Do You Really Know Your Skin Type?
There you are again. You’ve seen an advertisement for a skin care product that claims to give you a healthy, youthful appearance… finally! Now you’re faced with a myriad of the same claims staring out at you from the department store shelves. Your head’s spinning and making a choice just isn’t possible anymore.
Once you get over the overwhelming array of facial products from which to choose, what do you do next? Normally, you’ll begin by narrowing down your choices with a simple question: what’s my skin type? Oh dear. This opens up a whole wave of uncertainty and confusion once again. Can I be “oily” if I have wrinkles around my eyes and mouth? Can I be “dry” if I have to powder my forehead, nose, and chin? Okay, let’s just go back to the good old reliable “combination” skin type, whatever that means.
When you’re shopping for skin care products like moisturizers, cleansers, and toners, you are probably guessing what your skin needs. Your skin feels tight after washing it so you must need a thick and creamy moisturizer. You are constantly mopping oil from your forehead and nose so you must need to keep drying up the oil with astringents and other toners. If you are using these methods and you’re still standing in a store puzzling over what to choose, you don’t really know what your skin needs. Only a professionally trained skin care expert, or esthetician, can really go beyond the standard three skin types and find out what you need to improve your skin.
Your skin is a living, breathing organism that reacts differently to internal as well as external elements. When the CBS program, The Doctors, featured Face Mapping(R) at Dermalogica, we were introduced to the idea that our face and neck has a much more complicated type than just the three offered in most lines of cosmetics.
According to the people at Dermalogica, once our face is mapped out, we will receive an accurate skin typing for all the areas of the face and neck. Once we have the correct skin type, we can start treating our skin with the products that best suit our skin. Without really knowing our skin type, we are only guessing how to treat it, and the results are never what we expect.
Again, guessing your skin type can result in treatments that are inappropriate for your skin. Looking at your shiny “T Zone” may convince you that you need a frequent scrubbing with a strong exfoliant or cotton balls dripping with astringents, when in fact you may be drying and irritating your skin with those cleansers and need to be a little more gentle to your sensitive skin.
Aging skin is especially sensitive to improper treatment. As we age, our skin often gets drier and loses elasticity. We see all those fine lines start to form around our eyes and mouth, and the saggy throat and neck area starts to appear so we run to the department store in search of anything that says “firming” or “lifting” or “reduces fine lines and wrinkles.” As we slather on these lotions and creams to give us that youthful glow and appearance we fondly remember, we may be doing more harm to our skin than we are doing good.
Creams and lotions labeled “for aging skin” may feel good but may not be what is needed for your particular skin type, especially if you are aging! A professional skin care expert, or esthetician, will tell clients over a certain age that their skin has additional nutritional needs as they age. Freshening the cells, speeding up cell turn over, retaining moisture, as well as a healthy diet, plenty of water, and exercise will do more for the skin than all the thick night creams in the world.
You skin is your body’s largest organ. Unfortunately, we often treat our skin with less respect than we do our heart, lungs, or other internal organs. Get to know your skin type and treat it right. Visit your favorite skin care professional and find out what your skin type really is so you can begin properly cleansing and nourishing your skin. Your face will reward you with the beautiful, healthy glow you deserve!
Charlotte Field is a Skin Care Specialist offering Facials in Pensacola, Florida. She specializes in Anti-aging, Relaxation and Results. Learn more about Charlotte’s professional services at FacialsbyCharlotte.com.
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Tags: beauty, dermalogical, facial products, health, Skin care beauty products, skin care products, skin type, skin type mapping, women