What Influences Skin Type?
Almost everything can influence skin type, which is why it can be so tricky to attribute a single skin type to what you see on your face. Both external and internal elements can and do impact the way your skin looks and feels. To effectively evaluate your skin and determine the correct skin-care routine, here are some of the factors that need to be considered:
- Hormonal changes (pregnancy, menopause, menstrual cycle, and more all cause skin conditions to fluctuate from oily to breakouts, skin discolorations, and dryness)
- Skin disorders (rosacea, psoriasis, dermatitis, with each one posing its specific concerns)
- Genetic predisposition of skin type (oily versus dry, prone to breakouts, sensitive skin)
- Smoking (cause of necrotic skin that cannot be corrected by skin-care products
- Medications you may be taking (some birth-control pills can increase oily skin and breakouts while other types can actually improve the appearance of acne)
- Diet (there is research showing a diet high in antioxidants and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids can improve the appearance of skin
Will My Skin Type Change?
Absolutely! Another problem with skin typing is the assumption that your skin (and skin type) will be the same forever, or at least until you age. That, too, is rarely the case. If your skin-care routine focuses on skin type alone, it can become obsolete the moment the season changes, your work life becomes stressful, or your body experiences hormonal or diet fluctuations or other physical changes, and whatever else life may bring.
To complicate things even more, in any given period you may have multiple skin types! It is not unusual for women to have a little bit of each skin type simultaneously or at different times of the month or week. An overview of how your skin behaves and changes is necessary to assess what your skin needs so you can then respond by applying the appropriate products to those problems areas
Will I Ever Have Normal Skin?
It depends on how you define normal. As far as the cosmetics industry is concerned, every woman can and should have normal skin. Yet acquiring normal skin is like trying to scale a peak with a slippery, precarious slope. At some point you are going to take a wrong step. And if you have normal skin, at some point it isn’t going to be normal any more.
Like the rest of our bodies, skin is in a constant state of change. Even women with seemingly perfect complexions go through phases of having oily, dry, or blemish-prone skin and then there are all the issues related to sun damage or merely growing older. In reality, no one is likely to have normal skin for very long, no matter what she does. Chasing after normal skin can set you on an endless skin-care buying spree, running around in circles trying everything and finding nothing that works for very long or that makes matters worse.