Know Your Skin Type
Vanity is a natural human characteristic. It is innate in all of us. And although most people do not regard their skin as an organ, our skin is in fact the largest vital organ in our body. Skin that is clogged and unhealthy is not just a beauty problem. It can become a hindrance to your sense of vitality and wellness. Proper care of your skin is important not only to your personal sense of beauty but also to proper elimination, more graceful aging and overall health.There are five major types of skin. Understanding your skin type is the best approach to your personal skin care.
- Normal skin—is the type of skin that we’d all love to have. This is the “healthy” type of skin. This type is the not too oily, not too dry type, characterized by few blemishes, generally firm and smooth with small pores. When you pull the skin away from the bony structure, it springs back to normal position. Lines and wrinkles are appropriate for age.
- Dry Skin—due to environmental exposure to harsh elements and very often lack of water skin may flake off and feel tight in your face. It may lack natural oils, may look rather flaky with small pores, blemishes and blackheads. Without adequate moisture, dry skin can easily become chapped. As dry skin ages, it’s more likely than other types to become wrinkly.
- Oily Skin—skin may look oily and coarse, may have recurring blackheads, acne and large pores. The texture of skin is thick; the touch is often sticky. This type is usually youthful- looking due to the presence of oil on the skin. Often, individuals with oily skin have a tendency to develop acne in their teen and middle years, and overgrown oil glands, or sebaceous hyperplasia, in the middle and late years.
- Combination Skin—varies according to your skin type. This is the Jekyll and Hyde type of skin, often with split personality. This type may be characterized as oily on the T-zone (the area that stretches from the forehead down to the nose and chin), and dry to normal on the cheeks and around the eye area.
- Sensitive Skin—people with sensitive skin are the most prone to allergies, rash, sting, and burns. This type of skin gets irritated easily and can go very red and blotchy. This type will have a lot more trouble to environmental factors and tends to be very sensitive to cosmetics.
Know your skin and take care of it. It is your glory to being healthy and beautiful.










Jamie Tee says:
Hi George,
I’m 25yrs old and have suffered from acne since high school. I have a rare case of acne….where it becomes a little bump which turns into a big bump and scars up. The bump doesn’t go away either…it just stays a big bump and scars up…which is very annoying. I use to get it on my cheeks but not I get it on my chin and sometimes my nose. I noticed that I usually break out when I eat spicy or oily food….I’ve cut down on those.
I have a combination skin where it’s sensitive, oily, dry and rough. I saw a Dermo in NY and he prescribed me M.D Forte Cleanser. I like the product but it hasn’t helped and it’s only good for people who have mild oily skin or for someone who doesn’t wear a lot of makeup. It doesn’t wash off access oil on your skin like it says it does. Other than that, it leaves you skin feeling smooth. I then use a facial cream called Eucerin. It’s thick and helps out my dry skin after washing but I think it’s clogging my pores and giving me more acne here and there.
I read about your vitamin a, going on the all nature veggy for a few days and using aloe vera as a facial cream. I wanted to know if you could tell me which product I could use to possibly help? Which facial cleanser and cream or lotion would you recommend or have came across that worked? I’ve tried all kinds….down to ProActive (which didn’t do anything) and store or mall products…..nothing has slowed it down or helped it at all. I cleanse my face twice a day, I never touch my face and I drink a lot of water but I still somehow break out.
It would be a miracle if my skin would stop breaking out and my scars were gone. I don’t ask for much…just to be healthy and have good skin. I would see a Dermo but I don’t have the money so I hope that someone comes out with a product that’s suitable for my skin type. I understand that everyone’s skin is different and certain products will work…all I want to do is find a product that works for me.
I greatly appreciate that you have a website where we can express our emotions and help each other out. It’s very nice to know other people know where I’m coming from.
Thanks so much! :o)
Jamie Tee
June 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
George Cleanthous says:
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for support, it’s great to hear that I am helping people..
In terms of creams, there is no single product that stands out above the rest. Just have a look at the ingredients before you buy them and check the results after you use them – a good cream will make your skin FEEL better when you are using it. Your body very intelligent and in most cases what feels better usually IS better.
Whichever cream you use, make sure you wash your face twice a day with an exfoliating scrub. Even a supermarket brand scrub is ok and the rougher it feels the better it exfoliates.
I noticed what you mentioned about the oily and spicy foods and it is what stood out most to me. If you have already noticed that you get breakouts when you eat these foods then that definitely indicates that a change in your diet could get rid of your acne.
To start with, try eating only vegetables for a few days (e.g. the 3 day raw vegetable diet) and see how you go. I think you will notice that you will not develop any new pimples during that period.
After that, you will be more motivated to make permanent changes to your diet. After you make that decision, you don’t have to be a vegetarian or vegan just make sure that the majority of your diet is raw vegetables.
Vitamin A supplements always help fight acne and I think that if you start out with 10,000IU for the first 2-3 weeks then go down to the normal 5,000IU you will see improvements very quickly.
NOTE: Vitamin A always helps but if you don’t have the right diet you will continue to get some acne here and there..
Let me know how you go with that.
George
June 27th, 2008 at 3:35 am
Beth says:
Hello George.
I find your site very helpful, because now I know what skin type I am. I have a combination type skin. My Tzone is oily and my cheeks are pretty normal, sometimes dry. Does this mean I must use different products for the different areas?
I am only 14 going on 15 and in high school, so I understand that hormones play a role in this, and so does the feminine cycle. I’ve also thought about going on the acne pill?
I’m pretty frustrated, but I’m trying the AcneFree system for sensitive skin (yes, my skin is sensitive, too) for right now. My skin used to be pretty clear last winter, but I changed up my routine… and I forgot it!!!
I’ve decided my diet may play a role in this, so I drink more water now and eat lots of vegetables. Oh! I have another question. Does how and cold water and washing your face have anything to do with it?
Wow, I had a lot of questions, but even the smallest answers will help! I haaate acne.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:02 am
Will One Acne Treatment Work For Everyone? : : Acne Treatment, Acne Reviews & More… says:
[...] either case, knowing your skin type is essential and for most of you it will be fairly obvious if you are at either end of the [...]
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:09 am