What is my skin type and 5 reasons why it doesn’t matter
You see them in commercials, or maybe in your mother’s cosmetic organizer, they are everywhere and nowadays unimaginable without them. Yes, I am talking about skincare products. Your skin needs them, but they are coming in a large variety to choose from.
1. Most people misdiagnose their skin type anyway
There are a lot of tests you can take online with the goal of finding out your skin type. Not to mention apps where you can take a picture of your face and it gives you the answer to what skin type you have. You can watch videos or read about the common symptoms of each skin type so you can identify them more easily. But unless you go to (minimum) one dermatologist, you never will be able to diagnose your exact skin type. It’s just the reality, you are not a skincare expert. If you are, then I apologize and we can move on.
Also you should have in mind that there isn’t a specific category for your skin type. According to Amy Wechsler, a dermatologist and psychiatrist in New York City, everyone has combination skin. “People like categories, but in reality, everyone has combination skin — no one is just dry or oily, and you have wrinkles on some parts of your face and not others”.
2.Your age and ethnicity has something to say about your skin type
Sharon Profis, an executive editor at CNET says: “They’re [suggesting that] alkalinity and acidity may be more important than traditional skin-care categories.” When the skin is younger it has more acid, as it ages, it becomes more basic. If you know this, then you know when to normalize your PH and prevent wrinkles.
Your type of skin (dry, normal, combination or sensitive), is most likely because of your genetics too. Just as you inherit from your parents and grandparents the color of your eyes, hair color and body type , so do you inherit also your skin type. It doesn’t hurt to pay a little bit of attention to your family tree because it can help you treat your skin in new ways. Your skin characteristics are connected to your ethnic background and even to the color of your skin.
3.Your lifestyle is constantly influencing the conditions of your skin type
Everybody says that if you balance your diet and exercise regularly you will stay healthy and energized and this applies also to your skin. What you eat affects your skin, and it will definitely let you know when something is not right. Like eating too much sugar can lead to inflammation in your body, leaving your face with unwanted dark circles and acne. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption is also not contributing to a healthy skin.
The way you protect yourself from the sun, how much sleep you get, your state of mood, if you are on menopause, or you haven’t got your period, stress, all these factors are influencing the conditions of your skin type.
The climate you are living in, the air pollution, the UV light from the sun affects your skin too.
If you pay attention, you will notice that you have control over most of these factors. Sure that you can’t control menopause or hormonal changes, but you still can balance it with eating healthy food for example.
4.Don’t confuse skin condition with skin type
Don’t assume that if you have some symptoms like redness and dryness, your skin type is sensitive. In reality, it can be so because you are smoking too much. Using sensitive skin type products won’t help repair your problems.
If you have your period, maybe you get some acne or your skin will be more oily, that only means that your skin concerns may have changed, but your skin type remains the same.
The difference between skin condition and skin type is that the skin conditions are usually (with small exceptions) temporary. Like temporary dryness, hyperpigmentation or acne.
Try to find separate products for your skin condition and for your skin type. Don’t put the blame on the product not working, when the real cause of the problem will remain being ignored.
5.Your skin type is more complex than a category you want to fit in
Dirty Looks: The Secret to Beautiful Skin (Little, Brown Spark) book offers a lot of insights which will help you change your perspective when it comes to finding out your skin type. According to the writer, noting the presence of bacteria on your skin like propionibacterium and staphylococcus, would be more accurate than classifying your skin as dry or oily.
You can benefit from healthy bacteria and enzyme levels on your skin by sleeping more, using gentler exfoliators, eating more leafy greens etc. Yoga and becoming more mindfulness can stop stress from translating into physical inflammation.
The dermatologist from New York, Whitney Bowe expresses herself: “We’re learning that everyone’s skin has a unique fingerprint — the bacteria living on your skin and even epigenetics affect how your skin looks.” –Source Yahoo–
You have now more input about what you should take into consideration when trying to determine for yourself what skin type you have. The important thing is always to realize if you want to treat a condition on your skin or you want to perform a daily skin care routine. You can surely combine the two of them, but try to not confuse them. Also, you do know that less is more. Try to avoid using a lot of chemicals (which are in the ingredients of each skin care product which you buy). The healthier lifestyle you have, the better your skin will look like.
Let me know in the comments below what is your perspective about your skin type.
