Know Your Skin

The cosmetic approach to dermatological consultation is based on an assessment of the physiological condition of the skin that takes subjective and objective considerations into account. The skin is currently divided into the following different types and conditions:

DRY SKIN

Scaling patches on the skin can cause intense itching and a feeling of tightness. The skin appears rough and blotchy, sometimes even prematurely aged.

When your skin feels flaky, rough and stretched throughout, you certainly have a dry skin condition. Such a skin lacks hydration and is constantly quenching for enrichment and moisture. A dry skin generally doesn't harbor a glowing disposition and often looks peeled and dehydrated.

• For a skin that has been neglected for long and has not been supplemented with required hydration, often tends to turn dry.
• Hormonal changes with age can also turn your skin dry, rough and patchy with time.
• Some skin types are inherently dry.
• Certain skinconditions, such as atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis and unbalanced pH levels can also be a leading cause of dry skin.

The best way to take care of a dry skin is to serve it with oodles of moisturization and nourishment. Always look for skincare products that are specifically designed for dry skin type and constitute of immense hydrating ingredients like Almond oil, Shea butter, Mango Seed Butter, Aloe Vera and the likes. Avoid using too harsh chemicals on dry skin and always retort to natural, organic skincare products.

NORMAL SKIN

Where normal, physiological conditions are present, the skin is described as 'eudermic' or 'good skin' or 'normal skin'. This skin is fine pored, well supplied with blood, feels comfortable moisturized and possesses a uniform transparency. It is neither too oily nor too dry and, is more or less, not prone to any sort of severity.

This type of skin maybe called the most 'low maintenance' skin. But having said that, it does need the daily Cleansing-Toning-Moisturizing-Sun Protection-Night Repair' ritual. A normal skin type doesn't have exorbitantly open pores and hence is not prone to any acne or comedogenic situations.

• People with a normal skin do not feel the constant need to moisturize itself. Post cleansing, the skin feels uberly clean and fresh and just feels a slight need to be hydrated, without feeling too parched or sensitive.
• 'A normal skin' has optimum levels of radiance to it. It neither looks lack luster nor has an overdose of greasy oily shine.
• The skin tone of 'normal' skin type is also mostly even and with a smooth texture.

For skincare, people with 'normal' skin should adhere to a natural product line that takes care of skin maintenance and further nourishes it for an enhanced glow and prolonging any signs of premature aging.

OILY SKIN

Characterized by enlarged pores filled with comedones (blackheads), oily skin shines, has irregular transparency and is often susceptible to breakouts due to pore clogging.

- People with 'Oily' skin needs to be mindful of the products that they use on their skin. The ingredients should not overtly dry up the skin and deprive it of its natural moisture.

- If you can easily wipe away oil off your skin, 30 minutes post cleansing, that means you have an oily skin.

- An oily skin is constantly secreting sebum and excess oils that form a bearing cover over the topmost layer of the skin, epidermis. Blackheads, pimples and breakouts are a common phenomenon with this skin type.

-Bursting the popular myth, an oily skin needs regular moisturization and nourishment to keep it glowing and flawless.

For the skincare of oily skin, one should look for skincare products that are specifically designed for combating the excessive oil situation and balance out the skin's pH levels. One should ideally look for products that are water or gel-based and are very light weight as opposed to thick moisturizing creams and oils.

COMBINATION SKIN

A skin type can be categorized as a 'Combination' skin if the forehead, chin and nose areas are oily, while the cheeks appear normal to dry.

A 'Combination skin' is the most common skin type and also one of the trickiest ones to maintain. The sebaceous glands (the glands in the skin that produce oil) are as such more active around the nose area, but for a combination skin, they tend to become overtly active. The skin around the T-Zone, chin and forehead is noticeably shinier and constantly produces oil, while the rest of the skin on the cheeks and around the lips is dry, flaky and stretched.

• People with a combination skin should use two types of products; both for the oily skin as well as the dry skin.
• The cheeks would constantly feel the need to be moisturization, so it is only advisable that one keeps reapplying an emollient moisturizer to the dry parts of the skin often during the day.
• Adhere to a cleansing-toning-moisturizing routine twice in a day (AM and PM), but do not go overboard with over-moisturizing or over-cleansing your skin.
• The best maintenance tip for a combination skin is to follow moderation.

SENSITIVE, ACNE-PRONE SKIN

Skin that demands mindful care, is compatible with only a set list of ingredients and cannot be experimented with or afforded to be neglected. A 'sensitive skin' type generally feels stretched and dry after cleaning and may also feel constant itching, soreness and irritability. It can also be called a 'reactive skin' and gives a reaction to almost anything even remotely incompatible with the skin type.

-Though not necessarily acne prone, but such a skin is prone to breakouts, and developing blemishes and enlargement of pores if it does not agree with any endogenous (unhealthy sleeping patterns, erratic lifestyle, unhealthy diet) or exogenous factors (like stress, environmental pollution, skin products)

-For a sensitive, reactive skin type rely more on 'science-backed' approach to skincare, rather than vanilla skincare cosmetology that only focuses on enhancing the glow and skin brightening.

-Sensitive skin is usually accompanied with enlarged pores that can further get aggravated with an irritant skin product. Use mild, gentle, nature based ingredients and avoid any artificial enhancers.

A sensitive acne-prone skin needs to be moisturized just as much as any other skin type. Rely on light weight, water or gel based emollients that reinvigorate the skin from deep within and do not perturb the skin's natural predisposed composition.

MATURED, AGING SKIN

A matured, evolved skin that is yet to exhibit the embedded signs of aging, but is already different from the skin of the younger days.

Our skin is aging every living, breathing second of our life. Experts believe that our skin ages faster than our body. With both external and internal contributors taken into account, any skin type starts aging and transcending to maturity as soon as we hit are early twenties.

-Skin shows emergence of smile lines, expression lines or fine lines around the eye, and mouth areas. The natural luminance, vigour and bounce of the youthful skin is lost and the skin comes across as mature in its appearance.

-It is imperative to religiously follow a daily CTM routine, twice a day and further augment it with a replenishing night repair care. Include a regenerative serum or night cream in your schedule. Facial Oils help in a deeper and thicker nourishment by adding the goodness of natural oils to the skin.

-Sun protection should be an imperative part of any skincare regime, irrespective of the skin type to keep the signs of premature aging at bay.