Skin Types and Skincare Regimens

The skin is as important of an organ just like your heart, lungs, and other vital organs. Not only is it the largest organ of the body, but it is a sensory organ with functions of protection and renewal. Understanding your skin is pivotal so that you provide it with ‘adequate’ and ‘rightly targeted’ care.

Not knowing your skin type is a serious problem. While the market is flooded with a variety of skincare products ranging from harsh exfoliators to masks and certain treatments, you need to know that not everything is for YOU! Different products have different active ingredients that may be a holy grail for one individual or skin type, but may be a nightmare for another individual or skin type. Learning to differentiate can help you achieve healthy skin and save you from unnecessary products and wasting money.

So what are the different skin types and how can you spot which is yours?

 

 DRY SKIN

Dry skin can be felt as being tight, and sometimes flaky because of less production and retention of sebum in the skin. Medically know as Xeroderma, dry skin can be because of multiple factors like genetics, environment, diet, hormones, climate, and dehydration.

What to do if you have dry skin, and how to select which skincare products fit your skin? Avoiding products which strip off moisture from the skin is important and instead you should use gentle exfoliators that remove dead cells on the epidermis and allow better penetration of moisturisers and serums. Products that contain hyaluronic acid, peptides, and ceramides are best friends for dry skin because they act attract environmental moisture to your skin and provide cellular level moisturization to it. Other natural emollients include shea butter, squalene, honey, glycerin, and almond oil that work wonders for dry, flaky skin.

 

COMBINATION SKIN 

This skin type can be defined by dry cheeks and an oily and shiny T zone (nose, forehead, and chin), which is sometimes subject to acne because of a highly active sebaceous gland. Combination skin is tricky because it requires two different kind of skincare products targeting the dryness on the cheeks and controlling the excess sebum and acne on the T zone.

If you have combination skin, the best advice would be to make your skincare routine simple. Start with gentle exfoliation to regulate sebum balance on the T zone, and to keep the cheeks moisturized, use a gel based hydrating moisturizer which is absorbent and non comodogenic. A clean diet, exercise, and recognizing and preventing acne triggers will ease you in your skincare routine too!

 

OILY SKIN

Oily skin is characterised by excess oil and sebum sitting on the skin. While it makes the skin look shiny all the time, the best part about people with oily skin is that they are not very prone to fine lines and symptoms of early ageing because their skin has sufficient natural moisture to delay pre mature fine lines.

A skincare regime for oily skin should start with a gentle and purifying exfoliator that wipes away any impurities in clogged pores and reduces any spotting or discoloration by exfoliating the uppermost skin layer and revealing new cells. Using foam and gel-based cleansers with active ingredients such as tea tree, vitamin C, salicylic acid, niacinamide and witch hazel can help in removing excess buildup of sebum in pores and improve cell turnover. 

A tip to never forget is to apply moisturizer on oily skin and not ignore hydration on skin. Using a light and quick absorbent water based moisturizer will suit your oily skin best and keep it replenished!