Asian attraction
What is it about Asian skin that makes it age so well? It seems that what benefits Asians is their genetic makeup, but negative environmental factors are starting to have an adverse effect on their skin. Natural ingredients are the focus of new products designed to combat skin problems associated with ageing.
Even though skin types can be divided into categories (dry, normal, oily or combination), urban living and modern lifestyles subject skin to the stresses of overwork, travel, air pollution, sudden, or seasonal changes in temperature and humidity.
These factors leave the skin more vulnerable to dehydration, and can speed up the ageing process.
In general, white skin is more likely to see an earlier onset of the photo-ageing process, greater skin wrinkling and signs of sagging.
Asian skin, however, possesses similarities to people of Hispanic or Mediterranean backgrounds, and researchers at Ziz Skincare for Men say this makes Asians less prone to skin cancer. But there is a moderate risk of wrinkling and a high risk of getting brown patches. However, Indian and Polynesian skin is less likely to wrinkle.
What gives Asian skin greater protection is the amount of melanin it has. This pigment provides skin with photo-protection and accounts for varying rates of skin ageing in different racial groups.