Gabbi Garcia, Bianca Gonzalez, Winwyn Marquez, and Maymay Entrata are just some of the many Pinay celebrities making the most out of life by loving their morena skin.
Like these stars, you too have reasons to be "Pinay, morena, and proud," and they are more than skin deep.
According to dermatologist Dr. Zharlah Gulmatico-Flores, most Filipinas have a naturally tanned or olive complexion, which, despite its tendency to get oily, actually has sufficient vitamins and melanin to protect the skin from harsh elements.
That alone, she says, makes the Filipino skin better than the rest.
She discussed this in an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) during an event for a skin-care brand last August 16, 2019.
Here are the benefits of having a morena skin, as explained by Dr. Flores:
morena SKIN HAS BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST THE SUN
Dr. Flores advises, "Yung pagiging oily ng skin natin, huwag natin masyadong tinatanggal. It's because, number one, the sebaceous glands kasi when they secrete oil, it protects you in a way from sun damage."
The sebaceous glands are the part of your skin that releases oil and waxy matter called sebum onto the outermost surface of your skin or the epidermis.
Although too much sebum can cause pimples, Dr. Flores says that "it filters in a little way some of the UV [ultraviolet] rays.
"So may protection ka. That's number one," she points out.
And it's not just the oil that can protect you from the sun, but the tone of your skin, too.
According to Dr. Flores, having a dark complexion means having enough melanin in your skin.
She elaborates, "The color of our skin is nice.
"We have a lot of melanin. The melanin is actually the [pigment] being produced by the melanocyte [cells in the epidermis]. It protects us from the sun."
While melanin shields you from UV rays, Dr. Flores says that it also absorbs the needed vitamins from the sun.
She adds, "So kapag may melanin ka, naa-arawan ka, kinukuha ni melanin lahat iyon."
MORENA SKIN MAKES PINOYS LOOK YOUNGER
With all the above reasons, Dr. Flores doesn't recommend using too much whitening products, as they decrease the true strength of your skin.
"Unlike yung mga mapuputi, yung mga Korean, yung mga Caucasian, wala silang protection from the sun kasi konti lang ang melanin nila.
"You know for me, you shouldn't go crazy over whitening products kasi our skin is very nice. It's ideal.
"It protects you from sun damage. It protects you from looking old, actually. That's why we look younger than other Asian countries kasi we don't have dry skin, e."