Acne and sex discrimination
Posted on March 8th, 2010 in Heallth Care | No Comments »
There is a terrible sexism about acne. Let’s start with a little biology. Every human being on the planet has sebaceous glands in their skin. It’s a part of the natural process which helps keep skin supple, flexible and waterproof. For reason not entirely clear, but probably connected with genetics and hormone levels, these glands can be triggered into producing too much oil. If this happens, the oil pools in the pores and traps the dead cells that would otherwise fall from the skin. Unfortunately, this is the perfect breeding ground for many of the different bacteria growing naturally on everyone’s skin. One of these bacteria causes infections and the spots. So acne should affect people equally and regardless of gender. During the teen years, the balance between the sexes is reasonably even, but once we include the full lifespan, it affects more women than men. This unfairness would not matter except for one thing. The majority of cultures around the world have reached agreement on what “beauty” looks like. So, when you see images of people in the mass media, faces are flawless. Thanks to photoshop and other similar wonders of technology, every blemish or hint of a spot can be airbrushed away, leaving a perfectly smooth, uniform area of skin. Read the rest of this entry »