Beauty by Numbers
By Patricia Tortolani
Allure Magazine
May 2006
Skin is the largest organ in the human body and the most sensitive. Containing millions of touch receptors, it registers both pain and pleasure, reveals youth and age, and expresses embarrassment and joy. Since beauty is skin deep, we delved into the numbers.
200 A.D. : Year in which the Roman physician Galen combined wax, olive oil, rose petals, and water to create the first cold cream.
$1000: Amount paid to Gloria Laura Mercedes Morgan-Vanderbilt in 1924 for her endorsement of Pond?s Cold Cream.
21: Total square footage of skin on the average adult human body.
7: Total weight in pounds of skin on the average human body.
40,000: Number of dead skin cells the body sheds every minute.
53; Percentage of American women over the age of 33 who have acne.
100: Percentage of Kitavan Islanders from Papua New Guinea who had clear skin in a study examining the link between acne and a Western diet of processed sugary and starchy foods.
1980: Year the Cinemax channel launched. It was later nicknamed ?Skin-a-Max? for its lineup of soft core adult films.
4: Number of hours between Garfield: The movie and Hotel Erotica Cabo on the Cinemax program schedule.
$3.5 million: Estimated amount earned by professional golfer Fred Couples for his five victories at the Skins Game, a tournament in which players compete on each hole, earning him the nickname ?Mr. Skins.?
$29.95: Cost of a month long membership to mrskin.com, a library of celebrity nudity in films and television.
5: Number of United Airlines flight attendants between the ages of 55 and 64 who showed some skin to protest the loss of their pensions by posing for a calendar called ?Stewardesses Stripped? (of their pension?).
16: Percentage of Americans who have at least one tattoo.
34: percentage who says having a tattoo makes them feel sexier.
5: Percentage who says having a tattoo makes them feel more intelligent.
12: Number of artists whose work is on display in the ?Skin is a Language? exhibit in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
650: Average number of Sweat Glands in one square inch of Skin.
20,000: Numbers of pores on the face.
$664 Million: Amount of American woman spent on anti-aging products in department stores in 2005.
$1.69 Billion: Amount Americans spent on skin care products in supermarkets and drugstores in 2004.
60: Percentage of women who say they would give up chocolate and coffee for better skin!
By Patricia Tortolani
Allure Magazine
May 2006
Skin is the largest organ in the human body and the most sensitive. Containing millions of touch receptors, it registers both pain and pleasure, reveals youth and age, and expresses embarrassment and joy. Since beauty is skin deep, we delved into the numbers.
200 A.D. : Year in which the Roman physician Galen combined wax, olive oil, rose petals, and water to create the first cold cream.
$1000: Amount paid to Gloria Laura Mercedes Morgan-Vanderbilt in 1924 for her endorsement of Pond?s Cold Cream.
21: Total square footage of skin on the average adult human body.
7: Total weight in pounds of skin on the average human body.
40,000: Number of dead skin cells the body sheds every minute.
53; Percentage of American women over the age of 33 who have acne.
100: Percentage of Kitavan Islanders from Papua New Guinea who had clear skin in a study examining the link between acne and a Western diet of processed sugary and starchy foods.
1980: Year the Cinemax channel launched. It was later nicknamed ?Skin-a-Max? for its lineup of soft core adult films.
4: Number of hours between Garfield: The movie and Hotel Erotica Cabo on the Cinemax program schedule.
$3.5 million: Estimated amount earned by professional golfer Fred Couples for his five victories at the Skins Game, a tournament in which players compete on each hole, earning him the nickname ?Mr. Skins.?
$29.95: Cost of a month long membership to mrskin.com, a library of celebrity nudity in films and television.
5: Number of United Airlines flight attendants between the ages of 55 and 64 who showed some skin to protest the loss of their pensions by posing for a calendar called ?Stewardesses Stripped? (of their pension?).
16: Percentage of Americans who have at least one tattoo.
34: percentage who says having a tattoo makes them feel sexier.
5: Percentage who says having a tattoo makes them feel more intelligent.
12: Number of artists whose work is on display in the ?Skin is a Language? exhibit in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
650: Average number of Sweat Glands in one square inch of Skin.
20,000: Numbers of pores on the face.
$664 Million: Amount of American woman spent on anti-aging products in department stores in 2005.
$1.69 Billion: Amount Americans spent on skin care products in supermarkets and drugstores in 2004.
60: Percentage of women who say they would give up chocolate and coffee for better skin!
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