Two possible classifications of facial skin type by two parameters in Korean women: sebum excretion rate (SER) and skin surface relief (SSR)

Abstract

Background/alms: Worldwide there are many skin care and makeup products intended to maintain good appearance or youthful skin. However consumers don't know which products are suitable for their skin because they don't know their skin type exactly. To solve this problem, this study suggests two possible classifications of facial skin type by using simple methods.Methods: In 662 healthy volunteers, sebum excretion rate (SER) on the forehead and cheek, and skin surface patterns on the cheek were examined by using Sebutape® and skin replica, respectively.Results: The measured SER values from the forehead were 0.06‐4.56 ng/cm2/min and those from the cheek were 0.04‐3.80 ng/cm2/min. From these data, five facial skin types were classified by SER: low SER type, medium SER type, high SER type, combination‐1 SER type, and combination‐2 SER type. Twelve facial skin types were also classified; they were determined by star formation (SF), primary lines (PL), secondary lines (SL) and pore size from magnified skin surface relief (SSR) of the cheek.Conclusions: From this study, we suggest new classifications of skin types by SER and SSR. The SER and the parameters of skin surface texture (SF, PL, and SL) decreased with age and the pore size increased with age. Although these methods did not classify facial skin types perfectly, we were able to check consumer's facial skin types simply and more quickly.