Know your Skin Type - It's that Simple
By
Norah Kuch
What type of skin
do you have? To have a perfect skin you have to
treat each cell within perfectly. You need to
know your skin type! You may think you know it
already, but you need to remember, our skin
changes with age, with seasons , with diet and
even according to the time of the month.. So
truly know your skin type, you have to reassess
it regularly..
Is it dry?
Is it oily?
Is it combination skin?
Is it sensitive skin?
Is it maturing skin?
Is it stressed out skin?
Is it tiered skin?
In series of
articles about skin types, you will be able to
assess your skin type and take better care of
your skin and hopefully have a healthy, glowing
skin.
Dry skin.
What are the characteristics?
If you have dry skin, your face feels tight,
never relaxed, dull and some times gray. It’s
flaky and has lots of tiny fine lines. Dry skin
occurs when the protective barrier of oil in the
lower level of skin starts to break down and
water evaporates from skin. The problem with dry
skin is that it will make you look older.
Getting those moisture levels back up to normal
is therefore priority.
Dry skin care:
To take care for dry skin means making sure the
products that you use contain no drying
ingredients like alcohol or soap. Choose creamy
or milky cleansers that will add moisture and
leave a fine protective film. If you have to use
soap, choose glycerin based one.
You need to
exfoliate. One of the reasons why dry skin looks
dull is that its cell renewal is slow. Using a
cleanser with alpa-hydroxy acids can help to
exfoliate. Apply them every day for a week, then
stop for 2-3 weeks. In between use facial scrub
to remove dead skin cells.
Use the right
moisturizer. Moisturizers use two types of
ingredients to hydrate the skin:
- humectants, which attract moisture to the skin
-emollients, which help reinforce the protective
barrier.
Choose product,
which include both. Look for ingredients such as
hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and lactic acid,
which are humectants and lanolin, which is
emollient.
Choosing
moisturizers high in water will also help the
skin look and feel hydrated.
Apply moisturizer
twice daily.
Top five tips
for dry skin:
Cleanse your skin once daily (only once) at the
end of the day. This will remove dirt and grime
and will prevent further drying. In the morning,
use some moisturizer.
Exfoliation is
essential for dry skin. When choosing facial
scrub, avoid any made from seeds or salt - these
can have sharp edges which may tear dry skin ,
increasing moisture loss.
Never expose your
skin to really hot water. It dries out parched
skin. Never dry your skin completely. One of the
best way to hydrate your skin is just to pat it
with the clean towel after washing, then apply
moisturizer to seal the extra moisture.
Increase your
intake of oily fish or take a supplement of
essential fatty acids.
Drink 8 glasses
of water a day.
Cleanse
your skin once daily (only once) at the end of
the day. This will remove dirt and grime and
will prevent further drying. In the morning, use
some moisturizer.
Exfoliation is
essential for dry skin. When choosing facial
scrub, avoid any made from seeds or salt - these
can have sharp edges which may tear dry skin ,
increasing moisture loss.
Never expose your
skin to really hot water. It dries out parched
skin. Never dry your skin completely. One of the
best way to hydrate your skin is just to pat it
with the clean towel after washing, then apply
moisturizer to seal the extra moisture.
Increase your
intake of oily fish or take a supplement of
essential fatty acids.
Drink 8 glasses
of water a day.
Nora Kuch is an
author of many skin care and beauty care
articles and owes website:
http://www.beautyuno.com
