Skin Types

Unlock the mystery of your skin type

Skin type is a mystery to most women and figuring out their own skin type is even more perplexing. As we age, our skin type seems to be even more of an enigma that never settles down. Maybe our skin was dry when we were babies; as teens, it became horrifically oily and acne-prone, and before we know it, we are adults and the effects of stress and fatigue have caught up with us – leaving wrinkles, fine lines and crow's feet in their wake.

Understanding your skin type is the key to vibrant, glowing, youthful-looking skin, not only because skin type is the way that cosmetics industry designates products, but because using a product made for your skin will drastically improve its health and appearance. Dermatologists have identified four major skin types: normal, oily, dry and combination. Normal skin is well-balanced, people with oily skin tend to suffer from blemishes caused by clogged pores, dry skin needs to be moisturized constantly and combination skin is simultaneously dry and oily. It can be difficult to deal with, but fortunately, producers of beauty products have harnessed the power of new medical technologies to formulate products that can treat these skin problems.

A skin care routine should be based on your skin type. For example:

• Normal Skin - can benefit from a variety of skin care products because it's neither too oily nor too dry.
• Oily Skin - should avoid the use of rich, heavy creams and lotions infused with oils. Shiny skin tends to be acne-prone so the use of anti-acne products and water-based gels are recommended.
• Dry Skin - needs to be deeply moisturized with oil-based skin care products to re-hydrate, flaky, itchy, wrinkle-prone skin.
• Combination Skin - needs to be treated with skin care products made for both oily skin (in the T-zone area) and normal skin.