Skin care products work best when aligned with the proper skin type. There are five essential skin types, each of which requires its own skin care routine: and one person may have several combinations of these skin types on different parts of his or her body.
The face, neck and shoulders are the areas most commonly associate with a mixture of different skin types. For example, it is possible to have oily skin in the “T zone” (the area of the face occupied by the forehead, the nose and the chin) while experiencing dry skin at other locations, perhaps the cheekbone area or the skin behind the ears.
The five skin types are:
Normal skin, which requires maintenance using very mild skin care products. Normal skin is characterised by being supple and smooth, with very few blemishes or oily patches. The maintenance required for this skin type is normally simple cleansing and the occasional application of gentle moisturiser.
Oily skin, which is caused by the sebaceous glands producing more sebum than is necessary, is often afflicted with spots and other pimples. The cause of spots in oily skin is dirt and dust in the air, which sticks to the sebum on the skin and blocks pores. Skin care products for oily skin are aimed at reducing the amount of surface sebum and slightly drying the skin, allowing pores to breathe properly.
Dry skin, which in its most noticeable form is eczema, is dry to the touch, may flake from the body easily and can become quite sore and irritated with only gentle stimulus from the outside environment. Moisturiser is required for frequent use with dry skin, and may need to be fairly serious: aloe vera based products, for example, are capable in some cases of restoring chapped and red skin to a more normal appearance.
Sensitive skin requires some special skin care products. Sensitive skin is skin that reacts angrily to a range of external stimuli, many chemical in nature. As a result, people with sensitive skin may have to source a range of skin care products with no chemicalconstituents, or with specially formulated makeup designed to provide moisturising and soothing benefits without irritating.
Combination skin, which is really a mixture of the other types of skin, is the most commonly found. Combination skin requires targeted use of skin care products – for example, gentle cleansing and clearing products for the T Zone, which is more usually oily than elsewhere on the body; and dry skin type products for the underarms. Skin care performed for combination skin is normally done with products that are marketed for targeting different areas – for instance, spot removal products normally target the T Zone as the oiliest place on the body.
Some skin conditions are caused not by skin type but by an underlying medical issue – for example an overabundance or lack of a p[articular hormone. As a result, skin care products may only ameliorate rather than cure a specific condition – which will go away when the underlying cause is defined and addressed.
Skin care products work best when aligned with the proper skin type. There are five essential skin types, each of which requires its own skin care routine.
Harry Wilson is a well known cosmetologist who loves to write articles and blogs on beauty and healthcare. In this article he is sharing some valuable information with us on Skin care products.
