Is All Skin Created Equal? The Difference Between Face Skin and Body Skin
Skin: From our heads to our toes, this organ—the body’s largest—shields us from our environment, protects against disease and harm, and makes it possible for us to move safely about the world. But not all epidermis is created equal, and depending where it is on your body, your skin may have different needs to help keep it functioning at its finest. Let’s explore the difference between face skin and body skin—and how we can best support our skin from the outside in.
The difference between skin on your face and your body
While it’s true that all skin works to protect us and keep our other vital organs where they should be, facial skin does indeed differ from skin on the body.
Facial skin is thinner than the skin on the rest of our body because it doesn’t encounter the same “wear and tear” that, say, our feet or knees or elbows do. (In fact, the only area on our bodies that really mimics our thin facial skin is our chest.) Our faces have what’s called “appendage concentration,” which, according to veer.com, encapsulates the many blood vessels, hair follicles, sweat glands and sebaceous glands (oil glands) that help to protect, heal and moisturize this delicate skin. A concentration of appendages means cuts or scars may heal faster on the face than on other parts of the body. Still, as with all things when it comes to our faces, we want to be careful to not strip it from too many harsh ingredients or disrupt the acid mantle, a thin film made of lipids and amino acids on the surface layer of the skin which acts as an invisible barrier to keep moisture in and dirt and bacteria out.
Skin on the body is thicker than skin on the face and is not typically as sensitive. In addition, because our body skin has far fewer oil glands than the skin on our face, dry skin— and especially dry patches on elbows, knees and feet, where skin is thickest—is common. The subcutaneous layer of fat underneath our skin is also thicker on the body than on the face; this accounts for the skin on our body not being as susceptible to fine lines and wrinkles as on our faces, neck and chest, where skin is thinner and so is the layer of fat.
Skin care products vs. body care products
Skin care products for the face tend to be formulated to be more gentle for sure, but they also offer targeted benefits for our face skin. Natural botanical ingredients like the ones in MASK CBD Skincare have been hand-selected to not only soothe skin, but to hydrate from deep within, to improve the look and feel of skin, leaving it more radiant. The ingredients have also been chosen for their ability to improve the look of fine lines, wrinkles and to encourage the turnover of skin cells—all while working synergistically with skin to bring it to balance.
Since body skin is thicker and dryer than that on the face, the oils and creams we use to moisturize tend to be heavier and thicker than what we would use to moisturize the face. While using your facial skin care products on your body will generally not have adverse effects because they tend to be formulated for more delicate skin, using body skin care on the face may cause clogged pores, especially on already oily skin—and that can cause acne. And while some love fragranced body lotion as a personal care pick-me-up, using it on your face—and especially around the eyes—can lead to irritation, rashes or breakouts.
In addition to choosing appropriate moisturizers for face and body skin, choosing what to wash it with can be equally important for managing oily skin or body acne. Many of us reach for harsh products to dry out a breakout, but this can strip skin of much needed oil and cause our oil glands to go into overdrive to compensate—leading to more clogged pores and breakouts. Instead, resist the urge to use harsh products and reach for natural ingredients that have natural antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, healing and soothing properties, like manuka honey extract, helichrysum essential oil and full spectrum CBD—all available in MASK Spotless CBD Balancing Serum—or activated charcoal, like the cleansing bar from organic skin care brand Soapwalla.
What is your face skin type?
Now that you know the differences between face and body skin, it’s time to explore your face skin type. This will help you make targeted decisions around which skin care products will help support your skin and help you obtain the results you’ve been searching for. Not sure if you have oily skin in need of balance or need anti aging ingredients? Perhaps you need both. Or maybe you have dry skin…or just dry patches? Take the MASK skincare quiz and discover the right formulas to address your unique skin care needs. And get ready to feel good in your skin—from head to toe.
