31 Aug Is it my skin type or a skin condition?
Everyone’s skin is different. We all have our own panel of environmental exposures, lifestyles, genetics and habits! When navigating your own, it’s easy to over analyse why you’ve ended up with certain “imperfections”, or perhaps none at all. With skin health and aesthetics becoming a booming industry, I think it’s time to create perspective on what’s going on with your skin. When choosing products, you won’t always be in reach of your Aesthetician, and we all know how hard it can be to find a levelled truth from the internet. So here are a few easy explanations on defining what your skin type and skin condition may be. I promise, buying products and booking treatments will get easier the more you understand your own canvas!
Skin Types
First off, let’s begin with skin types. Your skin type is what you’re born with. Not to say this can’t change over time, but it is mostly determined through genetics and the size of your sebaceous glands (these are responsible for the oil production on the skin). To simplify, your sebaceous glands can appear small, medium or large- and the way we understand and decipher a skin type is based on what size glands you have. In the cosmetic industry, we have four main categories:
Normal Skin
Our normal skin type has average thickness, free of blemishes, has moderate oil production and has medium sized sebaceous glands. Your sebum production and moisture content will appear well balanced, and skin will appear plush and healthy.
Dry Skin
One thing to highlight when having dry skin, is that it’s characterized by insufficient oil production. Your sebaceous glands will appear very small or invisible, and skin can feel tight, be flakey and fine lines and wrinkles will appear prematurely. Your skin may lack elasticity and feel thin.
Oily Skin
Many people whose skin type is oily are susceptible to breakouts. Although, there’s ways to train your skin to be less reactive. Our oily skin type has large sebaceous glands all over the face, has excessive oil production that requires blotting throughout the day, and skin will appear thick and shiny.
Combination Skin
Our folk who have combination skin have a mixture of dry and oily. You’ll likely experience this in localised areas: oily commonly in your T-Zone (forehead, nose and chin) and dryness in your cheeks. For this skin type, you’ll have to tailor a regimen that caters to both dry and oily to prevent reactive circumstances.
Skin Conditions
Now that we have a better understanding of skin types, let’s talk about possible skin conditions! Skin conditions have internal and external influences, and can appear on any skin type. To better understand, everybody has a classified skin type, but not everybody has a skin condition.
The four most common conditions that skin specialists come across are dehydrated skin, hyperpigmentation, acneic skin and aging (both premature and mature).
Dehydrated Skin
Now let’s not mix this up with dry skin! Dehydrated skin appears dull and tired and can’t retain water. Dehydration can appear on any skin type, most commonly on dry skin, however it is an issue that most Vancouverites have experienced at one point or another. Dehydrated skin can be further compromised when there’s frequent changes in weather, and you don’t drink enough water.
Hyperpigmented Skin
The most important thing to note when your skin starts to show hyperpigment, is to include an SPF in your daily skincare routine. Also, ladies & gents, SPF is the most important part of your regimen. We can experience hyperpigment with hormonal changes and sun exposure. This can be one of the toughest conditions to take on, so my advice is to book a consult for your best results!
Aging Skin
We are all destined to fall into the hands of aging. Our genetics, environmental exposures and lifestyle can influence how prematurely your skin will develop fine lines and wrinkles! You’ll likely start to notice signs of aging in your early 20’s, and if you’d like to slow the process there’s many options. From botox, skin treatments, and a great skin care regimen- we have you covered!
Acneic Skin
Blemished skin is a common condition young people experience. It consists of comedones, pustules and papules commonly on the face, back and chest and breakouts can appear in many forms and severity. With acneic skin, there’s often a mixture of internal problems and external factors like diet, stress, environment, and hormones (and the list goes on…). Be wary, as Acneic skin is not a skin type! There’s always a way to find your skin’s health and bring it back to its bouncy, smooth texture.
xoxo Hayley