Knowing your skin type, is the first step in finding the right product for your skin. Its nothing short of a giant leap.
Most products, especially cleansers have a label indicating what type of skin the product is suitable for. The general categories of skin types are: dry, normal, oily, combination. This blog outlines the general characteristics of each skin type. By the end of this blog, you should know what your skin type is.
Also, its not a one size fits all approach: you are allowed to be completely and utterly confused about your skin type.
For example, I have extensive sun damage around my eyes, indicating I have dry and ageing under-eye skin. The rest of my face is probably Normal/Dry in the summer and Normal/Combination for the rest of the year. Also, more of us do have sensitive skin and there are multiple factors (global warming, impurities in our diet, pollution) contributing to this trend.
I won’t waste time on Normal skin. Normal skin folk have smooth skin that is not prone to eruptions. They don’t have problem areas (such as shiny/dry foreheads, puffy under-eyes and so on). And they do not have “pore” issues. If it makes you feel better, I actual don’t know anyone with normal skin.
Please let me know if you have any queries or I’d love to hear your suggestions so please write to me. Click on “EMAIL ME” for my address. I look forward to hearing from you!
DRY SKIN
- Forehead and areas around eyes are prone to fine lines/wrinkles
- Under-eye area is very delicate and is less resilient with less elasticity leading to puffy eyes and fine lines
- Cheeks have dry, patchy and sometimes inflamed skin
- Pores along the T-Zone are not visible
- Chin area is prone to dryness
COMBINATION SKIN
- Forehead and T-zone has shiny skin and this becomes shinier as the day progresses
- No under-eye area issues
- Cheeks and area around the nostrils have dry patches
- Pores are visible around the nose and chin
- Pores in the chin area are large, prone to clogging and may result in black heads
OILY SKIN
- Forehead, nose and chin have or are prone to being shiny. This gets worse as the day progresses, depending on stress levels and the weather
- Pores in the nose and chin area are enlarged
- Forehead, chin and nose are all prone to clogging with dirt and oil. These areas are most prone to pimples or blemishes.
SENSITIVE SKIN
While genetics play a large role in a person’s propensity to sensitive skin, its also clear that anyone of any age or gender can have sensitive skin. For example, if you have acne or rosacea, then you also have sensitive skin.
- Hairline and cheeks are prone to drying and scaling
- Cheeks are prone to becoming inflamed, itchy, tingly or feel as if they are burning
- Individuals blush (a lot)
MATURE SKIN
- Forehead, eye area, cheeks and the neck are all prone to dryness
- Under-eye area and cheeks have increasingly thinner skin. This is because of loss of collagen and lipids in our skin. Increasing dryness in these areas causes lines and bags
- Cheek and under-eye areas increasingly see greater age spots
- Overall loss of skin elasticity causes skin to sag and then wrinkle, especially around the mouth. Admittedly some of it is gravity.
Source: Photo by Eva Wong from Pexels Photo by Manoel Marinho from Pexels Photo by nappy from Pexels Photo by luizclas from Pexels Photo by Ivandrei Pretorius from Pexels Photo by Joy Deb from Pexels Photo by Vivek Baghel from Pexels,