Knowing Your Skin Type

Not all skins are the same. Some are oily, some are dry, some are sensitive, and others are a combination of oily and dry, oily and sensitive, or dry and sensitive. You might even have a skin type that is all three – oily, dry and sensitive. Knowing your skin type is one of the most fundamental issues in any skin care regime. This is because your skin can respond differently to different types of treatments – not all skins are the same.

Basically the person with oily skin has overactive oil-secreting glands. All skins contain glands just beneath the surface of the skin which secrete oil to constantly moisten and nourish the skin. Sometimes however persons may develop overactive oil glands due to a combination of one of more reasons. Some persons may indeed have naturally oily skin, while others would develop this problem if they are subject to a series of harsh skin treatments – whether it is medical treatments, acne irritations for a long period of time, or simply being exposed to the sun for long periods of time at a single time. The person with the oily skin may simply experience mild shines during the course of a routine day, or that person may have severely oily skins which may need to be addressed several times during the routine day.

The dry skin on the other hand is the opposite of the oily skin. The oil glands under the skin may not be as efficient in releasing oil onto the skins surface for one reason or another, depriving the skin of its basic moisturizing essentials. Dry skin may also be the result of natural problems within the glands, or they may arise from over-sensitization to skin treatments.

Combination skin oddly consists of both dry and oily skin problems. The person with this type of skin must therefore take care to exercise both the proper moisturizing procedures but at the same time not to overdo it. Oil-free moisturizers are the best bet for such skin types, and matte makeup is always recommended to keep the shine away.

Proper skin care and even makeup applications are very much dependent upon the skin type of the person experiencing the treatment. This is essential because the wrong type of skin care for the wrong skin could make the skin problem even worse by instigating flare-ups and outbreaks, in addition to causing skin sensitivity. With makeup applications, the wrong makeup application for the wrong skin care could have the same effect. For example, for oily skins, you would definitely want to stay away from oil-based makeup and oil-based skin care products.

You would also need to pay closer attention to the finishing effect of your makeup to ensure that your makeup is sufficient to maintain a matte (oil free) look all day long. On the other hand, for dry skins you would definitely need to pay attention to skin moisturizing on a regular basis, and consider carefully the types of astringents that you use to clean the face.