How to Look After Your Skin

It is very important to remember that there is no one way of caring for the skin. This is because there are different types of skin. What works for one skin type may not work for another. The different skin types include: normal skin, dry skin, oily skin, soft skin, sensitive skin, dry-oily skin.

Normal skin: People who possess normal skin have a good balance of moisture and oil blended in their skin. Their skin is neither excessively dry, nor excessively oily. This type of skin only needs regular body lotions and regular soaps for baths.

Dry Skin: This type of skin requires constant care because it is usually dry and sometimes flaky. In dark skinned people, it usually shows an unpleasant white appearance when left without care. It can easily crack when very dry. The cause of this dryness has sometimes been attributed to the insufficient production of skin oil usually known as ‘sebum’ which in turn leaves the skin surface dry. The sebaceous gland is an oil producing gland in the skin that has tiny holes which open to the surface of the skin. These holes are the same holes that reveal the hairs on the skin but they are different from sweat pores which allow sweat to be let out to the surface of the skin. To care for this skin, one should always apply skin lotion or cream to keep the skin moisturized. The base of the lotion or cream should be checked to ensure that it is oil because skin lotions with water base do dry off easily leaving the skin dry. Oil –based lotions and creams last longer. Soap used on this skin should not be normal soaps but soaps indicated for dry skin. This is because normal soaps wash off the skin oil and moisture whereas soaps meant for dry skin are milder and leave a small percentage of oil and moisture.

Oily Skin: This is the opposite of dry skin. The skin oil or ‘sebum’ is excessively produced thereby leaving the skin very oily. The problems associated with this type of skin usually are acne and pimples. This is because so much oil is produced that end up clogging the pores on the skin forming pimples. Most of these pimples end up as black heads in dark skinned people and pink heads in light skinned people. Lotions and creams applied to this skin should have water base so that when they dry off the skin will continue to retain its moisture by itself. Application of talcum powder to the face is usually encouraged to help in keeping the facial skin dry, absorb the oil and reduce the clogging up that leads to the formation of pimples. However, this only helps to reduce it, it does not stop acne. The care of this type of skin is just the opposite of the dry skin. Use soaps marked for oily skin as they help to wash out more of the oils leaving the skin with about the normal level of oil.

Soft and sensitive skin: I have decided to group these two skin types together because their care is almost alike. Soft skin is sometimes sensitive as well. Soft skin could be oily or dry. It is soft when you touch it and very prone to injuries and cuts because of its softness and sensitive nature. Some skin types are sensitive but are not soft. They are sensitive to certain soaps and creams. This means that they easily react to new creams or soaps. The individuals who possess them cannot easily use soaps and creams served at the hotel rooms for fear of skin reactions. Those with soft and sensitive skin should take exceptional care of their skin to protect from injuries and reactions. They should be careful of too much heat and too much cold as sometimes they also have reactions in extreme weather. They are prone to having sunburn where normal skin people will not.

Dry-oily skin: This is sometimes known as ‘combination skin type’. It consists of some parts of the body being oily while some parts are dry. For some individuals, it happens with their faces being extremely oily while the other parts of their body are dry. The care of this type of skin is the combination of the care of oily and dry skin. It is amazing to see someone with this type of skin go in to have a bath with two soaps. When asked, the answer is usually “One is for my face and one is for the rest of my body”. In case you laughed before, now you know why. The individual has a combination skin type. Depending on the extent of the oiliness, sometimes there may not be any need to apply lotion to the places that are excessively oily because the skin has enough oil production in these areas to keep it going.

In conclusion, it is very important to understand ones skin type in order to ensure that the appropriate care is given. Good skin care promotes not just the health of the skin, but also the self esteem of the individual who owns the skin.
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