What is your skin type?
The Five Basic Skin Types
Skin is not all the same. It is dermatologically categorized into five major skin types:
Normal Skin
This is generally the healthiest and least problematic type. Oil production and moisture are correctly balanced; the pores appear small and inconspicuous. This results in a vibrantly healthy, clean and smooth complexion.
Apart from basic hygiene and care, normal skin requires no special treatment.
Oily Skin
This type suffers from overactive sebaceous glands excreting an excess of facial oil. Oily skin is problematic as the oil clogs the pores and enlarges them, makes the surface appear coarse, greasy and shiny, as well as literally inviting acne. Everyday dust and dirt easily sticks to the skin-surface diminishing hygiene. However, on the bright side, oily skin does not age easily and often improves with age.
Cleaning thoroughly 2-3 times daily with hot water and mild soap and regularly applying a toner to reduce pore size, as well as minimizing use of creams and moisturizers and following a healthy diet low on carbohydrates and fat will help improve skin quality.
Dry skin
In contrast to oily skin, dry skin produces too little facial oil, causing moisture to evaporate and the skin to dry out. While it usually looks great while still young, fine lines, wrinkles and a sallow skin tone will be quick to develop.
To reduce skin aging and irritations, it is of utmost importance to supply sufficient moisture by applying suitable creams at least twice a day, as well as using additional beauty products such as masks, and also increasing overall body hydration by drinking water regularly.
Combination Skin
Combination Skin is probably the most common kind for women. As the name already suggests, it is a combination of oily and dry skin types in the same face. Typically the area around the eyes and on cheeks is especially dry, while the ‘T-zone’ (describing the area from the forehead over the nose down to the chin) consists of oily skin.
It is important to treat both skin types as individually as possible, using more cream and moisturizer on the dry parts and regularly deep-cleansing and toning the oily sections. However, it is advisable to apply some moisturizer all over and buy products designed specifically for combination skin.
Sensitive skin
This is certainly the most problematic of all five types. Sensitive skin is highly reactive to environmental factors, sun exposure, cosmetic products, perfumes and many other things. It is very, well, sensitive and fragile, easily developing reddish, scaly, itchy and tingly areas or breaking into spots or rashes.
The most important thing is to use only high quality skin-care and cosmetic products designed specifically for sensitive skin. Avoid contact with perfumes and chemicals as well as harsh environmental influences. Always wear good UV protection and, circumstances providing, a hat and sunglasses!
