So I live in Los Angeles. This means I get to experience on a daily basis what some people pay good money to be around for just a few days on their annual vacations. But the sun, the fumes, the sweat, the night life, a hectic schedule and the smog can wreak complete havoc on my skin. Should I ever make the mistake of not caring for it after exposing it to all these elements, means I will pay the price in some form of blotch, pimple, blemish, burn (yes, Black people burn), dark spots, bags or dryness. Now, I’m sure many of you out there suffer from the same fate in one way or another. Grimy NY city; the dusty state of Arizona, the muggy East Coast layering you with a day’s worth of sweat in one hour…the list goes on and on. That’s why it’s important to have a good daily skincare regimen so you can C.R.E.W.(S)2™ into your best looking skin. You have to CLEANSE it daily, REPLINISH what’s been lost, EXERCISE for blood circulation, hydrate by drinking ample amounts of WATER, apply SUNSCREEN & get an adequate amount of SLEEP every night. Don’t do this and you run the risk of looking like a London Tube Commuter…they never see the sun.
And while the cosmetic trade is a BILLION dollar industry, I don’t want to go broke buying my fountain of youth elixirs, (the cosmetic aisle to me = kid in a candy store). So instead, I will educate you in a 5-part series, on the basic science behind your skin and how to care for it while giving you a few of my favorite web resources and budget-conscience products and hope that you can form an inexpensive regimen to CREW(S)2 into your own fabulous ethereal glow!
THE SCIENCE BEHIND YOUR SKIN
What Are You Made Of?
To start, our skin is actually made up of 3 major layers from top to bottom: the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis (Figure 1.1); and each of these are made up of multiple sub-layers of skin cells. The very top layers of the epidermis, called the “stratum corneum” are made up of several layers of flat, hollow cells called “keratinocytes” that are completely dead! (Figure 1.2) These cells contain no nucleus but have two important properties: 1) They are hollow and itching to soak up whatever we feed it and 2) keratinocytes are home to an important protein called keratin. Keratin acts as a waterproof barrier for our bodies, trapping moisture in and keeping harmful things out. It also helps toughen the cells, increasing the skins elasticity and making our skin an ace at buffering our constant wear and tear.
Figure 1.1
Figure 1.2
As we age, these layers naturally decrease, old surface cells flake off and our skin regenerates, pushing new keratinocytes to the surface that are just waiting to be fed and plumped up with whatever we feed it.
Color Me BEAUTIFUL
Another key protein that plays a role in healthy looking skin is Melanin. Melanin is a protein that acts as an umbrella from the sun’s harmful UV rays, protecting our skin cells from damage that would cause premature aging in addition to being responsible for giving us our skin color. Everyone has melanin but it is the activity level of the melanin-producing cells called “melanocytes” that determines our natural hue. (Figure 1.3)
Figure 1.3
Those with pale skin have less active melanocytes and they produce less melanin and those with darker skin have more active melanocytes and they produce more melanin. This activity level is stimulated by exposure to UV rays from the sun or from other sources like tanning beds. Thus, over exposure on melanin-active skin can cause too much melanin to be produced and could cause dark spots to get darker, known as “hyperpigmentation” or it could cause “sunburn” on skin that has already reached its melanin-producing peak.
Sun Worshiping
****Sunburn is highly dangerous because it means genetic damage is being done to your skins melanocyte cells, increasing their chance of mutation and thus increasing the skin’s risk of developing the most dangerous and malignant form of cancer called Melanoma; and though you may hear a person of color declare Black people don’t get skin cancer because we are naturally immune, it is completely false. EVERYONE and ANYONE can get sunburned and EVERYONE and ANYONE can develop melanoma. ****
According to the CDC’s statistics on cancer, some races have a higher risk for developing melanoma, with Whites having the greatest risk and Blacks the least. Yes, despite our high melanin-activity levels, we can get and die from melanoma. In fact, the Journal of American Medical Associations Archives of Dermatology noted in 2010, that Black women in Florida displayed a higher rate of mortality after being diagnosed with melanoma than did Whites. So while we may not develop it as much, we die from it more. This means it is just as important for us to wear an SPF appropriate sunscreen and protect ourselves from the sun as it is for other races.
You Passed!
Now, that you’ve been armed with the basic science behind your skin, I’m sure you realize just how futile it is to believe any product in the cosmetic aisle can keep your face looking like your 25 when your 55. No, the only thing that can do that is something called PHOTOSHOP. Not even the best plastic surgeon could accomplish such a feat. But the science behind your skin means there are things you can do and not do to ensure you age gracefully.
Stay tuned next time for more on cleansing your skin. If you have any questions about the science above or more recommendations, look me up at HealthiBeauti@gmail.com.
Chinyere Ibegwam - Author of "Oh the Skin You're In"
The Style Code 