What can save you, "greasy uncle"?

Sometimes I feel that it is not easy for men. During adolescence, there are many acne. After finally becoming an adult, they are labeled as "greasy". However, you may have also observed that men's faces are prone to oiliness. In fact, this is true. Why are the skins of men and women different? Today, let's talk about why men are "greasy" from the following aspects.

01. Is the skin thickness the same for men and women?

Studies have found that there are still significant differences in skin thickness between men and women. For example, the figure below shows the results of measuring the skin thickness of different parts of men and women using high frequency ultrasonography (HFUS) with different frequencies (50 and 20 MHz) [2].

We can see that, in general, men's skin is thicker than women's. Skin thickness itself has a certain impact on the physiology and protection of the skin. When taking care of the skin, skin care products need to penetrate into the skin to play a role. Therefore, the thickness of the skin will pose a challenge to the skin care products themselves, not only the amount of use, but also the physical and chemical properties of the skin care products themselves, which also makes it more difficult to clean and care for men's skin.

02. What about sebum?

A study once tested the sebum content in men and women's faces and found that there were significant differences in the content, with men's sebum content being significantly higher than women's [1].

Speaking of sebum secretion, it is one of the basic characteristics of skin metabolism. It is mainly produced by sebaceous glands distributed between hair follicles and arrector pili muscles. It contains many components such as wax, triglycerides, free fatty acids, phospholipids, sterols, etc. Sebum secretion itself is a kind of protection for the skin. It is used to moisturize the skin and can also serve as a certain source of nutrition for skin microorganisms.

However, if sebum is secreted excessively, it may cause skin pores to become clogged. In addition, sebum itself can also secrete fat-soluble metabolic waste that the body does not need. At this time, if there is too much sebum, it may be harmful to the skin itself. Both acne during puberty and oily skin later are related to it.

However, many boys are not used to skin care and always think that it is enough to just clean it casually. The more delicate ones use facial cleansers, while many just use soap or sulfur soap to save trouble, or just wash with water and forget about it. As for skin care, many people don't care about it at all. As a result, the proportion of men with skin problems is quite high.

03. What is the water content of the stratum corneum?

Men's skin loses water more easily. Experiments have confirmed that men's transepidermal water loss rate is significantly higher than women's.

As a result, the water content of men's stratum corneum is significantly lower than that of women. As shown in the following study, the water content of men's stratum corneum is lower than that of women, whether on their cheeks or foreheads.

04. What about skin glossiness?

In terms of skin glossiness, men's glossiness is generally lower than that of women.

05. How to take care of your skin and say goodbye to greasiness?

In fact, in recent years, many people have realized the importance of men's skin care and have developed some skin care products specifically for men. However, no matter what product it is, it must meet the following two points.

1. Moisturizing. Moisturizing is a skin care that many people are very familiar with, and for men, moisturizing is even more important;

2. Brightening. After basic cleansing and deep hydration, brightening is indispensable in skin care. Many times we feel that men's skin is darker and duller than women's. This is not just a personal opinion, but has a basis in reality. Therefore, men should pay more attention to brightening in skin care.

Therefore, fellow males, you cannot always ignore common male skin characteristics such as oily skin and "rough skin". Otherwise, if it continues for a long time, it will cause skin problems and the result will be counterproductive.

1Yang Yanfang. Research and application of physiological parameters of male facial skin[D]. Shanghai University of Technology, 2020.DOI:10.27801/d.cnki.gshyy.2020.000373.

2 Firooz, A., A. Rajabi‐Estarabadi, H. Zartab, N. Pazhohi, F. Fanian, and L. Janani. "The influence of gender and age on the thickness and echo‐density of skin." Skin Research and Technology 23, no. 1 (2017): 13-20.

3 Mahé, YF, R. Martin, L. Aubert, N. Billoni, C. Collin, F. Pruche, P. Bastien, SS Drost, AT Lane, and A. Meybeck. "Induction of the skin endogenous protective mitochondrial MnSOD by Vitreoscilla filiformis extract." International journal of cosmetic science 28, no. 4 (2006): 277-287.

4 Li Li, Huang Jun, Zhang Dawei, O. Jammayrac, P. Bastien, M. Carpentier, L. Aubert. Evaluation of the efficacy and tolerance of 1% Vitreoscilla linearis cream on sensitive skin of Chinese women[J]. Chinese Journal of Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology, 2006(04):195-197.