Your skin is just as unique as you are. It is the largest organ in your body, and also your very first and foremost protection from outer elements. Thus giving it love and nourishment takes patience and maybe a lot of trial and error methods. To avoid experiencing trial and error, you must learn to understand your skin better. When you distinguish what your skin needs, it gets easier to decide accurately which products are most beneficial for you.
Often people can’t distinguish between skin type and skin condition. So the very first thing to learn is to differentiate the two.
SKIN TYPE V/S SKIN CONDITION
Though the terms may seem similar, they cannot be any more different. The most basic point of difference between the two is the fact that while not everyone has a skin condition, everyone does have skin type, which by the way, is determined by genetics. Skin types may keep changing seeing the environmental and climate changes, but it is most likely to stay for a prolonged time, if not forever, while skin conditions with correct measures, may not remain permanent. Skin conditions can be caused by various factors, such as hormonal changes, sun exposure, stress, lifestyle, and diet. Sometimes skin conditions are easily treated, but it often requires the assistance of a dermatologist.
Learning more about the different skin types and various skin conditions can help you learn about your skin and how to care for it.
SKIN TYPE
There are 4 types of skin: normal, oily, dry, and combination.
- Normal Skin: Normal skin is typically smooth in appearance, has pink overtones, and barely noticeable pores.
- Dry Skin: Dry skin is thin, lacks brightness, can have fine wrinkles, is rough, and isn't flexible. It is caused due to underproduction of sebum. Stress, fatigue, hormones, cold weather and inadequate cosmetics are contributing factors to dry skin.
- Oily Skin: Oily skin appears to be shiny, mostly in the T-Zone of the face, thick and firm. Skin pores are very much visible. This skin type causes acne and pimples. Many people have oily skin during their teenage years. Hormones, stress, lifestyle and inadequate cosmetics are contributing factors.
- Combination Skin: This type of skin is a combination of oily and dry skin. In this case, most of the time, the skin is dry on the cheeks and oily on the T-Zone.
SKIN CONDITION
A skin condition is a specific problem that you are having with your skin. Though many are easily managed, it is advisable to do so with the assistance of a dermatologist.
- Acne: The most common of all skin conditions is acne. Not just reserved for the teen year, acnes are caused when pores are clogged due to oil and dead skin cells, which causes breakouts.
- Dehydrated Skin: This skin condition is not limited just to dry skin. Dehydrated skin is caused due to lack of water, while dry skin is the result of lack of oil. This condition leaves a thin skin that is more prone to fine lines and squamous skin.
- Pigmentation- There are many types of skin pigmentation conditions: some are hormonal, some hereditary, and some are due to the lifestyle. Depending on the type some go away on their own, some can be treated in the salon and with skincare and other types may need to be assisted by a dermatologist.
- Rosacea: Rosacea can be easily misunderstood as several other skin conditions, such as acne or sensitive skin. It is characterized by sustained inflammation, flushing, and redness. The cause of the condition is unknown, but if left unattended, it might get worse with time.
