The Science of Makeup: How Skin Works

I was reading a book on sustainability, Living Green by Greg Horn and he gave an experiment for how sensitive our skin is.  He said that we should rub garlic on the bottom of our feet and within moments you will taste the garlic in your mouth.  He said all of this to say, it is very important that we be selective not only of what we put into our bodies, but what we put on and around our bodies as well.

"Everything that happens on the surface of the skin reflects something that's going on inside of your body" (Downie, Cook-Bolden, Taylor) Asian, olive and dark skin is the most sensitive. It must be treated a certain way.  Knowing this information, I find it imperative to first explain how the skin works before we talk about what to put on, around or inside of it. Here are 6 important facts about skin:

1. Skin is thinnest under your eyes and eyelids.
2. Skin is the thickest on the heels of our feet.
3. Thickness of the skin depends on your sex and age.
4. Skin thins over time as you get older.
5. Most of your surface skin is made up of dead skin.
6. Every 4 to 5 weeks your skin renews its self and old cells become dust.

The renewal of skin is healthy and there are several ways to speed up the process to enhance your appearance. In order to talk about the science of makeup, we have to know how the skin works.  The Science of Makeup will be a series of posts that will go in depth about the technical and theoretical aspects of beauty and skin care.  Check in next Friday to continue learning about how the skin works and how we must treat the skin to look and feel good on the inside and out.

Beautiful Skin of Color: A Comprehensive Guide to Asian, Olive and Dark Skin. Cook-Bolden, Downie, Taylor. (2004).