There's not much you can do about the
skin type you're born with. But by taking care of it
properly, you can control and maintain texture and
radiance from your 20s right through to your 50s and
over.
The types of skin are normal, oily, dry and combination.
They are determined according to the degree of oiliness
or dryness. Generally, skin type correlates with pore
size. To determine your own skin type, wash your face
and wait 30 minutes. Then put a single piece of tissue
paper against each area of your face: forehead, nose,
chin, cheeks. Your oily areas will leave oil on the
tissue paper.
Dry skin has a rough texture and may become flaky. There
are no shiny areas; in fact, the skin looks dull. Pores
tend to be smaller because less oil is produced. Without
adequate moisture, dry skin can easily become chapped.
As dry skin ages, it?#8364;™s more likely than other
types to become wrinkly.
Normal skin has an equal balance of water and oil,
making it naturally well moisturized. The pores are
medium-sized. When you pull the skin away from the bony
structure, it springs back to normal position. Lines and
wrinkles are appropriate for age.
Oily skin has a coarse texture. Usually oily areas tend
to shine. Oily skin results from overactive oil glands;
the oil helps retain dead skin cells in the hair
follicles. Pores tend to be larger. The dead skin cells
may darken with exposure to the air, forming blackheads.
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 is a mixture of dry and oily areas of
differing degrees. Usually the T-zone -- the forehead,
nose and chin -- is prone to oiliness, whereas the
cheeks and neck tend to be dry. More people have
combination skin than severely dry or oily skin. Ideally
you would need to treat these two areas separately.
Help your skin by?#8364;?
Sticking to a healthy diet ?#8364;“ beta carotene
converts to vitamin A (essential in strengthening the
skin tissue); vitamin C helps collagen production;
vitamin E is good for conditioning; and vitamin B is
good for repairing.
Supplementing your diet with evening primrose oil; it
contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a fatty acid that
strengthens the skin cells and stimulates moisture
content.
Getting enough sleep, allowing the skin to repair
itself.
Exercising, which boosts blood flow.
