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Background/Purpose: Inconsistent data are available on sebum measurements and with clinical assessment by
the various types of skin, their prevalence and characteriza- dermatologist. Parameters associated with oily skin were
tion, particularly regarding Asian skins. This observation (i) shiny skin and a past history of acne, (ii) irregular
prompted to conduct a large study in China to assess the menstruation, and (iii) highly reactive or sensitive skin.
prevalence of oily skin and identify the specific factors Moreover, a clear and significant link was noted between
related to that type of skin. oily skin and the ingestion of spicy or sweet food. Lastly,
Methods: The multicentre trial involved 1787 Chinese wo- sebum levels were found to be twice as high in Beijing as in
men in Shenyang, Harbin, Beijing, Chengdu and Suzhou, the other cities and were correlated to higher oily skin
between 18 and 65 years of age. Data on history of acne, the prevalence.
presence of environmental factors and a detailed self-eva- Conclusion: The study demonstrated the capacity of wo-
luation of the skin were collected using a standardized men for proper self-evaluation of their skin type. It also
questionnaire. A clinical evaluation of facial skin oiliness suggests a potential link between nutritional factors such as
was carried-out by a dermatologist at each centre. Sebum spicy and/or sweet diets and oily skin as well as between
s
secretion was measured on the forehead using Sebumeter sensitive and oily skin in this population.
SM810. Statistical analysis (multiple correspondence ana-
lysis) of typology was conducted based on self-evaluation Key words: skin oily Chinese typology
data.
Results: According to self-evaluation data, oily skin preva- & Blackwell Munksgaard, 2006
lence in the overall Chinese population of the study was Accepted for publication 3 January 2006
25.6%. Self-evaluation results were quite consistent with
43
Nouveau-Richard et al.
44
Oily skin in Chinese women
% of women
40
Results
Self-evaluation of the skin condition first estab-
lished the overall skin type, and then the degree 20
of the dry or oily skin severity (none, moderate, spicy food sweety food
severe) for various anatomical areas of the face "oily skin" women all women
(forehead, cheeks, nose, chin).
MCA on the detailed self-evaluation answers Fig. 1. Prevalence of women in the oily skin group vs. women of the
overall study population according to diet (rather spicy or rather sweet
allowed us to identify four groups of women diet).
corresponding to four types of skin: oily skinned
women represented 25.6% of the total study
population; dry-skinned women 30.8%; combina- 80
45
Nouveau-Richard et al.
a 100
forehead cheeks chin MCA of the answers obtained from self-eva-
luation established that a quarter of the women in
90
the study had oily skin on most of their face. The
sebum (g/cm) accuracy of this self-evaluation was confirmed by
80
clinical examination of the skin: compared with
70
the overall study population, women in the oily
60 skin group more often had a shiny skin on the
nose, forehead and cheeks and more had dilated
50 pores. Similarly, data from sebum measurements
severe moderate
self-assessed oily skin intensity were highly correlated to self-evaluation results.
Women who had evaluated their skin as being
b 100 very oily did have higher sebum levels than
forehead nose cheeks
90 those who defined themselves as having a mod-
erately oily skin. Not only were the oily skin
sebum (g/cm)
46
Oily skin in Chinese women
subjects of African descent in whom acne scars in the literature. On the other hand, there seems
are more frequent and marked (12). Few data to be a link between skin sensitivity and spicy
concerning Asian populations are available. The diets (18, 19), the prevalence of sensitive skins
only study of sebum excretion in subjects of being higher in cities where diets are naturally
various ethnic origins, including Asian subjects, spicy (20). However, the results of the present
found no differences (13). Only one paper re- study show that women with an oily skin also
ported a positive correlation between sebum more often have a sensitive skin and exhibit a
production and skin pigmentation in a Japanese moderate-to-strong reactivity to skin-stimulating
population (14). The available reported data are factors such as temperature changes, soap, spices
not consistent and not substantial enough to or stress. There might therefore be a link between
support a reliable comparison of prevalence rate oily skins, sensitive skins and spicy diets, which
according to ethnic origin or geographical area. remains to be explored, particularly in order to
Our study revealed a higher prevalence of oily try to determine the triggering factor.
skin in women living in Beijing; this was con- As the investigation included several centres
firmed by a higher mean value of sebum levels. distributed throughout the vast Chinese conti-
An influence of the place of residence has already nental territory, we were also able to assess the
been demonstrated by a Chinese study, which impact of latitude. On the whole, the problem of
compared the facial skin of young women living oily skins, whether assessed clinically or by
in Suzhou city (China) with those living in the sebumetry, seems to be more frequent in the cities
neighbouring countryside (15). This work did not of northern China (Beijing, Shenyang, Harbin)
demonstrate any significant difference of oily skin than of southern China (Chengdu, Suzhou), with
prevalence in the two populations but it did, a particularly high rate in Beijing. It seems that
however, show that oily skin tended to be more latitude alone cannot account for such differ-
frequent in women under 30 years living in cities ences. In the literature, a Japanese study demon-
than in those living in the country. As for the strated no latitude impact (comparison of North
incidence of acne, it was significantly increased in vs. South of Japan) on sebum levels (21); the main
the young city dwellers. This study also showed difference between the two locations concerned
that lifestyle, notably dietary habits, differed con- UVB irradiation. In our study, the selected cities
siderably according to whether the women lived had very different climates: Siberian for Harbin,
in town or in the outskirts. However, the authors cold continental for Shenyang and Beijing, sub-
could not specify the actual impact of such factors tropical for Chengdu and temperate with a mar-
on facial skin characteristics. itime influence for Suzhou. Therefore, oily skin
In the current study, the involvement of diet prevalence was most probably related to tem-
can be emphasized. The prevalence of women perature and relative humidity variations.
with a moderate intake of rather spicy or sweet Lastly, our study demonstrated that, compared
foods was higher in the oily skin group. Oily with the other groups, women with an oily skin
skin does therefore seem to be partly related to more frequently had irregular menses and their
the intake of spicy or sweet foods. This observa- skin was more reactive to menstruation. These
tion rather agrees with certain cosmetic, or even observations concur with the results of older
medical recommendations advocating a limita- studies demonstrating an impact of hormonal
tion of dietary sugar intake in case of acne (47, status on skin condition, as in acne for instance
16). Given the involvement of sebum in acne (17), (22). They agree with previous observations re-
our findings concerning oily skins and sweet garding the impact of menstrual cycle on sebum
diets are not surprising, even if they have never excretion (23). A relatively high frequency of the
been described in this way. The present study menstrual cycle abnormalities had been pre-
incidentally confirms the high oily skin preva- viously demonstrated in women having acne,
lence in women having had acne, particularly notably in Asian women (12).
severe acne, or in women still presenting with an
evolutive acne at the time of the study.
The impact of spicy diets is a rather new
Conclusion
finding given that, to our knowledge, no links The relevance of self-evaluation of skin status
between spices and sebum level and between was confirmed by clinical examinations carried-
spices and acne have been previously reported out by a dermatologist as well as by instrumental
47
Nouveau-Richard et al.
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