Development and Biology of East Asian Skin, Hair, and Nails

Abstract

People of skin of color comprise the majority of the world's population and Asian people comprise more than half of the total population of the world. East Asia encompasses a subregion of Asia that may be defi ned in geographical or cultural terms. Geographically, it covers about 28 % of Asia and is populated by more than 1.5 billion people, just over one-fi fth of the world's population. Countries traditionally classifi ed as being part of East Asia include China, Japan, North and South Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan. Historically, many societies in East Asia have been part of the Chinese cultural sphere. However, with the increasing mobility of the world's population over the past two centuries, people of East Asian descent have fanned out to not only other parts of Asia but also to all other continents.