For example, two best friends, Valerie, a medium-skintoned brunette, and Dana, a dark-skinned woman, came in for back-to back appointments. After they each took the questionnaire and tabulated their results, they were surprised to discover that they shared the same Skin Type. They were both “P,” Pigmented Skin Types, which gave both Valerie and Dana a tendency to develop pigmentation issues. And each of them did have a problem with pigmentation. That’s why they came to my office. Valerie had an area of dark skin discoloration (called melasma) on her cheek, and Dana had dark spots in areas where she had once had pimples. Although I recommended that they follow the exact same protocol and use the same kinds of products, there was one key difference. Valerie could benefit from an advanced cosmetic procedure that uses light instruments or lasers to treat pigment problems like hers, while Dana would benefit most from prescription products used daily and should not undergo laser treatment since this can cause discoloration in people with darker skin tones.

 A Dermatologist’s Story

“A patient came to see me because of skin discoloration on her chin and cheeks. An African-American with oily skin, Sylvia never guessed that the skin scrub she’d picked up at the Neiman Marcus beauty department was causing this problem. Anyone with highly pigmented skin (like many dark skinned people) must stay away from all ingredients and procedures that cause inflammation. Yet, not knowing her SkinType, Sylvia had no idea that her choice of skin product stimulated the inflammatory response, which in turn led to dark spots. I taught Sylvia what to look for on product ingredient labels. Common ingredients, like vitamin C, AHA, and alpha lipoic acid, can create inflammation, as do buff pu ffs and strong scrubs. She was surprised to learn that hair removal formulas, like Nair, and hot wax products may also cause inflammation. In using wax or a chemical depilatory to remove facial hair, Sylvia wound up with unsightly dark patches that looked far worse than the hair she was trying to remove. Now she knew to avoid them. Once she became aware of the needs of her Skin Type, she was able to make changes that helped reduce the dark spots considerably. In addition, I recommended she use products containing oatmeal, feverfew, chamomile, or licochalone, which are known to have anti-inflammatory properties.” Dr. Leslie Baumann, M.D.

One size definitely does not fit all when it comes to acne skin care.

There are four basic types of skin, oily, normal, dry, or combination skin, a combination of two of them. Combination skin may be normal-to-oily or normal-to-dry. For each type, a different skin care regimen is needed. Skin types also change over time, skin that may have been combination normal/oily may become more normal or dry as the skin ages. Changes in skin requires adjust of skin care routines to maintain a healthful appearance.

Five Questions To Ask Yourself.

First, start with some basic questions in order to determine your skin type. The answers to these questions will help you to decide what type of skin you have.

1. How frequent are your breakouts?
2. Do you have blackheads?
3. Do you have large pores?
4. How does the skin feel after it has been washed with soap and water?
5. Are there facial lines?

The answers to these questions help determine the type of care your skin will require to look its freshest.

Basic Descriptions of Skin Types

Each skin type is determined by several factors such as the amount of oil produced, texture, and the frequency of acne breakouts. Skin tones often seem to coincide with certain types of skin, but skin tone is not a determining factor in what type of skin you may have. Quite fair skin may also be oily, while dark tones may be dry. Therefore, skin color is not a good metric to use when determining what type of skin you may have.

People with dry skin usually have few breakouts and seldom experience blackheads. The reason for this is that excess oil blockages are what form blackheads, and dry skin is not prone to excess oil. This generally means that acne breakouts are rare for this skin type, although other problems may exist. Dry skin generally has few if any visible pores, and the skin will feel tight and/or dry after cleansing. Those with dry skin are usually fair-skinned and often develop facial lines early in life. This skin type may sunburn very quickly.

People with normal skin and with combination skin suffer occasional breakouts, with mild-to-moderate blackheads that occur for the most part in the “t-zone.” The t-zone is the area which runs across the forehead and down the nose and mouth area, it also includes the chin. Pores are often larger and more noticeable in the t-zone area but are usually not as large as those that appear in oily skin. The skin may feel dry and tight immediately after cleansing but will soon feel more lubricated. The skin tone for normal skin usually is fair to medium, and a few early lines may appear around the eyes. This skin type usually will sunburn when first exposed to the sun, but then will tan. Prolonged sun exposure can produce temporary dry skin conditions.

Oily skin is characterized by more frequent breakouts and the presence of comdones or blackheads. The pores are enlarged and visible. After washing the face quickly becomes oily, the nose and forehead quite rapidly growing shiny due to increased oil production. The skin tone is frequently olive or dark. Facial lines are not very prevalent with this type of skin; oily skin tends to be resist aging longer than the other skin types. Therefore, over the long term, oily skin stays youthful for a longer period of time than the drier types of skin. Oily skin rarely burns when exposed to the sun and usually tans easily.

A Final Word

Determining what type of skin you have should enable you to make better choices when it comes to skin care products. There are numerous products on the market that are designed to improve skin quality. For improving your acne, choose products that won’t cause further problems for you by basing your choices upon the type of skin that you have. Adjust your skin care regimen as your skin changes in order to be on top of your acne problem.

Here are four skin types that you should know:

1. Oily Skin

Skin may look oily, sallow, and coarse; it has large pores and tends to have pimples, blackheads and whiteheads. The texture of skin is thick; the touch is often sticky. It is usually youthful-looking due to the presence of oil on the skin. Besides that, within hours of cleansing the oiliness will reappear and makeup is usually absorbed quickly. Often, individuals with this skin type have a propensity to develop acne in their teen and middle years.

2. Dry Skin

This skin type has a transparent looking and fine texture. It may lack natural oils, may look rather flaky with small pores, blackheads and blemishes. It feels particularly dry after cleansing and may have whiteheads around the eyes and dry patches. Without sufficient moisture, this skin type can simply become chapped. It’s more likely to become wrinkly than other types.

3. Combination Skin

This type can be characterized as oily on the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) and the rest of the face, cheeks and around the eye, is dry. However, to restore both areas to balance, they need a separate cleansing routine.

4. Normal skin

If this is your skin type you are very lucky, because less than 20% of women have this skin type. It is the “healthy” type of skin. It’s smooth, soft, and supple; not too dry, not too oily, characterized by few blemishes, and has a nice glow. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to take care of it.

The first step just before choosing a skin care routine that will make you look beauty is knowing you skin type. Therefore, I want to give you simple tips how to know what type of skin you have exactly:

1. Cleanse your face, and wait for an hour, without applying any skin care product to it.

2. After that, take a tissue and wipe each of the following areas of your face: your forehead, nose, chin, and cheeks.

If oil appears on the tissue, then you have oily skin. But, if skin particles can be seen on your skin, or remain on the tissue, then you have dry skin. Other than that, If you see oil in some areas (T-zone: forehead, nose and chin), and none in others, then naturally you have combination skin. And, if you don’t find oily residue or flake is left on the skin, you have normal skin.

One thing that you should keep in mind, cleansing and moisturizing twice a day is an important thing of having attractive and healthy skin, regardless of what type of skin you have. For maximum results, select products that are intended for your particular skin type.

THE BIOLOGY OF THE SKIN

The top layer of the skin, called the epidermis, is made up of four distinct layers. When you look at someone’s skin, you see the very top layer, made up of cells that reflect light. When that top layer is smooth, it reflects light evenly so that the skin looks more uniform and radiant than it does when the surface is rougher.

At the lowest portion of the epidermis are “mother cells,” called basal cells, which produce all the other skin cells. They divide into “daughter cells,” which rise up to the higher levels of the epidermis. As they travel, they age and eventually die, so that the top layer consists of dead cells which naturally exfoliate off in a process called the “cell cycle,” which can take anywhere from twenty-six to forty-two days. Between the third and eighth decades of life, the cell cycle slows from 30 to 50 percent of its pace in youth. That means that older skin renews itself much more slowly, forming a rough surface of cells, rather than a smooth surface. The uppermost cells contain a natural moisturizing factor (NMF), which holds moisture. The body responds to a dry environment by producing more NMF, but it takes several days for production to rev up, so your skin may become quite dehydrated before help comes. That’s why it’s important to moisturize your skin in any dry environment. Substances released by the cells in the middle of the epidermis form a protective film made of lipids (fats) that surrounds skin cells and helps keep the skin hydrated. Your fingers and toes contain fewer lipids and are therefore not as “watertight” as your legs, which is why your fingers and toes look shriveled after immersion in water but your legs do not. Your skin cracks in cold weather because the chilled lipids become stiffer and less able to adjust to movement. The goal of the best moisturizers is to increase the amount of these important lipids, helping your skin to hold moisture.

Dryness and oiliness depend primarily on the condition of the skin barrier, the outer layer of skin which helps the skin retain moisture, and the oil (sebum) production itself. The barrier is like a brick wall, with each brick (or cell) held in place by mortar (fats called lipids). Harmful ingredients, cold, and dry weather can wear down these fats, eroding the mortar so that the “bricks” are not secured in their proper place.

A variety of outside agents, including detergents, acetone, chlorine and other chemicals, and even prolonged water immersion can harm the barrier, or the barrier may be deficient for genetic reasons.

The barrier’s main components are ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol, all different kinds of lipids. These must be present in the right proportion to keep the skin watertight. An impaired barrier will tend toward both dryness and sensitivity. Dryness results when skin moisture evaporates.

Sensitivity results when a deficient barrier permits the entry of outside irritants. Repairing the skin barrier with the right skin care products will help treat a variety of skin conditions. Incorporating key dietary nutrients, such as essential fatty acids and cholesterol, provides the necessary building blocks. Nutrient deficiencies can weaken your skin’s ability to repair and rebuild, which is why people who take cholesterol-lowering drugs often have dry skin.