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Darker-skin beauties NEVER age!
June 10, 2008
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Now I know I have your attention!
You must have heard Beauty Beauty Match Celebrity Pick Iman say: “Black don’t crack”? I’ve noticed that even Oprah has been saying it recently and it’s floating all over the Internet.
I’ll be honest that I’ve had people think I’m much younger than I actually am and my aestheticians who see me without any makeup have also commented on my wrinkle-less skin.
There is only one person who has ever been able to guess my age and that’s my black Latino friend Rafi (my ex-colourist … and that’s before I had any greys).
When I asked him how in the world he knew when most people thought that I was a decade (or more) younger than I am, he responded: “I know my people” (in other words, he was able to tell the age of other blacks even when non-blacks weren’t able to).
Now, before making a gross generalization and stating that all darker-skin beauties never show any signs of aging, I should highlight that lifestyle affects 80-90 per cent the way we age. I have seen dark-skin beauties who looked far-far-far older than their age, because they were carrying a heavy burden or because they had been hit by illness or simply because they made terrible food and diet choices.
That said, melanin (the substance that gives skin its colour), plays a huge part in how different ethnicities show the signs of aging. Lighter and fairer complexions are very much susceptible to aging faster because harmful UV rays from the sun can penetrate their skin more easily and deeply. As a result, their skin loses moisture more quickly, and collagen breaks down more rapidly than in a thicker, darker skin. Darker-skin beauties have a built-in anti-aging barrier in melanin because of its photo-protective role.
Just in case you were wondering, melanin is found at the bottom of the epidermis. It acts as barrier against the rays that damage the dermis, acting as a built-in sun filter and considerably slowing down the signs of aging.
Now, it’s important to keep in mind that although darker-skin beauties might not have to worry as much about photo-aging, they still have concerns about skin cancer, as melanin does NOT protect the skin against skin cancer.
So, in essence “black CAN crack”!
Posted by Beauty Match on June 10, 2008 | Permalink
Topics: Ethnic Beauty Tips |
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