What’s your type?
Do you find it difficult to choose a skincare product off the shelf ? There are so many, all claiming to be THE ONE that it’s no wonder the consumer is confused. After all, how are you supposed to know which new amazing-sounding high tech ingredient or ”new” plant extract is going to clear up that flaky patch on your chin or stop your make-up from sliding off your face an hour after you applied it? In an effort to categorise the products into something you might relate to yourself, most mass market companies divide their offerings into ”skin type”. You will see these as the words dry, dehydrated, combination, oily, normal, mature, sensitive, blemish-prone, delicate, fragile etc. etc.
Clear? I thought not!
In reality there are only three basic skin types that everyone will fall into to some degree: Lipid Dry, Oily and Permanent Diffuse Redness (ref: Florence Barrett-Hill, Advanced Skin Analysis).
The rest are just marketing terms and have nothing to do with the skin type that you are born with. ”But I have dry cheeks and an oily T-zone, isn’t that combination skin?” I hear you say. Well, yes and no. You may well be suffering from an imbalance in your skin that is causing these symptoms, but this is a correctable or treatable condition, not your basic skin type. Often, these skin conditions are caused by ongoing use of the incorrect products for your basic skin type.
How do you know which one you are? If you have mainly oily, mainly dry or predominately red skin with little to no secondary concerns then it’s easy, just treat at home for your skin type and get an appropriate facial every couple of months (see the links below for characteristics and tips on each skin type). But many people won’t be an extreme version of any type so to get an accurate analysis you must be diagnosed by a skincare professional. This will involve examining your skin under strong light and magnification, taking a detailed history of your skin and using a diagnostic device such as a skin scanner. A comprehensive skin analysis will take at least 90 minutes. You will come away with a full understanding of your skin, what has been wrong in the past, how to treat it and which products to use going forward. Your basic majority skin type will be explained, any current skin conditions addressed and questions answered. This detailed consultation is the only way to truly understand your skin and means that your salon treatment and homecare regime will be completely personalised for a real, long-term solution.
Once this information is in place you can really begin to get a handle on your own individual skin needs and address them daily. In this way your skin will get better and better over time, transient conditions such as dehydration, flaking, shine will become a thing of the past and your skin will be balanced and well-behaved. Generally speaking your basic daily homecare is geared toward caring for your skin TYPE while corrective serums to use at home and/or clinical treatments correct skin CONDITIONS.
Remember, all skin types will require anti-ageing at some point, this does not affect your basic skin type!
See more on SKIN ANALYSIS here
Read Mariga’s focus on DRY SKIN here
Read about OILY SKIN here
More on REDNESS PRONE skin here.
