Women’s Skin, Men’s Skin: What Are the Differences?

Under the influence of the steroid hormones estrogen and progesterone, which are more feminine, and testosterone, which is more masculine, the structure of the skin of males and females differs at puberty. In particular, the following differentiations can be made:

The Thickness of the Skin

The thickness of the epidermis is the first difference between male and female skin. In men it tends to be over 60 μm, while in women it rarely reaches 50 μm. A man's skin is thus about 20% thicker than a woman's. This is partly because the male dermis contains more collagen than the female dermis. This molecule of the extracellular matrix is involved in the mechanical properties of the skin, especially its firmness.

With age, collagen synthesis decreases, resulting in thinner skin. In men, its thickness decreases throughout life, by about 9% every 20 years. In women, this process is slower at first, with thinning of only 3% every 20 years. After menopause, however, collagen degradation accelerates, resulting in a 20% decrease in skin density every 20 years. Ultimately, men's skin is and remains thicker.

The Typology of the Skin

Men's skin tends to be oilier than women's. Testosterone, which is 6 to 7 times more prominent in men, targets receptors in the sebaceous glands, the activation of which initiates a signaling pathway involved in sebum production. Sebum secretion is thus hormone-dependent. Under the influence of the high amount of sebum, the pores dilate. As a result, the skin appears greasier and is more prone to impurities and colonization by certain microorganisms. The facial areas most affected by this phenomenon are the forehead, nose and chin, i.e. the T-zone where most of the sebaceous glands are located. Thus, it can be observed that men produce twice as much sebum as women.