Eminent Indian Dermatologist Dr. Jayakar Thomas wrote “Dermatology in the new millennium will have to focus on the demands, hopes and satisfaction of those who look at themselves as having skin ailments.”  This insight has profound essence.  A disease on the skin has a deep impact in the heart.    People visit a Dermatologist often to mend their loss of self-confidence, than curing a wound or scar.

A Roper report projected through their “Value Scan”, that Indians are progressive aspirants in the world having an indomitable attitude to “stretch out” to achieve their life goals.  Their spirits are not dampened by constraints, rather puts them on a higher pedestal of stronger resolute to “achieve more.” 

We at MASAYA realize that a strong resolve is an inner element emanating from a person’s character; however, the modern world surprisingly recognizes human worth by an outward physical appearance. Mark Twain had foreseen this and quoted “The finest clothing made is a person’s own skin, but, of course, society demands more than this.”

We refer to Nivea’s International Skin Survey¹ which depicted “skin isn’t just affected by genetic make-up, climate and diet, but also by mood, emotions and, above all, by our personality.  NIVEA in its centennial year interviewed over 8,000 men and women from Germany, France, Russia, Brazil, China, the USA, Belgium and the Netherlands.

NIVEA was able to define 5 different skin personalities supporting the theory that there is a clear correlation between our self-perception and the perception we have of our skin (nothing to do with gender, age or culture) –

1. the pro-active ‘doer’ (30%) – Performance oriented who like to be in control of their destiny.  They take a solution-oriented approach to dealing with skin problems and use appropriate skin products & associate skin contact with success.
2. the analytical ‘thinker’ (27%) – Are rational, quite happy being alone and place less value on social interaction. Use practical & basic skin care products and believe skin is just a biological function.
3. the ambivalent ‘seeker’ (12%) – Fluctuate between the need to be successful by their own actions and the desire to conform to rules. They suffer from blackheads & impurities more than the other categories.  Touch is not an emotional affirmation for them.
4. the emotional ‘helper’ (11%) – Are driven by emotions, moods & intuition and skin for them is a communication organ that helps them interact with people. They have highly sensitive skin & love creams & skin products with fragrance.
5. the introverted ‘moralist’ (6%) –   Most introverted who observe & comment on the world. Only group who described their skin as dry and pale and find it difficult to be touched if they don’t trust someone. Heavy users of skin care products.

In conclusion, even though “beauty is only skin deep”, skin health has become a predominant social marker of one’s wellbeing, status and capability.  It improves self-confidence, personality, relationships and of course an ability to live a better life.