KNOW YOUR SKIN TYPE

KNOW YOUR SKIN TYPE

The first step in choosing proper care for your face is knowing your skin type. I've compiled this article from various sources as I feel this is the most important step before you begin any beauty regimen.

The market is filled with thousands of different beauty products. The diversity is immense, so is the confusion. Amidst all of the different brands, all of the different cleansers, moisturizers, toners and other so called "must-haves", how does one really choose which products to use?

The first step is discovering your own skin type. Just as each person differs in height or weight, each person is endowed with a different skin type. Generally, all skin types can fall into 5 categories. These are normal, dry, oily, combination and problem skin types.

                                                    Pic courtesy: www.sheknows.com

Knowing Your Skin Type

Discovering and embracing your very own skin types entails listening to your skin and understanding it. The normal skin is soft, smooth and supple to the touch. It is neither too dry nor oily. Its pores are hardly visible and break-outs are rare. In other words, people gifted with this skin type belong to the measly 20% that have normal skin.

Dry skin tends to feel tight and constricted. There is also a tendency for fine lines to appear around the eyes or the mouth. After washing the face, it immediately feels tight and dry. Oily skin on the other hand is the complete opposite of the dry skin. After washing, it feels normal but a few hours later, it looks greasy already. Its complexion is rough and it tends to have blackheads and whiteheads. Pores are large and visible to the naked eye.

The combination skin is the "in-between" of the dry and oily skin types. It tends to be oily in the t-zone and dry in other areas. There is an imbalance in the skin such that both types exist on the same face. The t-zone refers to the area of the forehead, nose and chin. The problem skin type is the acne-prone skin. It has constant breakouts of blackhead, whiteheads and pimples. The skin is usually oily and has large visible pores.

These are the 5 general skin types. Some people can manifest more than one type. What is important is to determine which skin types you're closest to. After determining your skin type, the next step is knowing how to care for your skin.

Caring for Your Skin

The normal skin type requires very little maintenance. For the fortunate minority gifted with this skin type, it does not mean it should not be taken care of. It still needs to be cleansed, toned, moisturized and protected. It can probably use any beauty product in the market.

The dry skin type requires a lot of moisturizing aside from cleansing and toning. Cream-based cleansers work well with dry skin. Toners with alcohol and other drying components must be avoided. The oily skin type requires a gentle cleanser twice a day. Any more than that would lead the sebaceous glands (oil producing glands of the skin) to overproduce oil to compensate for the loss. Moisturizing is also needed despite the oiliness of the skin. Toning is an essential to remove excess oil and cool the skin. Oily skin types must always look for water-based products. Oil-based ones will only aggravate the oiliness.

Combination skin types demand more attention because the oily and dry areas must be treated separately to be able to restore balance. Toning must only be done on the oily areas. Moisturizing applies to the entire face but attention must be paid to the dry areas. Finally, the problem skin type demands the most attention. It must be careful with selecting beauty products. Cleansers, moisturizers and toners must be hypo-allergenic and non-comedogenic. Non-comedogenic means that the product will not block the pores. It is also advisable for problem skin types to consult with a dermatologist to help remedy the problem.