How to Determine Your Skin Type

We all have our own likes and dislikes, tastes and preferences and our skin is no different. What works wonders for one person may cause breakouts and irritation on another. To make matters worse the weather can influence how our skin responds to products as well. That moisturizer you use all winter that melts into your skin and makes it feel like silk may make your skin look like an oil slick in the summer. How do you know what works when? The first step is to determine what your skin type is. Dermatologists use the Fitzpatrick Skin Type. It was developed in 1975 by Thomas Fitzpatrick, MD, of Harvard Medical School. You can take a free quiz to determine your Fitzpatrick Skin Type at the Skin Cancer Foundation. My Fitzpatrick Skin Type is III which means I sometimes burn and sometimes tan and I am susceptible to skin damage and cancer. If you want to know whether your skin is oily, dry,  or normal you can perform an easy at home test.  When you first wake up in the morning look at your skin in a magnifying mirror.  If it is shiny, has large pores and feels oily you most likely have oily skin.  If it is has small pores, feels tight, and has dry patches you most likely have dry skin.  If you have neither shiny nor dry patches and your pores look normal then you most likely have normal skin.  If you don’t have a magnifying mirror or you are just not quite sure what a normal pore looks like you can perform the paper test.  When you first wake up wash your face and wait a couple of hours for your skin to normalize.  Place a piece of facial tissue on your forehead, cheeks, and chin.   If it sticks then you most likely have oily skin.  If there is only a little oil on the tissue then you most likely have normal skin.  If it doesn’t stick and you don’t see any oil then you most likely have dry skin.   Whether you have oily, dry, or normal skin you can still experience redness and irritation.  If this occurs then you most likely have sensitive skin. If you want to find out more specifically what your skin type is and what products to use I go to Leslie Bauman and her book The Skin Type Solutions. She developed a questionnaire that identifies 16 different skin types. The answers you give to the questions will determine which skin type you have. My Baumann Skin Type is oily, resistant, no uneven pigment and wrinkle prone (ORNW). You can purchase a copy of her book from Amazon. Once you know your Baumann Skin Type you can access her website for specific product recommendations. Knowing your skin type can also make it a lot easier and cheaper to choose products that work with your skin. I believe that having the appropriate tools and information available to make the best decisions for ourselves instills confidence and confidence is beautiful!