Skin types, predispositions, and conditions

Knowing your skin is the first step in building an effective routine. Here’s how to figure out your skin:

Everyone’s skin is unique! It sounds obvious, but this is the biggest reason why the skin care we choose will either work, seemingly do nothing, or worse, damage your skin. The best way to get the healthiest skin is to:

  1. Know your skin type, what it’s prone to, and any conditions you typically struggle with

  2. Understand what your skin needs in consideration of the above

  3. Know when to skip the stuff that your skin doesn’t actually need.

The way you consider your skin can be broken into three distinct factors: your skin type, your predispositions, and your conditions.

What are skin types, predispositions, and conditions?

Your Skin Type: this is how your skin is. It is a fundamental factor that is determined by your genetics and cannot be altered (though it may change over time with age, hormonal fluctuations, illness, medications, etc) in the same manner as your height, natural hair color, or eye color.

Your Skin Predispositions: your skin's predisposition refers to the conditions or ailments that you are more susceptible to experiencing than the average person. This is distinct from skin type since a predisposition is defined by how your genetics interact with your environment vs. how they are outright. For example, you may be more prone to sinus infections than others, but that does not make you an inherently infected person.

Conditions: these are temporary ailments that currently affect the state of your skin. Your skin type and predispositions might make you more prone to certain conditions, but these are ailments that can in theory be cured, addressed, or otherwise fixed.

skin types

  • What is Dry Skin?

    Dry skin produces less of the natural oil called sebum, which is responsible for waterproofing the skin and preventing moisture loss into the surrounding environment. As a result, dry skin does not generate enough of this vital waterproofing agent, making it more vulnerable to moisture loss. Dry skin will still be dry even if you drink adequate water.

    How Can I Tell if I Have Dry Skin?

    Dry skin frequently feels taut, scaly, generally uncomfortable or itchy. It may appear dull, matte, and show texture like fine lines. A good way to check if you have dry skin is to wash your face and avoid applying any skin care after. If your skin feels tights and does not seem to have produced much sebum a few hours after, you can reasonably surmise that your skin is dry.

  • What is Oily Skin?

    Oily skin is the opposite of dry skin in which the skin over-produces natural sebum. Having an oily skin type can be a double-edged sword. While it’s less prone to showing signs of aging and has less transepidermal water loss through the skin (TEWL), the excess sebum often aids in the proliferation of acne-causing bacteria.

    How Can I Tell if I Have Oily Skin?

    Having acne-prone skin is usually a good indicator that you have oily skin. This isn’t an absolute or fool-proof indicator as acne can also be caused by the irritation from excessively dry skin. A good way to tell for sure is to wash your face and avoid applying skin care after but drinking water normally. If your skin feels oily to the touch and appears shiny after a few hours, this is usually a good indicator that you have oily skin.

  • There are two types of combination skin:

    1. Seasonal Combination Skin

      Seasonal combination skin is skin that is oily during the summer months and dry during the winter months. This can also occur with changes in climate generally, such as traveling to a region that is hot, dry and arid or one that is cold and humid. This is extremely common for most people.

    2. General Combination Skin

      General combination skin is when you show signs of two different skin types on your face at the same time. For example, you might have an oily forehead but dry cheeks.

  • What is Balanced Skin?

    Balanced skin, also referred to as “normal skin” is skin that produces the right amount of sebum uniformly across the face.

    How Can I Tell if I have Balanced Skin?

    Probably the easiest way to tell is to evaluate if you ever have a dry or tight feeling in the skin. If the answer is no, checking for sebum production a few hours after cleansing is the second step. If your skin doesn’t look or feel excessively oily in this case, it’s likely you have balanced skin.

skin predispositions

  • What is Sensitive Skin?

    If your skin is more susceptible to irritation or inflammation, you have sensitive skin. This can occur when you use products that contain ingredients that trigger reactions, such as alcohol, fragrance, extremely high or low pH, or certain plant extracts. Additionally, it may arise when you use ingredients to which you have a particular sensitivity or allergy, or when you overstimulate your skin by rubbing, exfoliating, or pulling at it.

    How Can I Tell if I Have Sensitive Skin?

    Sensitive skin can appear in two ways: either as an allergy or an irritation. In the case of allergies, your skin may react to something with an itchy rash, hives, or swelling. With an irritation, you may experience a burning or stinging sensation, redness, or small bumps. Generally though, you may notice these kinds of reactions to products or ingredients that are regarded as safe, meaning that your skin may be sensitive.

  • What is Hyperpigmentation-Prone Skin?

    Some people are genetically predisposed to higher melanin production in the skin cells from environmental factors. This is different from the melanin levels you are born with, or your general skin tone. For some people, in addition to their general melanin levels, they may be prone to producing melanin when skin cells experience UV exposure, damage, injury, or inflammation. For example, people with freckles have a pigmentation predisposition that is expressed over time with UV exposure.

    How Can I Tell if I Have Hyperpigmentation-Prone Skin?

    There are a few obvious indicators such as having freckles or melasma spots. But you can tell if you’re prone to hyperpigmentation if you find your skin produces red, brown, or dark spots following injury or inflammation such as after a pimple heals or a bug bite. The residual pigmentation is not scar tissue, so it will not have a different texture or be raised/indented, it will simply be a dark spot that persists weeks, sometimes months after an injury has healed. If this is something you commonly experience, it’s likely you have hyperpigmentation-prone skin.

  • What is Wrinkle-Prone Skin?

    It’s important to note that over time, everyone’s skin will begin to lose elasticity, causing wrinkles and fine lines to form. However, some people are prone to developing fine lines and wrinkles earlier in life as a result of environmental factors and exposure as opposed to time simply passing. This means that things like UV exposure, smoking, poor diet, etc may cause someone who is wrinkle-prone to start showing fine lines earlier in life, sometimes as early as their 20s.

    How Can I Tell if I Have Wrinkle-Prone Skin?

    It’s hard to know until you’re there which is why forming and maintaining a good skin care and protection routine early in life is essential. But generally, you may be wrinkle-prone if you start developing fine lines in your mid-20s. This is usually when the effects of UV exposure and lifestyle choices start to show on individuals who are predisposed to things like wrinkles.

skin conditions

  • What is Acne?

    Acne is a common skin condition that occurs when hair follicles become clogged with oil and dead skin cells. This can lead to the formation of pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and cysts on the face, neck, chest, back, and shoulders. Acne is most commonly associated with adolescence, but it can also affect adults of all ages. There are several factors that can contribute to the development of acne, including hormonal changes, genetics, stress, and certain medications.

    How Can I Tell if I Have Acne?

    It may seem obvious, but acne can actually present in a couple different ways making it a little less straightforward to identify. Acne typically presents as a variety of lesions on the skin, including pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and cysts. Here are some common signs of acne:

    • Pimples: These are raised bumps on the skin that are often red and tender to the touch.

    • Blackheads: These are small, dark bumps on the skin that are caused by clogged hair follicles.

    • Whiteheads: These are small, white or flesh-colored bumps on the skin that are also caused by clogged hair follicles.

    • Cysts: These are large, deep, painful bumps that can be filled with pus.

    • Oily skin: Acne-prone skin tends to be oilier than normal, which can contribute to clogged pores.

    If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it's possible that you have acne. However, if you're unsure, it's always a good idea to see a dermatologist who can diagnose and provide treatment options for your specific condition. Sometimes allergic reactions and other skin aliments may look like acne, but won’t respond to typical acne treatment courses.

  • What is a Disrupted Moisture Barrier?

    The skin's moisture barrier, also known as the "skin barrier" or "skin lipid barrier," is a protective layer of lipids (fats) and natural oils that help to keep the skin hydrated and prevent moisture loss. When this barrier is disrupted, it can lead to a range of skin issues, including dryness, flakiness, redness, itching, and even breakouts.

    A disrupted moisture barrier may also be referred to as “dehydrated skin” but this can easily be confused with “dry skin” which is not exactly the same. A disrupted moisture barrier will usually be accompanied by irritation, redness, and discomfort that’s more indicative of an immune response to an injury, which is more or less what’s occurring versus simply having dry skin.

    There are several factors that can contribute to a disrupted moisture barrier, including harsh skincare products, environmental factors (such as cold weather or low humidity), over-exfoliation, and certain medical conditions such as eczema or psoriasis. Generally though, most people will accidentally compromise their moisture barrier with over-use of active skin care ingredients like retinoids and chemical exfoliants.

    How Can I Tell if I Have a Disrupted Moisture Barrier?

    Probably the most telltale sign for people with a disrupted moisture barrier is a strange feeling of the skin being both dry/tight and oily at the same time. This is because the skin begins to over-produce sebum to try to re-moisturize, re-balance its pH, and create an environment where it can heal and repair itself while it’s still dehydrated and injured.

    Irritation, discomfort, and redness are other indicators of a disrupted moisture barrier. You may experience burning or stinging when applying inert products like a basic moisturizer or even just water. The skin may peel and flake in places or feel a bit hardened or scaly, almost like a scab has formed in places.

    You may also experience irritation breakouts. Unlike normal acne, irritation breakouts occur when skin that’s healing from a disrupted moisture barrier both over-produces sebum and isn’t able to stave off the bacteria that can cause acne as it’s already busy with an immune response.