Skin type -- Love It or Lose It?

Hi all!

       Today I thought we would discuss something that causes a lot of confusion -- your facial skin type. Anyone who has ever gone shopping for makeup or face washes knows that there are multiple types of skin-- from dry, to oily, to combination skin. And then of course there's sensitive skin and acne-prone skin and normal skin -- whatever that means! So what are the differences, and how do we know what to look for? Unfortunately, this is a pretty important question to know the answer to when taking care of your skin. And let's be honest, it's pretty hazy out there as is, and wading through a million and one facial products is too difficult for my normal 5 minute Walmart run.

      According to The National Skin Care Institute, there are really only four skin types -- dry, oily, combination and normal skin. Most of us are familiar with these terms, but what are they characterized by? Turns out they are based on a combination of three factors that affect your skin's health -- the amount of water, fats, and sensitivity of your skin. In a perfect world, we would all have the right amount of each category and would carry on our merry way, right? Unfortunately, that is just not how life works, so let's see what the typical characteristics of each skin type is, shall we? Lets start at one end of the spectrum -- dry skin.

     Dry skin is typically prone to red patches of dry or flaky skin with small pores. These effects are due to an inadequate amount of water and oils -- two of our three categories that determine your skin type. Dry skin is also relatively sensitive and therefore mild, non-drying cleansers need to be used as well as regular moisturizers to try to obtain a more balanced amount of oil on the skin. Although it is not usually acne prone, dry skin can still be pretty irritated on a regular basis due to the formation of dry, red patches of skin. Some not-so-extreme cases of dry skin will just feel pulling or tightness, but may also have some flakiness around the least oily areas.

     On the other end of the spectrum is the oily skin type. This is usually accompanied by overactive sebaceous glands, meaning lots of fats in the skin, which causes a shiny complexion with larger pores. For these reasons, this type of complexion is usually more acne prone than others. To balance this skin type, it is better to use oil-free face washes and thin, mild moisturizers to not add extra oil where it isn't needed -- or wanted for that matter. And I just want to point out that just because your skin is oily, doesn't mean you should wash it more often. By washing your face more than 1 to 2 times a day -- at most once in the morning and once at night -- you can actually make your skin more oily because it is over-dried and trying to get back to a balance of oil. To do this, your skin produces even more oil than it did before, which I think we can all agree is not helping anything!

     Now in-between the two extremes is the combination skin type. Combination skin is usually oilier around the T-zone -- the area from your forehead down the length of your nose and the chin -- while your cheeks can be normal to dry skin. Typically this causes larger pores around the T-zone, as it produces more oil, and an overall shiny complexion. Take note that this skin type is prone to change throughout the year, with dryness in the winter and oiliness in the summer -- yay for finicky skin! This alternating pattern -- between dry and oily -- is mainly due to lipid imbalances, which are more likely to be genetic or hormonal than a typical water/lipid/sensitivity imbalance type of thing. This may make it hard to care for your skin and may take a bit more diligence in "listening" to what your skin is telling you throughout the year.

     Lastly is the beloved "normal" skin type, which is accompanied by a smooth appearance, a lack of blemishes, and pores that are neither dried up nor large from excess oil secretion. This means that people with normal complexions have a nice balance of water, lipids, and sensitivity to their skin, which is what allows them to not wear any make-up and look like they've stepped out of a Neutrogena commercial. To this I say, "You go, Glen Coco!"

     To conclude our discussion of skin types, I want to put in a little disclaimer -- just because your skin is a specific type now, doesn't mean you're stuck with it forever. It is natural for your skin to evolve as you get older, whether that's from lifestyle, diet, or just normal changes as you age. So no worries, we can all keep hoping for that normal skin type!

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Want to read more? Feel free to check out my sources linked throughout the post!

Thanks for reading!