The skin system, also known as the integumentary system, is the outermost of the 11 organ systems and has an important function called protection. It acts as a barrier against external factors such as pathogens, UV rays, and physical injury, and the outermost layer of skin, called the epidermis, is particularly important for this function. The skin helps regulate body temperature through processes such as sweating and dilating or constricting blood vessels. Sweat evaporates from the skin’s surface to help cool the body, while blood vessels work to retain or dissipate heat. The skin is rich in nerve endings that allow it to sense and respond to a variety of stimuli, including touch, pressure, temperature, and pain, making it essential for interacting with the external environment. When exposed to UV light, the skin produces vitamin D, which is important for calcium absorption and bone health. The skin acts as part of the body’s immune system to prevent the invasion of harmful microorganisms, containing specialized immune cells and acting as a physical barrier to infection. Small amounts of waste, including water, salts, and urea, are excreted through sweat glands in the skin, contributing to the elimination of waste throughout the body, and it acts as a blood reservoir, allowing blood flow to be redirected to other parts of the body when needed, such as during exercise (Choi, 2021).

Skin aging is a complex process that is influenced by both internal genetic factors and external environmental factors. As people age, their skin undergoes a variety of changes that can affect its appearance, texture, and function. One of the most visible signs of aging is the development of wrinkles and fine lines, which is caused by a loss of skin elasticity, including a decrease in collagen and elastin production. Collagen and elastin are proteins that provide structure and elasticity to the skin, and as we age, the production of these proteins naturally decreases, causing the skin to lose elasticity and sag. As human skin ages, the subcutaneous fat layer and epidermis thin, leading to the loss of elastin and collagen fibers that make up the dermal layer (Kwak et al., 2023). In addition, the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin, can become thinner with age, making it more susceptible to damage, increasing sensitivity, and decreasing its ability to retain moisture. Aging skin produces less oil and retains less water, which can lead to dryness and increased sensitivity to irritation. Age spots, also known as liver spots or sun spots, in particular, are caused by cumulative sun exposure over the years and can make you more prone to hyper- or hypo pigmentation, resulting in uneven skin tone. As we age, the skin’s natural regeneration process slows down, resulting in a decrease in cell turnover, which dulls the complexion.

The skin care industry is increasingly utilizing artificial intelligence technology, and the technology to diagnose skin conditions based on big data of various skin characteristics by age is also being advanced. In addition, with the expansion of the home care and self-care market, anyone can easily measure their skin and receive personalized cosmetics recommendations without being an expert.

Park (2020) stated that the technological innovation of smart devices is moving beyond healthcare to beauty care, and the innovation of smart beauty care in line with these changes must take into account the inescapable reality of aging that our society is facing when developing products. Academic studies have also reported that providing hand care to the elderly has been shown to have effects such as comfort, stability, and pain relief (Alexandersson, 2003; Michael Kosfeld et al., 2005; Eva & Sylvia, 2007; Kesstin, 2013). Ko & Choi (2021) studied skin health care awareness and practices according to general characteristics of women in their 20s and reported that there were significant differences in skin health awareness according to age, education, and smoking. Kim & Yoon (2023) argued that there is no global standard for skin type classification and inconsistency in classification results, so it is necessary to develop a consistent skin type classification method that considers innate skin characteristics. Kim & Choi (2023) confirmed that the type of mask used during the pandemic affects skin changes and psychological state, and that skin changes due to Covid-19 affect the type of cosmetics consumption, focusing on adult men and women. Lee & Yun (2022) reported that higher appearance perception of women in their 20s influenced their makeup behavior and cosmetics purchase behavior. Lim & Kim (2021) reported that COVID-19 risk perception among women in their 20s and 30s influenced their sense of prevention efficacy and beauty healthcare behavior. Kim et al. (2022) proposed a product design for customized home beauty care devices to respond to market changes. Choi & Lee (2023) highlighted the need for skin care through a needs survey of elderly people living alone and argued that a customized beauty care service program should be established. Jang et al. (2021) argued that the beauty industry should strive to satisfy the emotional needs of consumers by converging with IT technology, and Jin (2021) suggested that it should make good use of artificial intelligence that can minimize mistakes as machines do the work of humans. Park (2020) suggested the need to develop smart beauty care products for the elderly, and Yoon (2023) said that it is necessary to enter the global market by building big data on skin characteristics and genomes of consumers around the world through the skin-genome analysis infrastructure construction project. Kwon (2021) said that it is important to properly diagnose one’s skin condition in order to expand the customized market in the cosmetics and beauty industry.

This study involved 30 elderly people living alone in their 60s to 80s in U-si, Gyeonggi-do. Participants were recruited by sending a referral letter to the local senior welfare center, and through prior consultation with the social worker in charge, those who expressed their willingness to participate voluntarily and met the purpose of the study were selected. In order to ethically protect the participants, prior approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the university where the researcher is affiliated (IRB approval number: SHIRB-202211-HR-173-02), and the principal investigator personally interviewed the participants and obtained their signed consent forms.

The skin measurement tool was the Focuskin Skin Analysis System (20 million pixels, LED, Made in USA), which uses a DSLR camera and a professional lens to capture the entire face in ultra-high resolution, and three light sources (general light, polarized light, and UV light) to extract skin problems according to the light source, extract analysis images that analyze the entire face instead of parts of the face, and automatically analyze each facial area. A total of eight skin analysis items were measured, including skin type, pores, wrinkles, elasticity, pigmentation, UV pigmentation, sebum, and moisture. All subjects’ skin measurements were taken at 2:00 p.m. and were taken 10 minutes after a brief cleansing prior to measurement.

The Multi Facial Analysis System utilized in this study is based on skin big data of more than 200,000 cases and utilizes average age group data. It collects skin stone data from all over the world through cloud servers and uses deep learning to create more accurate analysis logic, and the data of more than 200,000 skin data is constantly growing in real time. In the case of the smart 3D skin stone, the 2D image is processed with its own calculation algorithm and implemented in 3D, using blurring technology to effectively see deep analysis items such as pores and wrinkles.

In this study, 30 male and female single elderly people in their 60s and 80s who wanted to take care of their skin participated in the study, which is located in the Seoul metropolitan area, but has a large proportion of elderly people and has long had a strong image of a military city (Seo et al., 2023). Male and female participants were 50.0% each, with 50.0% in their 60s, 46.7% in their 70s, and 3.3% in their 80s Table 1. A total of 12 skin characteristics can be analyzed through the Multi Facial Analysis System Fig. 1, and this study proposed a customized beauty care program by analyzing a total of 9 skin characteristics, focusing on skin type, pores, wrinkles, elasticity, pigmentation, UV pigmentation, sebum, and moisture, considering age. Yoon (2023) reported that the Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted a project to establish a national skin characteristic bank for men and women in their 20s to 50s living in large cities in each country by evaluating skin moisture, percutaneous water loss, sebum, pH, elasticity, crow’s feet, pores, brightness, skin color, sensitivity, and hair loss by gender, area, and age, and collected information on cosmetics use behavior, lifestyle habits, and formulation preferences.

The results of the skin type analysis of the skin characteristics of the study participants are shown in Table 2 and Fig. 2. The skin forms a protective film by appropriately mixing the amount of oil secreted by the sebaceous glands and the amount of moisture secreted by the sweat glands. Therefore, when classifying skin types, they are first classified into neutral, dry, and oily according to the amount of sebum secretion, and then into hydrated, properly hydrated, and dehydrated according to the amount of moisture secretion. The results showed that 40.0% of people were dry, 30.0% were oily, and 30.0% were neutral, while the results showed that 0% of people were hydrated, 30.0% were properly hydrated, and 70.0% were dehydrated.

Based on these results, we can recommend the following ways to restore oily or dry skin to neutral and replenish moisture to dehydrated customers. For dry skin, sebum production is reduced due to environmental factors and aging, so it’s important to focus on care. Since sebum acts as a natural moisturizing barrier that prevents water from evaporating, dry skin contains less moisture. This can lead to the appearance of fine lines, loss of elasticity, and other signs of aging, so always keep it properly hydrated. Use essences or creams with high moisturizing properties, and moisturize the eye area and the corners of the mouth, which are prone to dryness.

Oily skin is caused by stress, lack of sleep, alcohol, and smoking, so avoid these and keep your skin clean. Once a week, deeply cleanse your face with a steam towel or an oil-absorbing pack to remove sebum and dead skin cells. Rinse your face with cold water at the end of the day and use a moisturizing or firming mask once a week to prevent enlarged pores.

Pores are measured on the forehead, nose, and left and right cheeks, and expressed as an area ratio (%) compared to the age group average, and the results are shown in Table 3. The analysis of pore area ratio (%) shows that more cases are below the average for their age group (40.0%), which is related to having a dry skin type rather than an oily skin type. The size of pores is determined by the amount of sebum secreted by the sebaceous glands attached to the hair follicle, and dry skin produces less sebum than oily skin, resulting in smaller pores. In the case of oily skin, the pores gradually enlarge as we age, and the shape of the pores gradually changes to vertical pores that elongate downward, causing wrinkles. Therefore, you should pay attention to sebum and dead skin cells with cosmetics and moisturizers that control sebum.

Wrinkles were measured centered on the forehead, under the left and right eyes, and at the left and right corners of the eyes, and expressed as an area ratio (%) compared to the age group average. Wrinkles are caused by the degeneration of collagen and elastin in the dermis layer of the skin. The analysis of the wrinkle area ratio (%) shows that it is more than the average for the age group (70.0%), so wrinkle management is very necessary for these people. Sun exposure can deepen wrinkles, so be sure to use sunscreen when outdoors, and continue to provide nutrients such as vitamin E, tocopherol, EGF, and essential amino acids to prevent collagen and elastin from degenerating. As the skin ages, wrinkles become deeper due to a decrease in subcutaneous fat thickness rather than an increase in the number of wrinkles, so it’s important to take care of your health.

Elasticity is measured as the change in pores on the left and right cheeks in degrees and expressed as an area ratio (%) compared to the age group average, and the results of the analysis are shown in Table 5. When analyzing the elasticity area ratio (%), there are more cases that are above the average of the age group (60.0%), so it is necessary to target elasticity management for them. In particular, the cheek area around the eyes and mouth, as well as the nasolabial folds, is prone to loss of elasticity, and to restore it, a light cheek massage should be repeated daily to release tight cheek muscles. In order to maintain elasticity, it”s important to keep the skin supple and firm by providing it with nutrients such as placenta, vitamin A, vitamin E, tocopherol, EGF, and essential amino acids to maintain normal collagen synthesis and prevent the degeneration of elastin.

Pigmentation refers to epidermal pigmentation; UV pigmentation refers to dermal pigmentation. The results of the analysis are shown in the following Table 6, which is an area ratio (%) compared to the average of the age group after measuring the forehead, nose, left and right cheeks, under the eyes, and the tail of the eyes. The area ratio (%) of pigmented pigmentation is the highest at 90.0% above the age group average, and the area ratio (%) of UV pigmentation is also high at 70.0% above the age group average. Epidermal pigmentation can be treated by using sunscreen when spending long hours outdoors, while dermal pigmentation occurs on the inside of the skin and requires constant care with whitening products containing vitamin C derivatives that can be absorbed deep into the skin. It is necessary to apply whitening products containing antioxidant and whitening ingredients such as vitamin C to the pigmented areas consistently, as well as nourishing and moisturizing care. As the dermis layer pigmentation becomes more severe due to the continuous aging of melanocytes, it is necessary to provide energy to the skin cells with whitening products to keep the skin looking vibrant.

Sebum secretion is measured on the forehead, nose, and left and right cheeks and expressed as an area ratio (%) compared to the age group average, and the results of the analysis are shown in Table 7. Dry skin with low sebum production decreases further in winter and with age, resulting in rough and flaky skin. Because sebum acts as a natural moisturizing barrier that prevents excessive water evaporation, dry skin also loses moisture content. In this case, it’s important to drink plenty of water and use highly moisturizing essences or creams to boost circulation and skin metabolism. Oily skin is more prone to breakouts because it produces more oil, so it’s important to wash your face thoroughly to keep it clean. Once a week, use a deep cleanser or a sebum-absorbing pack to remove sebum and dead skin cells.

The amount of skin moisture varies depending on the season, with the highest amount in summer and the lowest amount in winter. Moisture secretion is measured on the forehead and both cheeks using a moisture meter, and regardless of season or age, the appropriate moisture level is based on 25 to predict the moisture age, and the analysis results showed that 70.0% of the subjects had a moisture level of 25 or less and 30.0% had a moisture level of 25 or more Table 8. Skin moisture is affected by the time of year, and given that the subjects in this study had their skin measured in November, we can see that their overall moisture is lower than average.

Skin moisture levels of 25 and below are characterized by hyperkeratosis, a condition in which there is a lot of dead skin cells that do not shed normally. Hormonal changes with age, decreased sebum secretion due to aging, lack of moisture due to prolonged exposure to low humidity, UV rays, sunbathing, and cold winds are the main causes of dry skin. This also accelerates dehydration of the dermis layer, which can lead to deeper pores, fine lines, loss of elasticity, slower dead skin cell turnover, and blemishes. For oily skin, lack of moisture can cause dead skin cells to clog pores, increasing the likelihood of acne, breakouts, and more. In autumn and winter, the skin’s sebum secretion changes in response to changes in the external environment, and the epidermal layer loses more moisture, so use a moisturizing cream that contains hyaluronic acid, and take extra care around the eyes, which are more prone to dryness.