SPA DIVA BLOG FEED
May 02, 2012
Reality Scope.
Apr 16, 2012
Diet, bones and excuses. You want to read this.
Mar 30, 2012
The Best Organic Skin Care Ingredients
Mar 22, 2012
My journey with sunless tanners.
Combination Skin
A combination skin type is dry or normal in some areas, and oily in others, such as the T-zone. The T-zone is the nose, forehead, and chin area. This skin type has medium pores, a smooth and even texture, good circulation, healthy color, may tend toward dryness on the cheeks while being oily in the t-zone. A common skin type, combination skin may benefit from slightly different types of skin care in different areas. Combination skin produces:
- Overly dilated pores
- Blackheads
- Shiny skin
This type of skin results from genetic or hormonal factors that cause an imbalance in how much and where lipids are produced. It can also vary, depending on the weather.
What Products Work for Combination Skin?
Basically, those with combination skin need products that don’t make matters worse. It is critical to only use well-formulated products designed for the mix of skin types you’re dealing with. In some cases that can mean using different products on different parts of your face. For example, you may need lighter-weight gels, liquids, or oil-absorbing products for your T-zone and lotions or creams for the drier parts of your face. Or it could mean using an acne treatment over areas where you breakout and moisturizers only over drier areas, including around the eyes. Many people will find that their combination skin becomes more balanced when they stop using products that are either wrong for their skin type (too emollient for the T-zone or too absorbent for the dry areas) or contain problem ingredients that are causing their skin more harm than good.
How to Take Care of Your Combination Skin
Start with a gentle cleanser:
- Always wash your face with a gentle, water-soluble cleanser to prevent irritation and dryness. If you have oily and dry combination skin, a gel-based or mild foaming cleanser will be perfect. If you have dry skin and rosacea with sun damage, a lightweight lotion cleanser is ideal. Regardless of the texture it must always be gentle! Paula’s Choice cleansers never contain any irritants or fragrance and are a great first step towards controlling combination skin.
- Avoid bar soaps or bar cleansers of any kind, regardless of their claims. The ingredients that put bar cleansers in their bar form can clog pores and are always too drying and irritating for any skin type.
Use a toner to repair skin:
- If you use a toner, it must not contain any irritants whatsoever that includes alcohol, witch hazel, menthol, fragrance (synthetic or natural), or citrus oils.
- Only use toners that are filled with a healthy dose of skin-repairing ingredients such as antioxidants.
Protect from sun damage:
- Sunscreen, of at least SPF 15, should be used every day, year-round if you want to prevent and stop wrinkles and other signs of aging skin. If you have oily skin prone to breakouts, your foundation and pressed powder can provide the sun protection you need. If you have sensitive skin and rosacea, choose sunscreens with only titanium dioxide or/and zinc oxide as the active ingredients.
Exfoliate to remove built-up skin cells:
- With regular use of a beta hydroxy acid (BHA/salicylic acid) or alpha hydroxy acid (AHAs, such as glycolic acid) product in a texture appropriate for your skin type (gel or liquid for oily, blemish-prone skin, or lotion for normal or dry skin), you will uncover the normal, healthy skin hiding underneath.Paula’s Choice exfoliants come in a variety of textures and concentrations to handle whatever combination of skin types you’re struggling with.
- BHA is especially helpful for normal, oily or blemish-prone skin because it not only exfoliates the surface of skin, it also exfoliates inside the pore to reduce pore size, unclog pores, and kill acne-causing bacteria. BHA is also a must for anyone struggling with blackheads and enlarged pores!
Special concerns require special products:
- If you are prone to blemishes, besides using a BHA exfoliate, apply a product with benzoyl peroxide will target and kill acne-causing bacteria. For mild to moderate acne begin with a 2.5% strength and then depending on how your skin does, you can increase to a 5% strength.
Spot-treat the different skin types on your face:
- Apply moisturizers in lotion or cream form to dry areas.
- If you have oily and dry skin apply a matte finish foundation, but apply a hydrating primer/serum to the dry areas first.
- If your eye area is the driest part of your face, then you can use a rich, creamy moisturizer or serum around that area of your face. For the less-dry areas of your face, you can use a lotion-textured moisturizer, and for the oily areas your toner will be enough to keep skin healthy in those areas.
- Be sure to avoid getting lotion and cream moisturizers on the oily parts of your face.
Combination skin can be tricky to solve. Call Radiant Medspa at 206-402-3063 in Seattle or 425-640-5900 in Lynnwood for a complimentary consultation on how to best treat your skin.
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