What Kind of Skin Do You Have?

Before you use any skin care product, it’s important for you to know what kind of skin you have.  This will help you to better understand your skin care needs.

There are four types of skin: dry, normal, combination, and oily. Each skin type has its own characteristics.

Dry Skin:

If you have dry skin, your pores are small, you have a matte (dull) finish with little or no superficial oil or shine, and your skin tends to be rough, flaky, and/or crack. Expression lines are quick to form on dry skin, especially around the eyes and mouth. This is a more common condition among women over 50 and those who live in low-humidity climates.

Normal Skin:

Normal skin is healthy-looking with a smooth texture. It contains a balance of oil and moisture and tends not to have blemishes or clogged pores. But don’t think of this as a free pass if this describes your skin because when properly cared for, lines and wrinkles are seldom a problem. (But that’s when normal skin is properly cared for!) People with this type of skin will usually form wrinkles late in life.

Combination Skin:

This type of skin is healthy –looking with a smooth texture and some oiliness in the T-zone areas (the area on your face that forms a “T” across the forehead and down to the nose and chin) and some dryness on the cheeks and outer edges of the face.  When properly cared for, lines and wrinkles will seldom form until late in life.

Oily Skin:

When your glands produce too much oil they give you a shiny appearance.  Your skin will sometimes feel greasy or sticky for several hours after cleansing.  Women with oily skin have larger pores than other skin types and are more prone to breakouts, clogged pores, and blemishes. Oily skin may tend to wrinkle less their dry skin sisters. And interestingly enough, the large amount of oil on the surface helps the upper layers of the skin retain water and protects skin from environmental causes of dryness.

If you’re still not sure what your skin type is, let me break it down for you:

1. If your face feels tight and pores are not noticeable, you have dry skin.
2. If your skin feels smooth, neither oily nor dry, and your pores are barely visible, then you have normal skin.
3. If your skin feels smooth, has oiliness in the T-zone and dryness on the outer edges (cheeks) of your face, then you have combination skin.
4. If your face is shiny all over with visible pores, then you have oily skin.