You must have found yourself dumbfounded at least once while watching videos regarding skincare. People in such videos keep on blabbering about different products for different skin types. But all such information is of no use unless you don’t know your skin type. To start working on your skin it is essential to determine your skin type, first.
Skin type is an umbrella term to broadly categorize the main characteristics of one’s skin. The science underlying these characteristics and their combinations are what runs the multimillion-dollar skincare industry. Understanding the basics of determining your skin type can help one navigate through the information and choose what works best for them.
How To Determine Your Skin Type?
The best way to determine your skin type is through the use of the Baumann Skin Type Indicator (BSTI). It takes into account the combination of four parameters i.e. dry/oily, sensitive/ resistant, pigmented/non-pigmented, tight/ wrinkled.
Before starting any skin treatment, or selecting products for skincare it is advisable to look into these parameters. The combination of these characteristics yields 16 types, so skin types today are a lot more diverse than traditionally assigned four (dry, oily, sensitive, combination) types. Anyone can use the chart below to find their skin type.
| Baumann Skin Type Indicator | |||||
| Dry | Oily | ||||
| Pigmented | Non-pigmented | Pigmented | Non-pigmented | ||
| Wrinkled | DSPW | DSNW | OSPW | OSNW | Sensitive |
| Tight | DSPT | DSNT | OSPT | OSNT | Sensitive |
| Wrinkled | SRPW | DRNW | ORPW | ORNW | Resistant |
| Tight | DRPT | DRNT | ORPT | ORNT | Resistant |
| Abbreviation: | |||||
| D-dry, N-non-pigmented, O-oily, P-pigmented, R-resistant, S-sensitive, T-tight, W-wrinkled | |||||
Types Of Skin And Their Special Skincare
Dry/Oily Skin
If your skin feels tight and flaky after an hour of washing your face, you might have dry skin. Dry skin is the result of skin losing its moisture, which is due to the dysregulation in the skin’s lipid barrier. Skincare for this skin type revolves around restoring this barrier.
Fats/ lipids, sebum, natural moisturizing factor, and aquaporin are the most important factors that regulate skin hydration, so a good moisturizer might be, all you need. People with dry skin need to avoid ultraviolet radiation, detergents, acetone, chlorine, hot baths, and prolonged water exposure. These can dry out your skin even more.
Oily skin on the other hand can be determined by noticing the shine on your face. If you have shine on your whole face after some time of washing your face, you are likely to have oily skin. People with oily skin tend to avoid using a moisturizer, but that is not the way to go. your skin needs still need moisture, but of a different kind.
Sensitive/Resistant Skin
Resistant skin is usually robust that strongly protects against allergens and other environmental irritants. Sensitive skin, on the other hand, is prone to inflammation. Hence, the products used are the ones that aim to reduce inflammation to restore normal skin function.
Sensitive skin can be one of the four types
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- acne type (prone to developing acne, blackheads, or whiteheads)
- rosacea type (recurrent flushing, redness with hot sensations)
- stinging type (experiencing stinging or burning sensations)
- allergic-type (with redness, itching, and scaling)
Pigmented/Non-Pigmented Skin
An easy way to determine whether your skin is pigmented or not is to carefully look at it. A skin with marks is pigmented and clear spotless skin is non-pigmented.
This skin parameter does not relate to the color of the skin or natural tone of skin but refers to the proneness of skin to develop undesired hyperpigmentation. Melasma, freckles, sun damage, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation are considered under this category.
Hydroquinone, vitamin C, mulberry extract, and licorice extract, kojic acid, arbutin and niacinamide, all help in combating undesired pigmentation. Apart from these, products that increase cell turnover, like retinoids, Alpha, and beta hydroxyl acid also help with skin hyperpigmentation. The regular use of a good sunblock with at least SPF 30 is a must for people with skin pigmentation.
Tight/Wrinkled Skin
Getting wrinkles with growing age is as normal as aging itself. Antiaging elixirs have taken the beauty and skincare industry by storm. With every product claiming to take years off your face, one must take everything with a pinch of salt.
Aging is a dynamic and multifactorial process. Internal aging is natural and inevitable due to programmed cell death in the body, nothing but a healthy lifestyle can salvage the aging process gracefully.
Sun damage is the primary environmental cause of skin aging, with smoking, other pollutants, poor nutrition, and excessive alcohol consumption, following behind.No skincare products can penetrate deep enough into the deeper skin layer, dermis to alter skin aging like loss of volume, collagen synthesis, and wrinkles, so one cannot expect magical results.
Three main structural components of the skin: collagen, elastin, and Hyaluronic acid decline with age. The primary goal of any good antiaging products is to prevent the degradation of one or more of these constituents.
Retinoids, topical, and oral vitamin C, and copper peptide can stimulate collagen production.
Antioxidants like vitamins C and E, coenzyme Q10, caffeine, coffeeberry, ferulic acid, grape seed extract, green tea, Pycnogenol, rosemary, mushrooms, and pomegranate are rich in antioxidants, that may help your skin too.
A person’s skin can be a combination of any of the mentioned 16 types. Finding products that suit all parameters can be challenging. Effective skin care should consist of an intricately designed combination of various elements. This job can be done best by a dermatologist. If you want to start working towards healthier and more supple skin, you need to consult a dermatologist.
FAQs
Can Someone Have More Than One Skin Type?
Yes, as discussed above, there are 16 skin types, each of which is a combination of four characteristics. So yes, one can be more than one skin type. For example, a person can have a skin type that is oily, sensitive, pigmented, and tight all at the same time.
Do At-Home Skincare Remedies Work?
Such remedies can be used as a preventive measure. Home remedies take a very long period of time, to show even the slightest improvement. therefore, skin remedies can not be used as an alternative to well-formulated skincare products.
Why Determining Your Skin Type Is Important?
With the exponentially growing cosmeceutical industry and a plethora of products to choose from, it’s a challenge not to fall for gimmicks. To determine your skin type is essential to make wise skincare choices.
