Differences Between Men's Skin and Women's Skin
Jul 03, 2014
There are several differences between men’s and women’s skin on a biological level.
Thickness
First of all, men have thicker skin than women. Male skin is 40% thicker than womens, however women have thicker subcutaneous tissue. Before you start reading too much into that fact; here’s another one: men also have more sensitive skin than women do. This is purely a result of daily wear and tear on the skin’s surface. Because of the jobs they happen to hold, men are exposed to different environmental conditions that take a toll on the skin. In addition, most men shave frequently, a ritual that damages the skin over time. Shaving gradually breaks down the hydrolipidic film on the surface of the skin, reducing its natural lubrication and protection. While women do not suffer from the same sensitivity, they do have thinner skin, making them more susceptible to UVA rays.
Oil
Though men have smaller oil-secreting sebaceous glands, they generally have oilier skin. Women have the benefit of estrogen, which controls the secretion of oil. Ceramides in the stratum corneum decrease with age with females, but remain unchanged in men.
Aging
As the skin ages, both genders will experience a change. Men lose skin thickness over time at about a rate of 1% per year. As women lose estrogen, they become even more susceptible to sun damage. A woman’s skin changes noticeably in color and texture following menopause, as estrogen levels begin to fall. Women also see a greater depletion in the levels of collagen in comparison with men. For these reasons, women often seem to age more visibly than men do.
Healing
Men heal slower than women. Testosterone actually delays wound healing. In the elderly being male is a risk factor abnormal healing and men have an altered inflammatory response, taking longer to heal than women do.
Men also have a higher rate of melanoma then women as well with a 1.7% risk versus 1.2 with women. Prognosis is also dependent on your gender, with males having a worse prognosis for recovery than women.
TEWL (Moisture Loss)
Males have a higher rate of moisture loss from their skin than females. Females also repair their skin barrier quicker then what men do which could explain the delayed healing above.
There is considerable difference between men and women’s skin, just as there is between different ethnicities. Are you treating African American or Asian skin the same? Because it is again biologically different to Caucasian.
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