Differences in skin moisturization. Studies on moisturization are inconclusive as the data are contradictory. Some authors report higher moisturization values in Asian subjects while some others report no differences between Asian and Caucasian subjects.

Eccrine, apocrine and apoeccrine sweat glands. Several papers suggest that there are differences in the number of sweat glands between different racial groups. There are few studies on sebum composition and the effect of race. One study examining Caucasians and Japanese found that like Caucasians, Japanese subjects have a greater predominance of straight chain fatty acids in their sebum wax esters than branched chain fatty acids, but the Japanese had a greater quantity of C16 isobranched chain fatty acids. Japanese men also appear to have a greater sebaceous gland activity compared with Caucasians. Nevertheless sebum levels decline with age.

Photoaging. Tsukahara and coworkers developed a photographic scale to assess human facial wrinkles. Using these scales they found that the correlation of facial wrinkling scores with advancing age was in the order: eye area > lower eyelid > upper eyelid > cheek > forehead > mouth area > nasolabial grooves > glabella. Photoaging is common in East and Southeast Asians because of the geographical proximity to the equator. Chung and coworkers studying Koreans of the ages 30–92 years reported that seborrheic keratosis was the major pigmentary lesion in men but in women it was hyperpigmented macules. The moderate to severe wrinkling associated with photodamage became apparent at about 50 years. Women tended to have more wrinkling. Koreans usually do not have wrinkles before 30 years of age and usually are not first seen until 50 years and older. Estanislao and coworkers also reported on the characterization of Asian skin in a multicenter study. Changes in skin wrinkling and mottled hyperpigmentation occurred with aging and that the hyperpigmentary problems occurred at an earlier age in this racial group. Skin elasticity decreased with age whereas collagen cross-links increased with age. The age of onset of these changes was increased in the subjects with an earlier start in use of cosmetics.

dr. Vincenzo Nobile, ultimo aggiornamento, 15/06/2022

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