5 steps to identify your skin type and skin condition

Think about cosmetic products you recently bought. Do you remember what prompted you to buy them? Did you assess what is your skin type and current skin condition before making your decision?

Skin diagnosis will reveal your skin type and its current condition. The basic types of skin are: normal, dry, oily and combination. This classification does not quite allow us to determine the right care because it is too general. Therefore, we will enrich it with an assessment of the current condition of the skin. Skin condition is temporal and varies depending on the season, your routine, age, hormone levels, medicines, lifestyle as well as environmental factors.

The best way to choose perfectly suited and effective products is to, approprietly analyse your skin and set priorities.

I would like to invite you for a short, step by step journey towards discovering your skin.

Ready?

Fasten your seat belt and prepare for take-off!

Do you have a dry skin type?

Hydration is the skin ability to retain water and maintain a proper level of moisture. There is a relationship between hydration and correct cell renewal process which lead to production of skin lipids and NMF (natural moisturising factor). Hydrated skin is smooth and even in texture, with healthy colour. Any decrease of water in epidermis could lead to skin dryness and/or dehydration. Dry skin is a skin type caused by lack of either sebum or moisture, or both. Dehydration is a skin condition which can be temporary and can affect any skin type. The main cause of dehydration is excess water loss. Dry skin symptoms are coarse texture with patches of flaking skin and the feeling of skin tightness.

Does your skin secrete too much sebum?

There are many factors which cause excess oil production, such as hormones, stress, diet, impaired skin barrier. Excess sebum secretion can be also determined genetically. Oily skin type characterises by enlarged pores with blackheads and whiteheads, grease and thick texture as well as shiny surface with reflection of bright light.

Do you have a sensitive skin type?

Skin sensitivity is usually associated with weak skin barrier which allows some allergens, substances or other factors to cause skin irritation. The symptoms could be redness, swelling, itching, stinging, skin flaking, pimples or pustules, dilated capillaries. The issue is that each skin type can be classified as sensitive, so buying products with label “for sensitive skin” is not good for everyone. Therefore, we classify sensitive skin into subtypes – acne subtype, rosacea subtype, stinging subtype, allergic subtype. Each sensitive skin subtype requires a specific skincare.

Is your skin tone uneven?

Uneven skin tone, freckles, solar lentigos and melasma are very common skin concerns. They mainly occur among women. There are many factors which contribute to hyperpigmantation such as hormonal fluctuations (e.g. pregnancy), contraceptives, HRT (hormone replacement therapy) as well as photosensitising medications. They could also appear in the area of inflammation as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation – PIH or be associated with genetic predisposition and skin phototype. However, the main factor which causes or intensifies formation of hyperpigmentation is sunlight. Therefore, I always recommend to use broad-spectrum sun blockers, which protect from UVA and UVB as well as IR (infrared) and HEV (blue light).

Does your skin develop any signs of aging?

Did you know that your skin starts ageing from the age of 25? It seems quite early but this is the reality! There are 2 types of ageing processes. The first one is our natural skin ageing called intrinsic ageing. This type of ageing is a function of cellular programming and heredity – it’s in your genes and you cannot change it. The second one – extrinsic ageing is caused by chronic sun exposure, environmental factors and human behaviour. This type of ageing is a premature aging and you definitely can control it by building a proper skin care regimen and adapting your lifestyle. Remember! Prevention is better than cure.

Each of these steps is crucial for a proper assessment of your skin needs which will help create a tailored skincare routine.

Let’s be Skin Aware!

Paulina