TITLE:
The Effects of Regional Climate and Aging on Seasonal Variations in Chinese Women’s Skin Characteristics
AUTHORS:
Eunjoo Kim, Jiyeon Han, Hyeokgon Park, Minah Kim, Beomjoon Kim, Jaeho Yeon, Liu Wei, Lai Wei, Haekwang Lee
KEYWORDS:
Seasonal Variation, Regional Climate, Age, Chinese Skin, Skin Barrier
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications,
Vol.7 No.2,
June
22,
2017
ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES: Skin characteristics change depending on the external environment such as UV, temperature and humidity. But the research how to affect the regional climate, age and seasonal variation on the skin conditions was not well studied. Therefore, we investigated the seasonal variation in the skin by comparing Beijing women and Guangzhou women by age groups. METHODS: 440 healthy Chinese women participated in this study. The skin hydration, sebum secretion, TEWL and skin pH were measured on the cheek front. All the parameters were analyzed in terms of the age, season and region. RESULTS: The skin hydration in Beijing was lower than that in Guangzhou and significantly decreased during winter than summer. The sebum secretion in their 20s and 30s was significantly high in summer in both regions, and this phenomenon was more remarkable in Guangzhou (p CONCLUSIONS: Skin hydration and barrier function decreased more during a cold, dry winter than summer. The barrier dysfunctions such as an increase in TEWL and pH occurred more commonly in old age groups. The greater the differences between summer and winter climates, the greater damage to skin barrier and skin hydration. The sebum secretion was more affected by hot, humid summers. Further, the aged skin was influenced by seasonal variation except for sebum secretion.