What is your skin type?

Skin is classified according to the balance of water and sebum in the tissues. Each category represents a state of imbalance.

Normal is rare unless you’re very young. It is soft, smooth, finely textured, supple and balanced in both oil and moisture content. It has no enlarged pores, blemishes, spots, wrinkles and is form and resilient to the touch.

Oily tends to be shiny, has a rougher texture with enlarged pores. The skin may look sallow and is prone to acne, blackheads and infection. It’s greasy as a result of overproduction of sebum. This can be due to a number of factors such as genetics, bad diet, metabolic disorders, hormonal imbalances, insufficient skin hygiene or the use of harsh chemicals that strip the oil from the skin.

Dry is usually delicate and fine-textured with no obvious pores. Dry skin is more likely to show facial lines and wrinkles. It lacks moisture or fat due to inadequate production by the sebaceous glands and an inability to trap surface moisture making it feel tight, parched and flaky. Can become dehydrated – avoid alcohol heavy skin products and use a moisturizer every day.

Combination is a mixture of two or more skin types, often dry patches with oily patches on the T-zones, where the sebaceous glands are more concentrated such as the forehead, nose and chin. Each area is best treated according to its needs. For example two types of moisturizers may need to be applied, one for each skin type area. This is the most common skin type.

Sensitive is thin, delicate with fine pores, and often prone to lines and small surface veins. It can suffer redness and irritation when exposed to allergens in the air and to products such as lanolin, sodium lauryl sulphate, perfume, artificial colour and pollen. It is often more prone to eczema and dermatitis.

Dehydrated lacks water, quickly wrinkled, drawn and often cold to touch. Lack of water in the tissues can be caused by insufficient fluid intake, poor lymphatic function, dieting, climate, central heating or air-conditioning and lack of sebum. Both dry and oily skins can become dehydrated.

Mature or sun-damaged feels tight, is prone to dryness and dehydration, as it lacks oil and moisture. Visible wrinkles, slack skin tone-especially around the cheeks and jaw line. The skin looks dull. Growths and pigmentation occur with leathery texture and small capillaries may appear.

Acne/blemish prone skin is caused by the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. An excess of sebum is produced and clogs the pores, forming blackheads. The pressure of this sebum in the connective tissue increases, and creates inflammations and pimples.

Broken capillaries appear as small, dilated, winding, bright red blood vessels on the cheeks, around the nose and sometimes on the chin. It occurs as a result of poor elasticity of the capillary wall and gives the appearance of being flushed or redness in patches. It is aggravated by the cold or heat, nervous or digestive disorders, poor nutrition, saunas, exercise, drinking very hot liquids, spicy foods, smoking, alcohol, and aggressive chemical based scrubs and alcohol-based toners. For a natural alternative try the Miessence Couperose Gel to help reduce redness and a blotchy appearance.

And don’t forget inner beauty…………………………………

A diet rich in enzymes, proteins, vitamins, essential fatty acids, minerals and anti-oxidants works best alongside natural/organic topical treatments. The skin, hair and nails are the last stop for essential nutrients (which arrive at the internal organs first). Maintain a balanced diet, check with a naturopath to check that you are absorbing nutrients properly, eliminating toxins efficiently through the liver and kidneys, so all the impurities don’t flood your skin and cause breakouts. Premature ageing of the skin can also be related to sun damage, stress, hormones, too much sugar and refined foods, pollution, lack of exercise and the use of harsh skincare products. Avoid all these things.

Inner beauty gives your face a radiance that cannot be mimicked by make-up. Holding onto emotions may be reflected back to you as disturbances of the skin. It is important to maintain balance do yoga, meditate, take your shoes off and walk on the grass, breath and be calm. Surround yourself with positive people who make you feel loved. Lower stress levels are guaranteed to bring about an improvement in your complexion without any special treatments.

Life is there to be enjoyed.

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein.