organ of the body. It is elastic, flexible tissues that have specific work to do and made up of three specialized cell layers designed especially for those functions: The SUBCUTANEOUS, or fatty layer The DERMIS, or inner layer The EPIDERMIS, or outer layer The Dermis Contains sweat glands, which eliminate impurities. They can be the site of pimples or blackheads if bacteria, which collects there, is not removed. Contains sebaceous glands which product an oily substance called sebum that forms a coating on the skin’s surface. The Epidermis Constantly sheds cells that are replaced by new ones formed in the dermis. This occurs faster in younger skin. Has a topmost layer called the stratum corneum, which consists of cells bound together by lipids (complex oils). Is the only layer that benefits from skincare products. Many factors can cause harmful effect to the skin. Sun exposure, pollution, and stress are the major contributors to creating negative effects. Dependent upon heredity, hormones and age, any of these environmental and man-made assailants can accelerate wrinkling, cause uneven skin tone and age spots, or aggravate existing skin conditions. DETERMINING YOUR SKIN TYPE Circle the correct answers. Your skin type will be determined by the category into which most of your answers fall.

QUESTION DRY NORMAL/ COMBINATION* OILY Do you break out?    Rarely Occasionally Frequently Do you have blackheads? Few or none Few or none Problem What do your pores look like? Nearly invisible Visible in T-zone Enlarged How does your skin look one hour after cleansing? Dry and tight Slightly tight for first ½ hour; some oil in Tzone by end of hour Oil break-through in ½ hour. Shiny nose/ forehead in 1 hour. Do you have facial lines? Showing signs around eyes, lips, forehead A few around eyes None or few Does your foundation meltaway during the day? Hardly By mid-day/early afternoon Within 2 hours of application

*Combination skin can vary, leaning more toward oily or more toward dry depending upon the time of year, stress, time of month, etc. Answer the questions based on the way your skin is no. (You may have to adjust your skincare regime when your skin changes.)

SKIN TONE CHARACTERISTICS - WOMEN OF COLOR

The most common factor that all women of color (African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American) share is the melanin in their skin, the substance that gives it color. Melanin functions to protect the skin from the sun’s damaging rays and, while each of us has it present to some degree, the amount of melanin differs in each ethnic group. Because of this protective property of melanin, women of color are perceived to have “strong skin”, but actually the opposite is true. Their skin has specific challenges that her Caucasian counterpart does not. The following are some of the characteristics to be aware of when helping your customers select skincare products. Women of color have all skin types. Darker skin tends to produce more oil, which can lead to clogged pores, whiteheads and blackheads. It is important to use products that balance the skin without stripping it of needed moisture. Oily skin should not be confused with oil breakthrough – a sign of combination skin that require specific treatment. “Oiliness can be controlled; dryness needs to be treated.” Women of color tend to get drier skin in their late 30’s. Hyper pigmentation can be the result of any injury, a mild irritation or acne. It is caused by increased activity of melanin, or color-producing cells. Without treatment it can last for a prolonged period. Hypo pigmentation is the loss of pigment, resulting in lighter skin spots. Pimples and scratching can heal to a lighter as well as a darker color. Only a physician can determine whether they conditions are permanent or not. A natural phenomenon occurs in everyone as the skin renews itself with the birth of new surface cells and the shedding of old dead cells. These dead cells have no pigmentation and thus are grayish in color. They are more apparent after a bath or quick changes in temperature and humidity. They are more noticeable on deeper skin tones because of their grayish color. A penetrating moisturizer is needed to replenish the skin’s natural moisture and to rid the skin of dead surface cells. Uneven lip tone, case where the lower lip differs in color from the top lip, is not uncommon among women of color. In order to correct this uneven coloring and so have lipstick appear the same on both lips, a special cover cream is needed.