Why Is It Important To Know My Skin Type?
Written by Andi Bradshaw on March 1st, 2009Is your skin type Dry, Normal/Combination, Sensitive or Oily? Whenever I ask this question and a woman answers I don’t 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.
The person with Dry skin knows that her body doesn’t generate enough oil to keep her facial skin moist. The under activity of her oil glands results in skin that feels dry or tight within minutes after cleansing. This type skin has very tight pores and generally has spots of dry flakey skin.
If your skin is really shiny or very oily within 2 hours after cleansing, then you have Oily skin. This person knows that her body has over active sebaceous (oil) glands, and her face produces too much oil. This type has enlarged pores, is generally oily all over, and is prone to outbreaks or acne.
Women with Sensitive skin know their skin type because their reactions may be itching, splotchiness or swelling. Today, almost all popular cosmetic companies have developed a group of products that are hyper-allergenic. Designed to work for dry sensitive or oily sensitive skin, these products are specially formulated to be very mild and gentle.
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 can expect more severe and longer lasting problems if their cleanser contains too much oil. Those severe problems may be facial acne that becomes infected as bacteria attaches itself to oily skin or where hair folicles that are unable to grow past the surface level (because of overgrown skin cells), may develop into puss filled cysts. The lasting problems may be permanent dark pimple discolorations or extremely enlarged pores that equal an uneven skin surface.
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 person does not suffer from these extreme problems, but plenty of people do. The idea of using the most beneficial products for your skin type is that it should make your skin feel normal, not too dry, not too oily and not itchy. Once you’ve identified your skin type and only use the appropriate skin care items you can minimize or eliminate those extreme problems and the need for a dermatologist.
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