What Skin Type Am I?

December 21, 2018

ProblemSolved.com.ng skin, Skin Problems Solved

A person’s skin type may be influenced by many things like genetics, our state of health, hormones, our meals, environmental factors, and lots more.

When dealing with the environment, we have to face challenges, second-hand smoke, environmental pollution, UV rays from the sun and more.

Each skin type has its pros and cons as well as good and bad ways of nurturing it, so as to have a better, more beautiful skin with fewer issues. Knowing your skin type is crucial to getting the beautiful skin you desire.

There are generally 4 categories of skin:

Normal Skin
Dry Skin
Oily Skin
Combination Skin

In most cases, people think they are one skin type, when in fact they are actually another skin type.

Take the quick and easy 5 question quiz below to know your skin type.

Understanding Your Skin Type

Now that you know your skin type, you need to understand more about your skin type, you need to understand the benefits, problems and challenges.

NORMAL SKIN TYPE

Normal Skin is the easiest to manage as it usually healthy with less problems. There is also good blood circulation in the skin which helps it to look radiant. Sebum which is the oily substance on the skin is produced at adequate quantities which gives a good balance of moisture to oil ratio (neither too oily nor too dry).

When you achieve this balance, your skin will look plump, well moisturized and have a healthy glow. It will also feel more elastic, soft and supple. You can use most kinds of product on this type of skin. However, you need to ensure you moisturize regularly to keep you skin looking great so it doesn’t dry out from environmental conditions.

DRY SKIN TYPE

If you have under active sebaceous glands you may have dry skin. These glands are responsible for oil production and if your skin doesn’t produce enough for optimum lubrication it will become dry skin. You can recognize dry skin as it is usually dull, flaky and have dry patches. It is sometimes itchy as well.

The drier a skin is the more potential it has to become sensitive. If you have dry skin you need to moisturize frequently, drink lots of water and also splash or spray water directly on your skin. This skin type is usually tight and is not elastic.

Even though this skin type hardly suffers from acne they have the problem of premature ageing if the skin is not properly taken care off. It also easily gets irritated and is rather fragile. It is also highly vulnerable to changes in weather like Harmattan and high or low temperatures like too much A.C so be sure you take adequate care when in such environments.

OILY SKIN TYPE

This skin type has overactive sebaceous glands and therefore it produces too much sebum (oil) and the skin ends up being excessively lubricated and greasy. Oily skin, therefore, tends to look shiny with large pores which frequently get clogged. As a result of constant clogging, this skin type gets pimples, blackheads and other acne problems frequently as the sebum gets trapped beneath the skin that eventually results in pimples.

On the plus side, this type of skin does not suffer from premature ageing and fast wrinkles as the oily nature helps the skin to keep a youthful look for longer. This type of skin needs to be cleansed frequently and moisturized to balance the oil to water ratio and to reduce the potential of getting pimples.

SENSITIVE SKIN CONDITION

Before we move to the last skin type. We need to take a look at sensitive skin. Sensitive skin is not a skin type but rather a skin condition that can affect all types of skin. Someone with sensitive skin could also have oily, dry, normal or combination skin.

The problem with having sensitive skin is that your skin gets really irritated quickly. When you use certain products you feel a stinging sensation, burning sensation or you may even start to itch. It also causes your skin to be prone to rashes. After washing your face sometimes you may feel dry and itchy. It is also affected and made worse by environmental conditions.

If you have sensitive skin you need to use gentle or natural or hypoallergenic products that are suitable for all types of skin or specifically sensitive skin to get the best treatment for your skin and to help prevent skin irritation and reactions.

COMBINATION SKIN TYPE

As the name implies, this skin type is a situation where there are more than one skin types in one person. This is the most common skin type as a lot of people have it. It can be oily is some places and dry in others while still being normal or sensitive in other parts of the body.

In most cases, there is oily skin on certain parts of the face (T-zone). This oily zone usually covers the forehead, the nose and the chin and looks like a T shape. For this type of skin, you may need to use different products for different parts of your skin or use products suitable for all types of skin.

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