Skin types are benchmarks that help individuals determine their skin’s propensity to exhibit certain characteristics. Granted, there are likely many types that fall in between the benchmark types.
Keep in mind, your skin’s appearance may provide some insight into the health of your internal organs. So, get to the root of your skin woes by also addressing your internal organ health while simultaneously treating the outside.
The fact is, whatever may be occurring on the inside will reflect outside. So yes. You have to treat inside. But remember, until inside is managed you’ll have the outside symptoms to manage as well. Therefore, knowing how to deal with those external symptoms – which is essentially your skin type – will allow you to appropriately and effectively care for your skin.
To determine your skin type, do the following test:
Take a piece of blotting or tissue paper and place it against your face. Be sure to press it to your forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin. You’ll notice the following if you have,
Oily Skin: Oil (sebum) on the areas touched by the forehead, nose cheeks and chin.
Combination Skin: Oil in the t-zone area – the forehead, nose, and chin.
Normal Skin: Some oil in the t-zone area, but not much.
Dry Skin: no oil on any area of the paper.
Mature Skin: There is no skin patch test for mature skin. It is characterized by fine lines, wrinkles and sagging to varying degrees. Read here for how to care for mature skin.
Sensitive Skin: there is no patch test for sensitive skin. Read here for characteristics and how to care for sensitive skin.
Dixie Lincoln- Nichols is a biological science educator, health and wellbeing consultant and Qigong instructor. Her work has been featured in media outlets like, Oprah Mag, SELF, Yahoo and more. She is the founder of Inside Outer Beauty Market, a multi-cultutal retailer curating and creating products to support the body inside and out. Visit the site at www.iobeautymarket.com