Everybody knows that looking after your skin is the best way to keep your body looking and feeling healthy each day. However, sometimes it can be hard to know how to look after your skin in the best way for your individual skin type. Just like a blood type, we’re each born with a unique skin type, but it can be hard to know how to look after your skin correctly if you don’t know what type of you are. If you can figure out how to look after your skin in the best way possible, you will be able to choose products that suit your specific needs and you will be able to avoid any serious skin issues that can make your skin look less than perfect.

Oily skin

Oily skin is one of the hardest skin types to determine, because although your skin may need one thing, it may actually be after another, and is responding in a certain way. For example, it is a common misconception that if you have oily skin, you need to stop moisturising, because your skin is already moist. However, a lot of people have oily skin, because their skin is dehydrated and thus it produces more oil to counteract the problem. Other common signs of oily skin include enlarged pores, a build-up of dirt that causes blackheads and breakouts and after a wash, your face will be shinier than other skin types.

To look after your oily skin, you need to make sure that you exfoliate regularly because oily skin tends to need cleansing more than dry or normal skin. Also, make sure that you moisturise your skin is very important because oily skin needs moisture as well. If you feel like your current skincare products are not working for your skin type, try to find oil-free products, so that you aren’t making your skin any oilier than it needs to be.

Dry skin

If you are someone who has dry skin, you will notice that your skin may feel itchy, red, flaky and tight when it does not have enough moisture. Things like harsh wind, sun damage and exposure to heat can be harmful to dry skin because they will exacerbate your symptoms, so try to avoid any irritants at all costs. Other things can cause dry skin like using the wrong products that dry out your skin and having a serious skin condition like psoriasis, eczema or dermatitis. Making sure that you determine the cause of your dry skin is very important because once you figure out the cause, you can learn how to manage the problem.

To look after your dry skin, you need to be very gentle with it and use products that are not going to cause any inflammation. Products that have a lot of chemicals in them will not be good for dry skin, so opt for products that contain more natural ingredients, because they will be easier on your skin. Gentle cleansers, creamy moisturisers and hydrating serums are all great for dry skin because they will keep the skin feeling moist without making your inflammation or dryness feel more uncomfortable. You may also want to use a gentle night cream as well, to keep your skin feeling soft while you sleep. This will help to repair your skin overnight so that you wake up feeling good and your skin looks fresh. Don’t worry about exfoliation too much when you have dry skin, because it can make your skin feel worse as you make it more inflamed.

Combination skin

Combination skin can be tricky to deal with because as the name suggests, it is a combination of two or more different skin types. For example, if you have an oily T-zone but your cheeks are fairly dry, you would have combination skin because your skin is different in each zone. People with combination skin have to be very careful about how they look after their skin and what products they use because their skin is more prone to skin imperfections than other skin types.

For people that don’t know how to deal with combination skin, it can be hard to know what to do to look after your skin, but once you determine which parts are dry and which parts are oily, you can adjust your routine accordingly. This could mean using different products on your oily t-zone like cleansing and exfoliating face masks, as well as using more hydrating products on the dry areas like serums and moisturisers. Treat each area of the skin by following each type, using multiple products, not just one for your whole face. It may be a little more work to have combination skin, but you can still have great looking skin if you look after it correctly.

Sensitive skin

Although sensitive skin is rarer in men than it is in women, you can still have sensitive skin as a man and it can be difficult to deal with. Sensitive skin is a skin type that is easily irritated and can make the skin go blotchy or get inflamed if it comes in contact with something harmful. People with sensitive skin will often find that a certain product that they have been using will cause the skin to flare up, so it is important to check the ingredients in any product that you buy before you put it onto your skin. Doing a quick spot test on your hand before you put something on your face can help you to determine if the product is right for or if it is going to irritate your skin.

Sometimes, sensitive skin can occur when someone already has a serious skin condition like eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis. These conditions will cause you to be very sensitive to a lot of different products, so it is important to be gentle with your skin if it is sensitive. Using high-quality products that are free of chemicals and fragrances is the best thing that you can do for sensitive skin so that it remains calm and doesn’t flare up because of the wrong product.

The next step

Once you have determined what type of skin you have, you need to learn how to treat it properly. Indulging in skin treatments every once in a while like a mandelic peel or a facial will help to regenerate your skin so that it looks and feels healthy for as long as possible. If you have sensitive skin, LED light therapy may be beneficial because it gives you a deep facial without the penetration of microdermabrasion or an active peel. If you are not sure about what treatments will work for you, book in for a consultation with our friendly staff and they will help find the right treatment to suit your skin type.

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