Skin Care Essentials - Find Your Skin Type

Well, as you have noticed, I love to talk about skin! Today I want to take you back to the skin care basics. I found this post unfinished in my draft folder, as our skin is matters let's I finish this one for you.

The first step in any personal skin care is to establish which skin type you are. There are three main types of skin: normal, oily and dry. 

Normal skin. Firm, supple, warm to the touch, neither dry nor greasy; without spots or blemishes. A pale normal skin will be pinkish. Normal skin is neither too acid nor too alkaline, with an average, neutral pH of 6.5.

Oily skin. Shiny and difficult to keep clean due to excess sebum; frequent spots and inflamed areas, prone to acne and dermatitis. Sun, alcohol, poor diet, stress and cold damp winters aggravate the effects, but sebum inhibits water loss so this alkaline type can age slowly.

Dry skin. Dry and often slightly hot; prone to powdery scaling, superficial wrinkles and a dull appearance. This more acid type is sensitive to cold and wind, becoming irritated and inflamed, to central heating and to air conditioning. Moisturising is extremely important.

There are two more types of skin you can come across: combination skin and ageing skin. Combination skin is dry with shiny, oily areas on the forehead, sides of the nose, around the mouth and chin. Some areas need deep moisturising while others need astringent, drying application. Ageing skin is tending towards dryness, hot to touch and lacking tone of flexibility - a pinch will indicate how quickly it recovers; sometimes blemished, damaged or flushed with erythema. Ageing skin needs constant attention with toner, hydrating lotions and nourishing masks.

Most people have combination of these types of skin, for example normal skin with an oily panel in the centre. You need to remember that, as skin starts to age, it also starts to deteriorate, and so your skincare routine needs to be modified accordingly. For example, as we age, the amount of secretion the oil glands produce can decline. Health, time, environment, even season, can cause temporary or permanent changes in skin condition. 

I recommend to test your skin every six month to establish its type. 

Here is a simple tissue test.

You need a completely clean face for this so remove any traces of make-up, and give your face a final clean, using warm water and cotton wool balls. Gently towel dry and wait for about 30minutes before covering your face with one layer of a paper tissue. Press lightly all over your face and leave for about a minute. Then remove the paper carefully and examine it near a window or a light.

Normal skin. Faint oily traces on most of the paper.

Oily skin. Obvious oily stains over most of the paper.

Dry skin. No oily traces on most of he paper.

Combination skin. Oily patches at the sides of the nose and around the mouth and forehead.

What is your skin type?

Marija

Read more from Skin Care Essentials:

- Skin protection
- Stress Management
- Sleep Management
- Nutrition and Supplements