More than a few of us have only gone along with what we’ve been told about our skin and how to take care of it. While doing something is better than nothing, your best bet is knowing a little about your skin and how it works.
First off, there are 3 main skin types, which you’ve already got the gist of; normal or combination, oily and dry. Normal or combination skin is probably the most common of the three. It’s normally characterized by oily skin in the T-Zone area with normal or dry skin, if there’s any issue at all. Your T-Zone is around your forehead, down the bridge and sides of the nose, and can continue right down to your chin. Oily skin is normally much oilier and spreads over the whole face, as opposed to just the T-Zone. People with oily skin often have a problem with a shiny finish to their face. They can also have very large pores and be prone to acne. Then there’s dry skin. People often confuse dry skin type with dehydrated skin condition. Dry skin is when your skin lacks sebum (oil). You might notice your skin feels tight or looks dull, but for the most part, it can be handled with a good moisturizer.
Skin type is the way your skin always has and always will be, where as a skin condition is something that can be treated. Now, as with anything, there are MANY skin conditions. So let me clue you in on a few of the most common, in fact some people might not even think of them as “conditions” anymore. While you hear so much about acne, the most common condition is probably dehydration. It’s confused with dry skin because it shows itself in much the same way; tight, flakey, dull looking skin. The difference is that where dry skin lacks oil, dehydrated skin lacks water, so even oily people can have dehydrated skin. Your skin can get dehydrated as easily as not drinking enough water. It can be treated by adding more water to your diet or even just using a good water based moisturizer. Remember, you’re not missing any oil, so stay away from heavy oil based moisturizers, they could break you out.
Speaking of breakouts, acne is probably the most well known. A breakout could be cause by hormones, a bad diet, stress, clogged pores, but it’s most common in oily skin types, because there’s an abundance of oil there. With acne, it’s important to use oil free moisturizers and makeup to avoid breaking out. To treat it, there are HUNDREDS of different products, and it can be frustrating because you’ll have to hunt down thew type of products that will work with your skin, but with time you’ll find products that will work for you! But, we’ll get more into acne and how to handle oily skin in the future.
Another common and commonly unrecognized disorder is Rosacea. This is characterized by sensitive skin, prone to flushing and tiny broken blood vessels. It causes red blotchiness on the cheeks, nose, chin and sometimes the forehead. It can also be followed with oiliness and is more common in more extreme climates. While no one is sure what the cause is, they know that certain things can cause flare ups, like spicy foods, alcohol and heat. Be careful with what you put on your face, wear sun screen, and don’t exfoliate the affected areas of your face. If you’re not careful, rosacea can continue to get worse.
So, I’m willing to bet all you readers with normal skin are feeling pretty lucky right about now! If you’re going to take any information from this entry, because I know it’s pretty dry, just remember to TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN! Good skins care in important to manage and even prevent these disorders from happening to you!
If you have any questions about the skin types or disorders, leave a comment and I’ll answer them as best I can! If I don’t know the answer, I’ll try my best to hunt it down for you!
Thanks for reading!
- Jinx
