THE PERCEPTION OF SKIN THROUGH HISTORY
As mentioned before, a very noticeable characteristic during the 19th century, was the importance people gave to the appearance of their skin and money they invested in products for taking care of it. This can be a similarity with the second time period which was the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. How the skin looked for a lady was a topic of high importance because it determined whether she was a wealthy woman or not. A lady who had an important place in society had to have a fresh and light skin, therefore they used a lot of skin care products, some natural and some very dangerous that contained lead oxygen. This is one of the ways this approach and view of skin resembles the one we have today. Medical and dermatological studies were finally balancing as people started to gain interest in health care so scientists focused on both areas.
In contrast to earlier times all around the world, important discoveries have been made regarding skin composition, structure, diseases among other things. Artists as well have given greatly importance to this large organ surrounding our body, making it a “tool” encompassed by society. We can conclude that differences of perception among the three chosen periods can be easily noticed. Originally, scientist focused on medical and surgical issues of the skin since wars and diseases were more common and many information about cures was unknown. We found remarkable the hope and persistence owned by the scientists and by the community. Later, advances gave the basis for the modern perception of the skin. People thought about it as a beauty object with only the purpose of appearance. The industry of cosmetics also began growing as new inventions and factories made the production of skin products faster and cheaper. Finally, the nineteenth century in Latin America experienced new diseases but could overcome them with help of the earlier inventions made around the globe.
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