Natural Skin Care Regime for Ethnic Differences in Skin Characteristics

The world is a big place and there are many different cultures, Europeans, Scandinavians, Asians, Africans, Hispanics and many, many more. Each of these cultures tends to have certain characteristics such as eye colour, hair colour, skin colour, etc,. Inherent with cultural backgrounds is a difference in skin types. For example, western cultures such as the central and northern Europeans have a tendency to fair complexions, hair and eye colour, while southern Europeans dent to have darker hair, brown eyes and darker, olive skin tones.

Africans and African Americans, have very dark or almost black skin, usually dark or black hair and brown eyes. Genetically, this skin type is less susceptible to the UV rays, although their skin can still get burned.

Asians on the other hand have a yellowish skin tone and can have brown or blue eyes but have mostly dark or black hair. Yes, genetics does have its opinion on how we look. The cultural differences are reflected in the skin and the genetic factors play an important role in how well our skin looks, how ‘tough’ it is and how vulnerable it is to certain skin problems.

For example, cultures that have a tendency to body hair, also have a tendency to oily skin and therefore have a potential problem with blocked secretory glands resulting in pimples and other skin problems. On the other hand, the Irish, who have a tendency to red hair and very fair skin, have less of a problem with oily skin, but they do tend to get burned easily and thus stand a greater risk to skin cancers. Similarly the Scandinavians and other central and northern Europeans and Americans.

Below are some generalised characteristics of various skin types from different cultural backgrounds:

Skin Characteristics of people with Anglo-Saxon origins

• Fair, dry thin-skinned
• Scars heal well
• Signs of aging appear earlier
• Burn easily in the sun
• Bruising more obvious
• Increased chance of skin cancer

Skin Characteristics of people with Southern Mediterranean origins

• Oily, olive dark complexion
• Signs of aging appear later
• Cartilage tends to droop
• Darker, thicker scars more common
• Wrinkles appear later and in more localized areas
• Skin cancer is rare

Skin Characteristics of people with Northern European origins / German and Scandinavian

• Fair, blue-eyed, blonde
• Thin skin
• Scars heal well
• Signs of aging appear early
• Bruising more obvious
• Greater chance of skin cancer

Skin Characteristics of people with African/African-American origins

• Signs of aging appear very late
• Very little fine wrinkling
• Formation of keloids is possible
• Pigmentation changes may occur
• Thicker cartilage hard to change
• Skin cancers are very rare

Skin Characteristics of people with Northern European/Irish and northern England

• Ruddy freckled complexion
• Red hair
• Scars usually thin
• Signs of aging appear later
• Bruises easily
• Pigmentation problems
• Skin cancers are most common in this type

Skin Characteristics of people with Asian origins

• Signs of aging appear late
• Fine wrinkling does not usually occur
• Pigmentation changes may occur
• Skin cancers are very rare
  

Skin Characteristics of people with Southern European origins

• Dark, oily brunette complexion
• Signs of aging appear later
• Fine wrinkling less common
• Bruising lasts longer
• Scars may be thicker and darker
• Skin cancers are less common

Identifying the correct, natural skin care system for your skin's characteristics is essential and may need to be adjusted depending on your specific genetic influences, as within each of these groups, there is a wide range in skin tones, which tend to overlap from group to group.

Each of the different categories of skin characteristics has various advantages and disadvantages specific to that group. However, the overall structures and functions of our skin are very similar and are therefore cared for in very similar ways. Knowing your skin’s particular strengths and weaknesses, you can tailor your skin care approach to your particular skin-characteristics.

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Join our Natural Skin Care Newsletter – it’s fun, free and Informative and you receive a free eBook on natural skin care.

Copyright: Wildcrafted Herbal Products 2006, all rights reserved

Body Skin versus Facial Skin

How does the Skin of your Face Differ from the Skin on the Rest of you

Most of us look after our facial skin on a daily basis. Why? Because it is on display to the world, however, the rest of our skin should receive just as much attention and the use of a good quality, natural skin care range that includes products for the hands, feet and the rest of your body's skin is essential for healthy, vibrant looking skin that will be able to perform all of it's very important functions.

Your facial skin is exposed to the surrounding environment 24 hours a day. UV radiation, pollution, etc., is in direct contact with your facial skin. Unlike your face, the rest of the body's skin is usually covered by clothing, which ads an additional layer of protection between your skin and its surrounding environment.

Its functions of the skin include:

• Providing a barrier that prevents toxic substances from damaging the body's vulnerable interior;
• Providing a first line of defence that prevents bacterial, viral, and fungal organisms from causing disease;
• Providing a thermostat that regulates body temperature, allowing humans to live in various environments;
• Sensory perception such as sensing stimuli through touch and temperature.
• The skin also contains sweat glands, oil glands, and hair follicles. Its extreme versatility enables tremendous growth from childhood to adulthood and efficient repair following injury.
  

The functions and roles of the skin are the same irrespective of where on the body the skin is located, however, the thickness and sensitivity does vary. For example, the heels of your feet are covered by thicker skin then are the tops of your feet. Similarly the skin of the inside of your upper arm is very sensitive and rarely exposed to full sunlight, where as the back of your hands are exposed, just like your face, directly to the surrounding environment.

As a result, the different areas of your skin need a slightly different skin care regime. That is, the face is not the only skin that needs to be considered when purchasing skin care products. A good quality, natural hand cream should also be part of your range of skin care products, as should a general, natural body moisturising lotion.

In addition, you may also wish to include a skin care range specifically for your feet, because your feet are a primary heat exchange site where your body does loose a lot of water. Unfortunately, most people pay very little attention to the skin of their feet until there are problems.

As outlined above, your skin performs many important functions and requires just as much care and attention as your Heart, Kidneys and other organs. If the skin is unable to perform its functions, problems can ensue and these may be difficult to treat. Remember, prevention is better than cure as cure can be difficult to achieve. Thus using a good quality, natural body moisturising lotion is a great first step to ensure the health and viability of your body's skin.

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Join our Natural Skin Care Newsletter – it’s fun, free and Informative and you receive a free eBook on natural skin care.

© Wildcrafted Herbal Products 2006

Chemical Warning for Cosmetics

Below is a transcript from a report screened on A Current Affaire (Australian Television Channel 9) on Tue 05/09/06, as reported by Ros Thomas

Many women will spend a small fortune on toiletries and cosmetics over their lifetime, using them morning and night. However, very few women actually have a clue what is in the products they use.
A British lobby group has issued a warning that the average woman applies more than 175 chemical compounds to her face and body every day.

Dr Ernest Tan, a Perth dermatologist, says the cosmetics industry sells science to women as though it's nature. Chief amongst their favoured ingredients are the following:

• Formaldehyde — the same compound used to embalm bodies.
• Sodium laurel sulphate — used to create bubbles in shampoos and soaps.
• Parabens — often used in moisturisers, mostly as preservatives.
  

All of the above ingredients can cause reactions, from simple irritations if the skin is slightly damaged, to full allergic reactions.

Comment: This is a very conservative list. There are literally hundreds of chemicals (synthetic and natural), which are used in skin care and cosmetics, which have been band in countries such as the US and Canada - but not here in Australia...

However, beauty editors such as Cleo magazine's Rachel Mannell say if those chemicals weren't in makeup, no one would buy them because they'd look, smell and feel terrible.

Comment: After speaking with Rachel personally, she pointed out, that a focus on more natural ingredients is to be encouraged and that more and more companies are moving in that direction.
Editors of magazines such as Cleo, have an enormous influence on readers and are in an ideal position to bring awareness and education to the public.
You have to ask: Might it not be better to have a non-foaming cleanser or shampoo, which are widely available by the way, and avoid the possibility of slowly poisoning oneself?
Might not the thinking consumer prefer a product that may not look quite as pretty but performs the intended functions equally well in a natural way, rather than consume potentially dangerous chemicals?

"It's a catch-22 because sulphates are used in shampoos and cleansers for the foaming effect and if the products don't have sulphates in them, they don't foam and consumers are unhappy," Mannell says.

Comment: Again, this is not the case. More and more consumers are looking for natural skin and personal care products and are educating themselves on the potential dangers of these chemicals.
I run a web site that focuses on natural skin care and it provides many articles on the dangers and potentially harmful ingredients in commercially available beauty products.

But no longer fooled by the glitz and glamour of the beauty business, many women are now asking questions about what's in their cosmetics and why you need to be a scientist to understand the labels.

Comment: This is certainly a growing trend. We receive many emails wanting to know if our products include chemicals that have been discussed widely in the media, such as the three mentioned above. This points out to us, that consumers are increasingly less willing to put chemicals on their skin, which may pose a danger to their health, and this is why we do not use them in our products.

Certainly dermatologists say we're being bombarded with all kinds of products none of us need.
"I think a lot of females are using too many products and I think all they need to use is a soap-free wash, a moisturiser and some sun protection. I think the rest, in terms of cosmetics, are over-used and over-marketed," Dr Tan says.

Comment: Dr Tan makes a very valid point, however, I think even he would agree that a daily skin care regime which includes cleansing, toning and moisturising is a sound approach to skin care, and using products that utilise natural ingredients, which are just as effective, if not more so then their synthetic counterparts, are to be preferred.

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Join our Natural Skin Care Forum – it's fun, free and Informative.

© Wildcrafted Herbal Products 2006