Influence of environmental stress on skin tone, color and melanogenesis in Japanese skin
Authors: Kikuchi K. 
Published: September 2010

Introduction

It is needless to say that one of the most potent environmental stress for melanogenesis of the human skin is the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light from the sunlight. Characteristic skin aging as a result of this UV light is recognized as photoaging. Clinical features in photoaging are wrinkles, skin laxity, coarseness, leathery, yellowing, lentigenes, mottled pigmentation, telangiectasia, sebaceous hypertrophy and purpura. There is an apparent difference in clinical features in photoaging among different races, i.e. between Caucasians, African American and Asians that include Japanese. Not only photo skin type but also environmental factors, such as climate, latitude, altitude and their habit of sunbathing, smoking and skin care influence the characteristic development of their photoaging.

Racial difference in photoaging

Caucasians tend to develop skin laxity and fine wrinkles more than Asians [1]. Asians tend to produce coarser wrinkles than the Caucasians although their development is rather late in life. There is also a difference in the skin color. Pigmentation is an earliest and prominent skin changes in Asians [1] and it increases with age [2]. In contrast, pigmentation is not apparent in the Caucasians although redness probably because of an increase in cutaneous vascularization becomes prominent in middle aged Caucasians [2]. Chung reported that seborrheic keratosis is a major pigmentary lesion in men, whereas hyperpigmented macules are prominent features in women in Koreans [3].

Melanogenesis pigmentation disorders in Japanese

Ephelides (freckles) are commonly found in those with photo skin type I who have fair skin and red eyes and blond hair. They are also found in the Japanese. Clinical feature reveals that multiple small pigmentary macules on sun‐exposed areas mainly on the mid‐portion of the face. These lesions seem to be familial, becoming apparent even in early childhood after sun exposure.

Melasma is an acquired pigmentary disorder commonly found in middle aged Japanese women characterized by irregular brown macules and patches on the sun‐exposed areas on the face typically as bilaterally present macules on the cheeks. An increase in sex hormones as a result of pregnancy and intake of contraceptive pills is one of the etiological factors to develop melasma. Sun exposure also worsens it.

Nevus of Ota is also a common pigmentary disorder found in the Japanese. It is usually unilateral, blue‐brown to slate‐gray pigmentary macules on the eyelid and cheek that appear in early childhood or in puberty. Acquired dermal melanocytosis is also a pigmentary disorder, in which dermal melanocytes are found as shown in nevus of Ota, characterized by bilateral brown to blue‐gray macules on the forehead, temple, eyelid and malar areas in middle aged Japanese women. This tends to be misdiagnosed as melasma.

Solar lentigo is an acquired pigmented macule induced by sun exposure. Solar lentigines are usually multiple, circumscribed brown macules. There are two types of solar lentigo. One is a small macular type, characterized by multiple, small brown macules whose diameter is less than 5 mm, being similar to ephelides (freckles). The other type is a large macular type, characterized by a few round to oval, brown macules whose diameter is beyond 1 cm. Some of their surface are hyperkeratotic and become elevated to produce seborrheic keratosis.

Again, the early sign of photoaging in Japanese is pigmentated spots and these pigmentation disorders increase with age. Among the pigmentary changes, nevus of Ota, acquired dermal melanocytosis, melasma and large macular type of solar lentigo are characteristic skin changes found in the Japanese in addition to ephelides and small macular type of solar lentigo.

Seasonal changes of the various functional properties of the skin including skin color assessed by non‐invasive bioengineering techniques [4].

When we consider skin tone, color and melanogenesis, UV light from the sunlight is the most potent environmental stress, although we cannot forget also the important influence of environmental relative humidity affects our skin functions as well as its appearance.

We investigated seasonal influences on the various properties of the skin in 39 healthy Japanese females consisting of different age groups. Their skin is thought to be affected by the UV light in summer, and by the exposure to the dry and cold air in winter.

Materials and methods

Biophysical, non‐invasive measurements, including transepidermal water loss (TEWL) as a parameter for the barrier function of the stratum corneum (SC), high frequency conductance as a parameter for the hydration state of the SC, skin color and casual surface lipid levels, were conducted during late summer and winter months. Skin color was determined with a chromameter according to the L*a*b* CIE 1976 system, where L* is an attribute on the luminance scale, a* that on the red versus green scale and b* that on the yellow versus blue scale. All the measurements were conducted in an environment controlled‐chamber (21 ± 1 °C room temperature, and 50 ± 3% relative humidity).

Results

The barrier function of the SC was found to be significantly impaired in winter on the cheek as compared with that measured in summer, whereas no such seasonal change was apparent both in the hydration state of the SC and sebum levels on the cheek. In the assessment of the skin color on the cheek, a significant increase in a* (redness) and a decrease in b* (yellowness) were observed in winter. In contrast, on the flexor forearm, the values of L* (luminescence) increased in winter, but no seasonal change was noted in the values of a* and b*.

In this study, skin changes with aging were also found by the non‐invasive bioengineering methods. The value of TEWL on the cheek tended to increase with age, whereas no significant change was observed in the value of TEWL on the forearm. In the assessment of skin color, b* value on the cheek significantly increased with age whereas a* and L* values on the cheek did not show any significant change with age.

Summary of this study

We think that such an increase in yellowness with aging of the cheek skin is a phenomenon unique to the Japanese (Asians) since an increase in b* value was not observed in Caucasians [2].

The facial skin that is always exposed shows barrier impairment in a dry and cold winter environment and demonstrates increased yellowness in skin color because of a prolonged exposure to the UV light from the sun in the summer season. The non‐invasive bioengineering methods are useful to demonstrate even invisible seasonal changes occurring in the same individuals and changes with age occurring in the skin.

References

1. Goh, S.H. The treatment of visible signs of senescence: the Asian experience. Br. J. Dermatol.122, 105–109 (1990).

2. LeFur, I., Numagami, K., Guinot, C. et al. Age‐related reference values of skin color in Caucasian and Japanese healthy women according to skin site. Pigment Cell Res. 7, 67 (1999).

3. Chung, J.H., Lee, S.H., Youn, C.S. et al. Cutaneous photodamage in Koreans: influence of sex, sun exposure, smoking, and skin color. Arch. Dermatol. 137, 1043–1051 (2001).

4. Kikuchi, K., Kobayashi, H., Le Fur, I. et al. Winter season affects more severely the facial skin than the forearm skin: comparative biophysical studies conducted in the same Japanese females in later summer and winter. Exog. Dermatol. 1, 32–38 (2002).