Skin Conditions v’s Skin Types
Do you know the difference?
Firstly, what is the difference? Skin Conditions v’s Skin Types. Let me explain. There are four basic types of healthy skin which I like to call balanced, dry, oily and combination skin.
Basically, your skin type is determined by genetics. However your skin condition can vary greatly according to the various internal and external factors it is subjected to.
Skin Types
When it comes to skin types, it is determined by genetics. There are four main types of skin: balanced, dry, oily and combination skin. However, the condition of our skin can vary greatly according to the various internal and external factors it is subjected to.
Let us look at skin types in a little bit more detail.
Balanced skin – healthy and well balanced skin.
Dry skin – a skin type that produces less sebum than normal skin. As a result of the lack of sebum, dry skin lacks the lipids that it needs to retain moisture and build a protective shield against external influences.
Oily skin – a skin type with heightened sebum production. An over production is known as seborrhea.
Combination skin – as the name suggests, skin that consists of a mix of skin types.
Skin Conditions
Unlike skin type, skin condition can vary greatly during the course of your life.
There are many internal and external factors that determine its condition. These include things such as climate, pollution, medication, and stress. Not only these, but also hereditary factors that influence the levels of sebum, sweat and natural moisturising factors. As well as these factors, the products that you use and the skincare choices that you make.
Firstly, when it comes to selecting skincare products it should be to match your skin type and address skin condition. So many people end up making the condition the primary focus, when it should be always skin type first.
Let’s have a look at some of the skin conditions and their effects.
Signs of aging
Many people are not aware, however our skin type can evolve during our lifetime. According to some, those with an oily skin type in their teenage years can find their skin becoming drier post-puberty. However, those with a normal skin type can find their skin getting drier as they age.
As all skin types age, skin loses volume and density, fine lines and wrinkles appear and changes in pigmentation can occur.
Understanding and measuring these signs of ageing helps us to determine the condition of our skin.
Skin colour
More often it is our skin colour and ethnicity that influences how our skin reacts to external forces. These forces being those such as the sun, pigmentation disorders, irritation and inflammation.
Firstly it is our basic skin colour is determined by the density of the epidermis and the distribution of melanin.
Secondly, the redness of our skin is also a useful measure of skin condition. Redness indicates how successful our circulation is and can be helpful in identifying conditions such as rosacea.
Skin Sensitivity
Sensitive skin is skin that is easily irritated by different factors. For example, different skin care products or high and low temperatures. However, for some people, sensitive skin is a permanent condition and something they are born with.
Yet, for others, sensitivity is triggered by certain internal and external factors. This is more sensitised because of external factors. These occur when your skin’s natural barrier function is compromised. Resulting in causing water loss and allowing penetration of irritants.
The symptoms will be the same as sensitive. However, we can often change things to help this condition. Identifying and evaluating symptoms such as redness, a rash, stinging, itching and burning help in determining skin condition.
Sebum and sweat production
The amount of sebum produced by the sebaceous glands in skin controls the efficacy of the skin’s barrier function. As a result, the condition of skin. The overproduction of sebum can lead to oily, acne-prone skin, while low sebum production causes dry skin.
The perspiratory glands in skin produce sweat to help the body to maintain its optimum temperature.
Excessive or low sweat production can influence your skin condition.
Natural Moisturising Factors
Naturally produced in healthy skin, such as amino acids help to bind water into the skin. They help maintain its elasticity and suppleness. By doing this it prevents your skin from becoming dehydrated.
When the skin’s protective barrier is damaged it is often unable to retain these essential moistures. Therefore skin moisture decreases and the condition is affected.
Lots of love
This is all said with love, I know many people have different opinions and that is absolutely fine. I hope that gives some insight to Skin Conditions v’s Skin Types.
The biggest piece of advice I always say is:
If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Skincare should not cause any damage to your skin, if used correctly for YOUR skin!
Any questions, just ask…
Much love.
