Beauty Culture (Woodbury)/Chapter 16

As in every other department of Beauty Culture, so in this the operator to be efficient must have a clear conception of the structure and function of the special part of the body under consideration. In treating the face this knowledge should be primarily of the nature of the skin, and secondarily of the nature of the muscles lying underneath it. Some idea of the structure and function of the skin has already been obtained in the discussion of hair, and the reader is referred to the diagram of the anatomy of both skin and hair (Figure 46) appearing on page 118 in this discussion. The anatomy of the muscles of the face will be illustrated and explained later on in the discussion of Facial Massage, where it is especially applicable.

The Structure of the Skin. The muscles of the face are covered by a layer of fat upon which the skin proper rests. This layer of fat gives the graceful contour to the face. When it is lacking, the skin falls inward, producing hollows or causing the formation of folds or wrinkles.

While the skin is more or less elastic, it has not the power to overcome entirely the loss or falling in of weakened muscles or loss of fat, and eventually loses its own ​vitality for want of a proper blood supply and takes on a dry, shrivelled appearance.

On the other hand, such fault may be in the skin itself while the muscles are comparatively well formed; it may harbor infectious germs as a result of inproper cleansing, causing eruptions or skin diseases, or it may have been subjected to other irritants like sunburn, causing discolorations or reddening and chipping or scaling. Similar results follow the use of impure, rancid or irritating soaps, a very common cause of skin trouble.

As will be seen in Figure 46, the skin has two layers—the scarf, or outer skin, and the derma, or true skin.

The scarf skin has no blood vessels, but is made up of numerous fine cells, which give it its smooth surface. Its object is one of protection. The upper cells are thrown off as fine scales and arc replaced as rapidly by new ones.

The true skin is highly sensitive. It is made up of many minute bundles of fine threads, among which lie blood vessels, nerves, the sweat and sebaceous glands.

Below the true skin lie the fat cells and below these the muscles.

Through the outer and true skin run many pores or tubes. Some are hair follicles, others sweat or sudoriferous. The latter end in the coils of the tube. Their function is to remove water or perspiration from the blood. The number of these pores varies from 500 to 2,800 to the square inch at different parts of the body.

The sebaceous glands secrete an oily matter which is to keep the hair and skin soft. They are sacs like grape bunches, emptying by ducts into the hair follicles and are generally very plentiful about the face and scalp.

The blood vessels are particularly numerous in the skin of the face, and it is from the circulation that the ​flush or color of the skin is derived. The blood gives nourishment to the skin and supplies the sebaceous glands, giving oily matter or sebum, and the sweat or sudoriferous glands, giving off water and poisonous matter and certain chemicals in the form of perspiration.

Both of these secretions are necessary to the health of the skin and hair, and it can be readily seen that a poor circulation or an interference of their function would naturally affect the skin both in its color, texture, and health.

On account of the constant exposure of the facial skin to the impurities of the air, it is necessary to cleanse the skin to remove such foreign matter as might stop up these pores and interfere with their function, as well as to prevent any irritation it might cause therein. The use of irritants such as impure soap and lotions containing harmful chemicals has practically the same effect.