Thursday, February 26, 2009

How Can You Determine Your Skin Type?

By Andi Bradshaw

Do you know if your skin is Oily,Dry or Sensitive? Whenever a woman says she's not sure, then she usually has Normal/Combination skin. Anyone who has oily, dry or sensitive skin, is sure.

Normal/Combination skin is the ideal and may feel slightly dry or slightly oily within 2 hours after cleansing. If your body produces oil that may be a little more or a little less than you need, you're still within the normal range. Normal to Dry combination skin has dry cheeks and a normal T zone. Normal to Oily combination skin has normal cheeks and an oily T zone.

When your skin is Dry, you know that it doesn't produce enough facial oil. That "less than enough" oil production means that your skin will feel dry and tight within seconds after cleansing. Generally, this type has very tight pores and spots of dry, flaky skin.

Really shiny skin is what you can expect within a couple hours of cleansing when you have Oily skin. If this sounds like you, you probably know that your oil glands produce too much oil. This skin type is usually oily all over, is prone to acne or pimples and may have enlarged pores.

Women with Sensitive skin know their skin type because their reactions may be itching, splotchiness or swelling. Today, almost all popular cosmetic companies have developed a group of products that are hyper-allergenic. Designed to work for dry sensitive or oily sensitive skin, these products are specially formulated to be very mild and gentle.

All skin types will have some kind of unfavorable reaction if you're not using the right skin care products. You can expect extreme problems if you have very dry or very oily or sensitive skin. Dry skin may flake, peel, or even crack open; with prolonged improper care, dry skin will wrinkle 10 to 20 years ahead of the other skin types. That's why dry skin needs to begin appropriate (pH balanced) skin care as early as possible to prevent those serious, costly problems.

Oily skin can expect more severe and longer lasting problems if their cleanser contains too much oil. Those problems may be facial acne that becomes infected as bacteria attaches itself to oily skin or where hair folicles that are unable to grow past the surface level (because of overgrown skin cells), and may develop into infected cysts. The lasting problems may be permanent dark pimple discolorations or extremely enlarged pores that equal an uneven skin surface.

A few of the more sever reactions that sensitive skin might expect are extreme dryness, burning and itching. 1st degree burns that look like eczema and possible scarring. Products designed for sensitive skin will leave your face feeling normal; not too dry, oily or itchy. Before using a new product, test a little behind an ear and give it 24 hours to see if you'll have a negative reaction.

The average person does not suffer from these extreme problems, but many other people do. The idea of using the most beneficial products for your skin type is that it should make your skin feel normal, not too dry, not too oily and not itchy. Once you've identified your skin type and only use the appropriate skin care items, you can minimize or eliminate those extreme problems and the added expense of a dermatologist. - 15252

About the Author: