Friday Five: Know Your Skin
Regardless if you have a 27 step skin care routine, if you don’t know what skin type you have, how to spot the signs or what products to use, then you could in fact be doing more damage than good. As men this is never really something you may have been taught, however do not let this discourage you, having a little facial expertise can do wonders for your appearance, and even more so for your confidence.
Sensitive
Any skin type can become sensitised, at any time, if the protective barrier of the skin is corroded by chemical irritants or drastic changes in humidity. Many people suffer from sensitive skin young and old alike. Although some cases can be treated, many are prolonged and require specialised on going skin care routines.
Sensitive skin starter kit – £102/$156.70 >
Dry
Along with an itchy and uneven looking complexion, sore and uncomfortable skin are the most common conditions likely to arise when suffering from dry skin. Dry, cracked skin can allow entry to toxins and allergens, not only will your skin be dry and itchy, breakouts and clogged pores may also become a problem. Dry skin is the affects of dehydration, and environmental factors, a good skincare routine and plenty of water can do wonders.
Dry skin starter kit – £67.50/$103.70 >
Oily
Oily skin is quite noticeable, it’s not often that you will suffer from oily skin and not know about it. Spots, blackheads and breakouts are a regular occurrence for sufferers, particularly your T-zone (forehead, nose and chin). During the day your skin may often feel greasy and appear shiny, although yes, this is an everyman occurrence during the hot summer heat, if the signs are persistent you may be one of the many men that suffer with oily skin. Typically your sebaceous glands are to blame, while protecting your skin from the elements by providing invisible lubrication in the form of sebum, it seems these glands can become overactive resulting in oily skin conditions. For those suffering with excessively oily skin, thankfully, there are plenty of products to make it even easier for skin care beginners looking for results
Oily skin starter kit – £85.50/$131.35 >
Combination
Combination skin occurs when two or more different skin types occur on your face at the same time. Most typically, some parts of your face are dry, while the centre (the T-zone) is oily. When it comes to combination skin, the causes and combinations are a little bit different for everyone. A variety of factors can contribute to combination skin—sometimes, however it can just be down to genetics. The secret to treating combination skin is to spot treat your problem areas.
Combination skin starter kit – £67.00/$102.93 >
Normal
Just because you see some shine on your nose doesn’t mean you have oily skin, and a little dry skin around your eyes doesn’t mean you have dry skin, especially if you have normal skin on the rest of your face. It can be hard to identify if you have “normal” skin type as many confuse it to mean flawless. If you wouldn’t describe your skin as being oily or dry; it just looks and feels equal in all areas, with occasional bad day or morning, then you’re most likely dealing with normal skin.
