How many skin care products are needed for good skin?
Some skin care ranges get by with a limited number of products – one or two cleansers, an exfoliator, afew creams. Other ranges offer an abundance of choice – often dozens of creams and other specialtyproducts. Is this abundance of choice really necessary? Isn’t all skin fundamentally the same?To answer this question we need to look at two issues:a)
How many skin types and skin problems do we encounter?b)
Can we force the skin to become ‘normal’, or do we have to work with it?Students of beauty therapy spend a significant amount of their study time learning to diagnose differentskin types and conditions. As if that wasn’t enough, industry experts offer intensive courses on ‘SkinAnalysis’, lasting up to three days.Skin professionals differentiate between four basic skin types: normal, oily, combination and dry. Theseskin types are then broken down into skin conditions: dehydrated (yes, even oily skin is oftendehydrated), blemished, sensitive, congested, acne, sun damaged and couperose.Skin colour can be marred by pigmentation, sensitivity, redness or excess exposure to the sun. Oily skincan have a thick texture yet feel smooth to the touch. It can also be surface dry. Dry skin can look finebut feel rough. Whiteheads, blackheads, pustules and papules indicate different stages of congestionthat can lead to acne. The condition of acne itself is defined in numerous terms, depending on cause,severity and persistence. Redness of the skin indicates sensitivity or irritation, often caused by wrongcare of the skin. The cause could also be broken veins or rosacea. Lifestyle, dietary habits and theapproach to care of the skin have to be taken into consideration.Clearly, the skin professional is confronted with a myriad of possible combinations.The aim of any skin care regime is what we could be called normal, healthy skin. It has a smooth, evensurface with small, barely visible pores. It is faintly translucent, with a radiant appearance. The skinproduces enough sebum to maintain a healthy level of hydration. Light reflects evenly off it, there are nodull or shiny spots. There is no sign of sun damage, no uneven pigmentation, no excess dead skin cells,no premature lines and wrinkles. The skin is firm, with a healthy bounce.So how do we go from the skin types and problems analysed by the skin professional to the normal,healthy skin described above? Firstly, we must acknowledge that there are limitations – skin that isbadly scarred from acne will never be like baby skin again, the ravages of time can’t be fully erasedeither. However, there are solutions available that will help maintain a healthy, youthful appearanceinto mature age. The earlier we start the better the chances.
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