How to Care for Fair Skin

The differences that exist between the different amounts of shades are due to the melanin content in the skin. It not only controls the base skin color, but also determines a person's ability to handle the damage that comes from the sun along with their ability to recover from any skin irritation.

When it comes to fair skinned people (this includes Caucasians but especially the palest of shades), they are in a position to accrue more damage to their skin from sunlight than any others. One of the tasks of melanin is to soak in the sun's rays, so if you're skin is lacking this it really has no protection against the damage that UV rays can cause.

Also, because fair skin is thinner, it is more susceptible to becoming red, the displaying of rashes and damaged blood vessels and capillaries. This becomes very visible in the cheeks of the face and along side to the nose.

Finally, white skin's lack of melanin makes it susceptible to certain skin conditions like rosacea. Rosacea is a severe skin irritation that has pimples that look like acne and also incurs broken blood vessels. Plus, fair skin is more susceptible to cancerous skin lesions. The lighter the skin is, the more vulnerable it will become.

But it's not all bad when it comes to fair (or white) skin. White skin shows scarring and discoloration less easily than darker skin tones. This means that it usually has a positive response when dealing with cosmetic procedures such as acid peels, face lifts and other cosmetic surgery.

If you're looking for ways to help your skin look younger or better, there are a few ways to go about it. Some elect cosmetic surgery, but this will only address the skin's firmness, not the texture of it. It's best to try an antioxidant therapy, which includes using a topical Vitamin C ester. This will increase the collagen in your skin and make it thicker.

Another tip is to use a sunscreen every day. A SPF-15 would be appropriate. All because it's not sunny or 90 degrees does not mean you're not incurring damage from the sun. You can't completely eliminate the damage the sun does, but you can limit it drastically. Make sure you put it on your hands, neck and chest. Wherever there is thin skin that is the place that will most likely be affected with skin damage.