Is It Important To Know My Skin Type?
Is your skin type dry, normal/combination, sensitive or oily? Whenever I ask this question and a woman answers I dont know, then she typically has normal/combination skin. Believe me, those who have dry, oily or sensitive skin know who they are.
Normal/combination skin is the ideal and it’s not unusual to feel a little dryer or a little oilier a short while after cleansing. If you produce a little more or less oil than you need, you’re still within the normal range. You’ll have dry cheeks with a normal T zone when your skin is Normal to Dry. And, you’ll have normal cheeks with an oily T zone when your skin is Normal to Oily.
When your skin is Dry, you know that it doesn’t produce enough facial oil. That “less than enough” oil production means that your skin will feel dry and tight within seconds after cleansing. Generally, this type has very tight pores and spots of dry, flaky skin.
Really shiny skin is what you can expect within a couple hours of cleansing when you have Oily skin. If this sounds like you, you probably know that your oil glands produce too much oil. This skin type is usually oily all over, is prone to acne or pimples and may have enlarged pores.
Average products may cause redness and/or itching for Sensitive skin. Most cosmetic lines carry a group of products with no known allergens. These are designed to be mild and very gentle to sensitive-type facial skin; which may be combined with any of the above types, dry-sensitive, oily-sensitive, etc.
All skin types will have some kind of unfavorable reaction if you’re not using the right skin care products. You can expect extreme problems if you have very dry or very oily or sensitive skin. Dry skin may flake, peel, or even crack open; with prolonged improper care, dry skin will wrinkle 10 to 20 years ahead of the other skin types. That’s why dry skin needs to begin appropriate (pH balanced) skin care as early as possible to prevent those serious, costly problems.
Oily skin will have more severe, longer lasting problems if your skin care products contain oil. There will be clogged pores, and there may be facial infections that develop into cysts due to bacteria and overgrown skin cells that stop natural follicular growth. The long lasting effects could be permanent, dark pimple spots or uneven facial surface and extremely large pores.
A few of the more sever reactions that sensitive skin might expect are extreme dryness, burning and itching. 1st degree burns that look like eczema and possible scarring. Products designed for sensitive skin will leave your face feeling normal; not too dry, oily or itchy. Before using a new product, test a little behind an ear and give it 24 hours to see if you’ll have a negative reaction.
The average of normal/combination skin type doesn’t suffer with problem skin, but a lot of other people do. Products for your skin type will leave your skin feeling fine, normal, not too dry, itchy or oily. Knowing what type skin you have and only using appropriate products means you’ll minimize or eliminate those severe problems and eventually the cost of a dermatologist.