How To Know Your Skin Type?

Knowing the characteristics of your skin is essential to take care of it with suitable products. Indeed, each type of skin requires specific cosmetics, that is to say, that respond to its problems. We explain how to identify what is best for your skin.

There Are Four Main Types Of Skin

• Normal skin
• Dry skin
• Oily skin
• Combination skin

It is largely determined by our genes, but you should know that the appearance of our epidermis, the surface layer of the skin, can vary depending on internal (diet, stress, disease, etc.) and external (pollution, exposure to the sun, cold, heat).

What Defines Normal Skin?

Normal skin is the type of skin that everyone dreams of because as the name suggests, it is balanced and healthy. It is neither too oily nor too dry because it is sufficiently hydrated (water contained in the epidermis) and nourished (fatty substances contained in the epidermis). People with normal skin have a smooth complexion, the grain is even, and the pores are not visible. Normal skin is therefore distinguished by its uniform appearance.

How Do You Recognize Dry Skin?

Dry skin lacks hydration and epidermal lipids. Concretely, dry skin produces less sebum than normal skin. As a result, it does not have enough fatty substance to retain water and protect itself against external aggressions. There are different degrees of dry skin (dry, very dry, and extremely dry skin). The main symptoms of dry skin are tightness, roughness, itching, mild to severe flaking, and a dull complexion.

How Do You Recognize Combination Skin?

Combination skin is characterized by a variation in the appearance of the skin depending on the area of ​​the face. In general, people with combination skin have oily skin on the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin) with large pores; and dry to normal skin on the cheeks. The cause is an excess of sebum on the T zone and a lack of water and lipids on the cheeks.

How To Diagnose Your Skin Type?

• Skin diagnosis can be performed by a dermatologist using skin imaging devices. The specialist begins by taking very high-resolution photos of your face, front and side, under different light filters (visible light, polarized light, blue light, UV light). This step allows you to possibly highlight spots, wrinkles, and other imperfections. Then, the dermatologist carefully analyzes the skin using probes to check in particular its flexibility but also its hydration level.
• After analyzing your skin, the doctor may ask you questions about the care you are used to applying at home and advise you to make some adjustments if your habits are not suitable for your skin type.
• If you don’t want to go through a skin diagnosis with a dermatologist, you can also make your own diagnosis by testing your skin yourself. Here are some characteristics of the different skin types:
• People who complain of tightness, redness, and/or itching, marked wrinkles have rather dry skin. They should focus on treatments with rich textures based on moisturizing and nourishing active ingredients. The preferred ingredients are glycerin, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, or even coconut oil.
• If you tend to have a “shiny” face, comedones (blackheads and whiteheads), large pores, your skin is rather oily. The goal is therefore to use treatments that slow down and absorb excess sebum. Opt for non-comedogenic, non-greasy, purifying, and mattifying treatments to reduce this “shiny” effect caused by seborrhea. Use products that contain zinc or grapeseed oil, which are natural sebum-regulating substances. Remember to exfoliate your skin once or twice a week.