Knowing your skin type is the chief way you can ensure your skin feels and looks its best. Many people, however, get confused when trying to figure out exactly what their skin type is. Skin can be divided into various types according to its texture. It is essential to know what skin type you actually have and using the correct products on your face can really make a difference to those problem areas you may have.

Due to our higher levels of collagen, male skin is up to 20% thicker and tougher than female skin . Male skin is also oilier, with larger exposed pores, a richer blood supply, and more of a tendency to break out in a sweat compared with women's skin.

There are five basic skin types. They are

Normal Skin
It has a fine even texture with a supple and smooth surface. It has a proper balance between oil and moisture contents and is therefore moist and neither greasy nor dry. The pores of normal skin are small and the overall skin tone is even. It looks clear and does not develop spots and blemishes. The pores of the skin are fine and barely visible. It reflects good health and needs gentle treatment.

Dry skin
Dry skin has a dry parched appearance and has a tendency to flake easily. It is prone to wrinkles and lines. It is due to the inability to retain moisture as well as the insufficient production of sebum by  the sebaceous glands. Dry skin often has problems in cold weather and ages faster than normal or oily skin. Constant protection is very important. It needs a moisturiser during the day and a good cream at night.

Oily skin
As its name implies, oily skin is slightly to moderately greasy. This type of skin is caused by the over secretion of sebum making the skin surface oily. The excess oil on the surface of  the skin attracts dirt and dust from the environment. Oily skin is also prone to black heads, white heads, spots, pimples and such skin will never be clear. This type of skin needs to be cleansed thoroughly.

Combination skin
This type of skin is very common. As the name suggests, it is a combination of both oily and dry skin with certain areas of the face oily and the rest dry. Usually there  is a Central greasy panel consisting of the forehead, nose and  chin and a dry panel consisting of cheeks and the areas around the eyes and mouth. The greasy central panel is referred to as T - Zone. In such cases, each part of the face should be treated accordingly - the dry areas as for dry skin and the central panel as for oily skin and use skin care products made especially for combination skin.

Sensitive skin
This type of skin has a fine texture and is very sensitive to changes in the climate. They show the disadvantage of  bleaching, Waxing, threading, perfumes,  temperature extremes, soap etc and for men sun, perfumes, shaving cream etc. Avoid products with dyes, perfumes, or unnecessary chemical ingredients that may irritate skin.

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