Treat Your Skin Right – Skincare Differences Between Men and Women
Dr. Michael Tick is a biochemist, laboratory director for The Institute for Skin Sciences (ISS). Dr Tick is also the founder of Edimi, which is a quality line of organic skincare and body care products that can be found at the best luxury spas and salons located around the world.
Dr. Tick is well respected and an internationally renowned research Scientist. His life-long goal is to bring good health and wellness to the people through their own skin.
According to Dr. Tick, it’s important to realize that skin is not all the same, particularly between men and women. So when you choose your skincare products, be careful and get the right product for your specific skin type.
Proper skincare is very important. Here are some of the key differences in skin types between men and women:
– The skin of a man is thicker than the skin of a woman and has more collagen; therefore women tend to age faster than men.
– Women have more subcutaneous fat – fat below the skin – than men. Therefore women suffer from cellulite.
– Men secrete more sebum (oil) and they secrete it throughout life. Women stop secreting sebum after menopause, therefore the skin looks coarser and drier as the woman ages.
– Men sweat more than women and the sweat stays on the body longer. Men also have more body hair and therefore more surface area for bacteria to develop.
– The female skin is also more functionally responsive than the skin of men. Therefore female skin has a greater tendency to redness and to irritation to skin care products and so women are said to have tender skin.
In addition to men having facial hair, there are additional structural differences between a
man’s skin and that of a woman. For example, a man’s skin is about 25% thicker dues to androgen (testosterone) stimulation which results in a greater skin thickness.
Due to the increased skin thickness of men, Dr. Tick says, “These differences are important in developing skin care products, for example odor control is more difficult in males than in females, because of the presence of body hair and the increased production of sweat and of sebum. Facial stinging is also more prevalent in women and therefore we must test facial products and cosmetics more rigorously for sensitive skin in women. Less collagen in female skin combined with thinner skin means a larger anti-aging market for women. Lastly, the increased subcutaneous fat in women means that the market for the development of cellulite treatment is almost completely confined to this group.”
Men also have a higher collagen density than women, regardless of their age. Dr. Michael Tick states, “Because collagen content is directly related to the signs of skin aging, it has been said a woman’s skin is about 15 years older than a man’s of the same age. However, men are less sun savvy than women, meaning they don’t use sunscreens, and could contribute to why the “15 year” skin age difference is not readily noticed. UV damage from the sun can add years to a man’s skin.”
Dr. Tick believes that men and women need to search for skincare cleansing products that do not contain sodium lauryl sulphate (or equivalent). The reason is that these types of skincare cleansers are alkaline based and alkaline are “drying agents” which will ultimately dry out your skin. Not the desired result for your skin.
Also, look for skincare products that have a high pH (pH stands for potential hydrogen, which is a measurement of the acid vs. alkaline levels in the body and your skin. Remember, you don’t always have to go to a high-end spa to get great skincare products.
Another skin difference is a man’s skin texture tends to be tougher. Production of skin sebum (oil) is also a difference compared to women. Soon after puberty, the level of sebum production in males increases which results in greater androgen secretions. The result is a higher level of unsightly acne in younger males.
