How to Know Your Skin Type Exactly

Basically, there are four common skin types: oily, dry, combination, and normal. The way your skin reacts and behaves classifies the type of skin you have. Skin types react in different ways to creams and/or lotions, environment, and weather. The skin on your face is the great point to categorize type of your skin.

Here are four skin types that you should know:

1. Oily Skin
Skin may look oily, sallow, and coarse; it has large pores and tends to have pimples, blackheads and whiteheads. The texture of skin is thick; the touch is often sticky. It is usually youthful-looking due to the presence of oil on the skin. Besides that, within hours of cleansing the oiliness will reappear and makeup is usually absorbed quickly. Often, individuals with this skin type have a propensity to develop acne in their teen and middle years.

2. Dry Skin
This skin type has a transparent looking and fine texture. It may lack natural oils, may look rather flaky with small pores, blackheads and blemishes. It feels particularly dry after cleansing and may have whiteheads around the eyes and dry patches. Without sufficient moisture, this skin type can simply become chapped. It’s more likely to become wrinkly than other types.

3. Combination Skin
This type can be characterized as oily on the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) and the rest of the face, cheeks and around the eye, is dry. However, to restore both areas to balance, they need a separate cleansing routine.

4. Normal skin
If this is your skin type you are very lucky, because less than 20% of women have this skin type. It is the "healthy" type of skin. It’s smooth, soft, and supple; not too dry, not too oily, characterized by few blemishes, and has a nice glow. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to take care of it.

The first step just before choosing a skin care routine that will make you look beauty is knowing you skin type. Therefore, I want to give you simple tips how to know what type of skin you have exactly:

1. Cleanse your face, and wait for an hour, without applying any skin care product to it.

2. After that, take a tissue and wipe each of the following areas of your face: your forehead, nose, chin, and cheeks.

If oil appears on the tissue, then you have oily skin. But, if skin particles can be seen on your skin, or remain on the tissue, then you have dry skin. Other than that, If you see oil in some areas (T-zone: forehead, nose and chin), and none in others, then naturally you have combination skin. And, if you don’t find oily residue or flake is left on the skin, you have normal skin.

One thing that you should keep in mind, cleansing and moisturizing twice a day is an important thing of having attractive and healthy skin, regardless of what type of skin you have. For maximum results, select products that are intended for your particular skin type.

Author: Gree Lya Article Source : http://www.articlebiz.com

Hyperpigmentation – Its Causes and Alternatives

Hyper pigmentation refers to skin that has turned darker than normal where the change that has occurred is unrelated to sun exposure. Hyper pigmentation is caused due to excessive production of melanin. Melanin is the pigment that is solely responsible for the color of the skin. Hyper pigmentation occurs due to the excessive secretion of melanocyte stimulating hormone that enhances the production of melanocytes. The melanocytes produce the pigment melanin. Hyper pigmentation affects the areas that are not exposed to light like the genital areas, armpits etc.

Hyper pigmentation may be caused by internal and external causes. Internal causes include hormonal imbalances such as pregnancy. An external cause for hyper pigmentation is sun exposure. Sots of brown may appear with sun exposure without the use of a sunblock.

There are a few types of hyperpigmentation that is based on the cause of the excess melanin and its appearance on the skin. These include melasma, age spots or liver spots, freckles, and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. It is also related with a number of diseases such as Addison's disease and other sources of adrenal insufficiency, in which the hormones induce melanin synthesis.


Hyperpigmentation tretment

• Hydroquinone - Hydroquinone is one of the best-established topical agents for reducing skin pigmentation. Its effectiveness, both alone and in combination with other treatments, has been documented in a large number of clinical studies. Hydroquinone treatment usually takes several weeks to produce results because even though the synthesis of new melanin is blocked quickly, the existing melanin takes a relatively long time to migrate out of the skin in the process of natural exfoliation.

• Laser resurfacing – Normal laser skin resurfacing works by evaporating the first few layers of damaged skin to leave behind a fresh, evenly toned skin. Hydroquinone or mild chemical peels are often recommended before laser resurfacing for best results.

• Intense pulsed light – IPL is a type laser that leaves no scares, can sometimes heals freckles or other mild sun spots without using peels or hydroquinone creams beforehand.

• Hydroquinone creams – They bleach the skin by slowing down the production of melanin. Dark spots fade in a few weeks. They are usually used for hyper pigmentation which is not caused by hormonal changes.

• Hydroxy Acid Peels - They increase cell renewal rate and correct hyper pigmentation marks. Alpha hydroxy acids are water soluble acids and can help remove hyperpigmentation.

• Physician formula – These are more expensive skin pigmentation treatments but it is very effective.

Skin hyperpigmentation is not a life threatening condition. However, you should consult with your doctor to confirm that it is not melanoma, a form of skin cancer. In addition, you should see your doctor if you experience unexplained darkening or lightening or any skin sore or lesion that changes the color of the skin.