"Understanding Your Skin: Identifying Your Skin Type and Common Skin Conditions"

Skin Types

There are 4 major skin types:

1. Dry

2. Oily

3. Normal

4. Combination

The first thing to remember is that your skin type is genetically determined. So that means, you are born with it and you can blame your mom and dad for adolescent acne and stretch marks (just saying). It’s also important to remember that your skin type will likely change over time. So those pimples can quickly turn into aging, saggy skin and it still won’t be your fault but it doesn’t mean there isn’t anything you can do about it. If you haven’t noticed by now, your skin type is determined by how much oil your skin can produce. Little to oil production, dry. Too much oil, oily and sometimes acneic. But if you’re a part of the lucky crew your skin gets it just right, for the most part. It is also to have a combination of any of the 3 which is called combination (or combo) skin. With a combination skin type, your T-zone will likely be the oiliest part of your face with a drier skin type on your cheeks.

insert photo of t-zone* 

We’ll also talk about sensitive skin which is often confused as a skin type but is really more of a condition since it can be genetically determined AND as a result of your lifestyle and environment.

Why Learning Your Skin Type Is Important

The first step to building the perfect skincare routine is to know exactly what it is you’re dealing with. This is why we will start by educating ourselves on the different skin types, ways to identify your skin type, and the best ingredients and products to use. Your skin type will determine the best products to use for cleansing, exfoliating, hydrating, and maintaining a healthy moisture balance.

Dry Skin

Dry skin, (aka, alipidic), is lacking oil. Dry skin types tend to not produce enough oil which results in really small, barely visible, pores. Natural oil protects the skin from environmental stress and aging. So naturally without it your skin is likely to appear rough and feel tight. It is best to use gentle cleanser and exfoliants and thick moisturizers. Thick moisturizers will prevent your skin from losing the necessary oil and hydration it needs to be healthy and balanced. 

Dehydrated Skin

Be careful not to confuse dry skin with dehydrated skin. When your skin is dehydrated it’s lacking water content and desperately can benefit from external and internal hydration (ie. drinking plenty of water). It is also possible for your skin to be dry and dehydrated, requiring that the water and oil content are both replenished. The best way to identify dehydrated skin is by looking for flaky and dry skin. 

Dehydrated skin is not a type but a condition as it is usually caused by external lifestyle factors such as medications, overconsumption of coffee, alcohol, and sun-exposure as well as over-exfoliating or using products that are too harsh for your skin type and condition. The best remedy for dehydrated skin is to make sure that you’re drinking plenty of water and using hydrating products such as masks, serums, and hydrating mists. 

Normal Skin

Normal skin is the most straightforward of all the skin types. Normal skin type tends to naturally maintain a healthy water-oil ratio though this can fluctuate from time to time depending on lifestyle and hormones. For all intents and purposes, normal skin is uneventfully normal. Normal-sized pores, blemish-free and really just requires maintenance. Whether you naturally have a normal skin type or not, the key to having a normal skin appearance is maintenance. This can be achieved by sticking to your Skincare Basics (we’ll talk about this next).

Combination Skin

As mentioned earlier, combination skin can be a combo of any of the above. You can have dry and oily, or normal and oily skin at the same time. Regardless of which combination you have, the oilier part of your face will be in your T-zone. The T-zone is described as the forehead, nose and chin. That is because these parts of your face tend to produce more oil than your cheeks as there are more oil glands and larger pores in the T-zone. With combination skin the outer parts of your face will either be normal or dry while your T-zone will be more oily.

You can identify combination skin by looking at the pores on the sides of your nose. If they are medium-large and smaller as you move outward on your face, you have combination skin. The key to maintaining combination skin is balance. It’s important to use products that will be beneficial for both the over-production of oil and the maintenance or replenishment of your normal-dry skin on your cheeks. It’s also important to not over-treat any one condition but to maintain a skincare routine that will balance both. 

Oily Skin

In my experience as a skincare professional, there are two demographics that I see the most. Those with dry skin (usually 30 years and up) looking to maintain their youthful appearance and those with oily skin (usually teens and men). The reason oily skin is such a pain is because you’re more likely to get blemishes when your skin is producing too much oil. 

The most important thing when it comes to oily skin is to make sure you cleanse and exfoliate regularly. Oily skin types have large pores which allows for too much oil to come out and just about anything you come in contact with to come in (insert pimples, literally). This causes the pores to clog more easily than any other skin type and if left untreated will result in blemishes and beyond. Though it is not recommended to ever over-cleanse or over-exfoliate, the oily skin type definitely requires more TLC for a healthy balance. 

It is important to make sure you are cleansing your skin every morning and night and exfoliating AT LEAST once a week but NO MORE than three times a week as overdoing it can make things much worse. 

I also stress to all of my clients, especially those with oily skin, that it is absolutely important to change your sheets and pillowcases regularly as this is often the most common cause of breakouts and not being able to overcome them. 

Another common reason for oily skin amongst teens is the sudden influx of hormone production. Our hormones do a lot of amazing things behind the scenes for our health but can also cause problems with our skin.

*Did you know? 

Your skin is the largest organ of the human body

This is why it’s so important to take good care of your skin from the inside and out. Your skin may be trying to tell you something very important regarding your health.

Sensitive Skin

Last but more certainly not least, we must talk about sensitive skin. Sensitivity is not a type but a condition. Your skin can become sensitized due to using harsh products, over-processing, too much sun-exposure, stress and other environmental factors. Though skin sensitivity is not a type it can be genetically predisposed and you could be a beautiful unicorn like me with normal-oily sensitive skin. What a treat?! 

You will know that your skin is sensitive or in a sensitized state when it is irritated and red. I also find that when my skin is actively inflamed it will also feel warm to touch. Rosacea is very common amongst people with sensitive skin and is also the first sign that something is wrong or you’ve come in contact with an irritant (like the weather in Michigan in February or the humid heat in Florida).

It’s very important to maintain a simple skincare routine when you have sensitive skin since it’s very likely to become easily irritated and overstimulated. When you have sensitive skin it is imperative that you avoid fragrance, harsh chemicals, dyes and excessive rubbing. Exfoliation and extractions can cause further damage and increased inflammation when done excessively or incorrectly.