What is your skin type?

Everyone’s skin is unique. Yet, there are several skin types that should be recognized as each of them needs different care. Knowing our skin type helps us choose the best products for our individual needs.

There are five main skin types – normal, dry, oily, combination and sensitive. Dry or oily skin can also be sensitive and or dehydrated. Dehydrated skin may look and sometimes behave like dry skin but it lacks moisture and not sebum. So dehydrated skin is a skin condition and not a skin type. Therefore, determining your skin type and your skin condition is essential for building a good skincare routine.

So what are the skin types?

Normal skin – this is the ideal skin. It has a good moisture level, tight pores, a normal level of sebum, smooth relief and an even tone. In short – it is a flawless and healthy skin.

Dry skin – its main characteristic is an insufficient amount of sebum. This skin type is thin, and prone to scaling and flaking, it feels tight and looks dull. As previously mentioned, dry and dehydrated skin may look and behave alike but dry skin lacks sebum while dehydrated skin lacks water. Dry skin suffers from an inadequate barrier function and even when hydrated it can’t keep the moisture in for long so the issues persist.

Oily skin – is the exact opposite of dry skin. Oily skin secretes excess sebum and looks shiny and greasy, often with clogged and enlarged pores, rough skin relief and waxy tone. It is prone to inflammation and breakouts. Oily skin can also be dehydrated and the excess sebum is a sort of defence in this case. It can also have a disrupted skin barrier.

Combination skin – is similar to oily skin, but excess sebum secretion is limited to the so-called T-zone area on the forehead, nose and chin whilst the rest of the face has normal skin.

Sensitive skin – this skin type is prone to overreaction to external factors. Overreaction in this case means that the skin defends itself from factors that aren’t generally harmful, but it has a high sensitivity to them. Whilst other skin types may react slightly or not react at all, sensitive skin types will react quickly with redness, itching, inflammation and general discomfort.

Does skin type change throughout our life?

Not necessarily but it may change based on various factors.

Our skin type is influenced by our age. As children we have mostly normal to slightly dry skin, as teenagers, most of us have oily skin due to hormonal changes during puberty, and as adults, we develop our main skin type, while as elderly we all tend to get drier skin.

Seasonal changes also affect our skin. It gets drier during the cold season and oilier in hotter weather. Dry skin thrives in humid weather and suffers in the cold. Sensitive skin may experience aggravation in each season if the temperature, humidity or dryness of the air gets extreme.

While many recommend the blotting sheet test and other home methods for determining the skin type I would suggest that you consult a dermatologist or a cosmetician. A highly trained professional will consider all the factors and will give you the full and precise information along with a guideline for choosing the right cosmetics for you. For example, while it is true that each skin type needs specific care, there are products that are universal. La Thea’s Bulgarian Rose Water is recommended by dermatologists for all skin types, as it gently cleans and refreshes, leaving the skin soft and healthy.