How many skin types?

It is broadly established that there are four different types of skin: normal, dry, oily, and mixed. If you know your skin type, you will be able to choose the appropriate types of products that will increase your chances to have a beautiful healthy skin. Here are the best tips to recognize your type of skin.

What is a skin type?

To understand what a skin type is, you need to discover how the hydrolipidic film works. The hydrolipidic film is an invisible layer made of water and fat (the sebum) that covers the entirety of your skin and plays the role of a gigantic protective barrier. Like a shield, the hydrolipidic film has 2 missions: protect the epidermis from bacteria and maintain an optimal level of hydration. The quality and efficiency of the hydrolipidic film will determine our type of skin - normal, dry, oily, and mixed. It is important to note that all of this is directly linked to our genetic patrimony.

Type #1 – Normal Skin

This is the skin we all dream to have! It is like a baby skin, resulting from a perfect balance of sebum and hydration. The hydrolipidic film is functioning perfectly and has these characteristics:

• The skin texture is smooth, clean and has no imperfection
• The complexion is rosy and harmonious
• The epidermis is healthy, not too greasy, not too dry.

A normal skin is rather easy to maintain, on the condition that you still take good care of it: it still needs to be properly cleansed, protected and hydrated to make sure it keeps its freshness and radiance.

Type #2 – Dry Skin

CHARACTERISTICS OF A DRY SKIN

Dry Skin is characterized by a lack of sebum. The hydrolipidic film does not contain enough fat and its protective barrier loses efficiency. It retains less water and cannot play its defensive role against external aggressions. And it shows!

• Complexion is dull
• Skin texture is more granular
• Skin is prone to tightness, or even itching
• Temperature changes can provoke hypersensitivity, even some redness
• Skin sometimes undergoes some peeling

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR DRY SKIN?

A dry skin needs to receive intensive nourishment and comfort. It will thrive when a rich cream, an oil or a balm is applied. The repairing Nutricia Baume Super Réconfortant will appease a dry skin and get rid of discomfort. You can use it day and night and apply it with ascending movements; redness and tightness will fade instantly. A mix of nourishing oils (almond, coconut, and raspberry seeds) will leave your skin smooth and invigorated, without any greasy finish.

It is important to cleanse a dry skin with a very gentle product, to avoid more dryness.

Type #3 – Oily Skin

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN OILY SKIN

Unlike dry skin, oily skin is linked to an excess of sebum, also called seborrhea. Although the sebum is a skin protector, its excessive production can be damaging by preventing a healthy and natural cellular renewal. These are obvious signs:

• Skin texture is irregular
• Skin is shiny
• Pores are dilated, especially on the T-zone (forehead, nose, and shin)

Skin has imperfections: blackheads and pimples are showing up here and there

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF AN OILY SKIN

There are a lot of falsehoods about oily skins.

We are often tempted to clean the skin too harshly and to skip good hydration to avoid the shiny look by all means. It is a big mistake, as oily skins need to be treated with delicacy.

To balance an oily, cleansing should be done with a gentle, purifying, and ultra-absorbing product like Masque Charbon Pâte Grise . Next should come an appropriate type of hydration that includes a purifying factor.   Pâte Grise Jour  provides an excellent balance with its mattifying gel texture.

Type #4 – Mixed Skin

CHARACTERISITICS OF A MIXED SKIN

Mixed skin could look like a normal skin that failed at some point. Literally, it is the mix of 2 skin types:

• The skin is oily around the T-zone (forehead, nose, and shin). It is often shiny and shows imperfections
• The skin is dry everywhere else, and especially on the cheeks
• The complexion is dull, lacking radiance

 Mixed skin is the most common type of skin!

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF A MIXED SKIN

After cleansing your skin, you should use a light hydrating cream that targets the flow of sebum, to ensure its balance. Especially formulated for mixed skins, My Payot Gelée offers a concentrate of energy and protects your skin from external aggressions. Ultra-light and non-greasy, its powdery finish will mattify your skin while boosting its radiance.

 

Now that you know everything about skin types, you can confirm what your type is and chose the right products and beauty routine!