Hi, I’m no expert in dermatology, I’ve been thinking about my face skin for the last 20 minutes: why is all the bad skin on the face?
As children all the skin is fine but from puberty all the way through life, we face acne, black heads, dry skin, oily skin, redness… Pretty much all on the face. Maybe a little on the upper back. My knees’ skin is fine, my butt’s skin’s fine too.
Why is our face special?
In: Biology
Dermatology resident here.
Depends on how you’re looking at it. In terms of aging, the act of creating facial expressions along with chronic sun exposure is what leads to wrinkles and certain types of blemishes. The face also has a high concentration of oil glands which proliferate during puberty. This makes the face a hotbed for acne, certain yeast infections, etc. That said, all of these conditions can and often do affect the body. Acne is frequently see on the chest and back. Acne’s close cousin (folliculitis) can also be seen in on the trunk and legs. Its other cousin, hidradenitis suppurative, occurs in the armpits, groin, and trunk. Middle aged and older adults who grew up without sunscreen often have badly photo damaged that affects both the body and face equally, and they often have the skin cancers to prove it. Having done thousands of skin checks, I can also tell you that benign blemishes and age spots are extremely common on the bodies of all individuals. Not to mention the thousands of skin conditions and diseases that can affect the skin anywhere. You’d be surprised at what you’d see if people were walking around without clothes.
Latest Answers