COMBINATION SKIN

Combination skin is the type most of us live with from post puberty to middle age. The central area of everyone’s head and body contains more sebaceous glands than the outskirts, and on the face the oilier area can include chin, nose and forehead  the much talked of T-zone  which will be coarser textured than the rest of our face.
If you’re not certain whether you fall into this category, you can always try the tissue test: cleanse your face, leave it naked of products for half an hour. then lay an open white tissue over it. Gently press the tissue against the contours of your face with your fingers. Wherever there’s grease, the tissue will be grey. Combination skin needs combination care, so that each area gets the right treatment to maintain its correct oil/moisture balance. Eves, cheeks and neck can dry up while the central patch stays oily, so always watch them carefully.
While extreme skin conditions or lack of oil and/or moisture will be obvious, it’s sometimes difficult to decide for yourself your skin’s exact category. Indeed, certain skins can appear to be oily, but are in fact lacking in moisture. This can happen through illness, some crazy crash dieting, constant exposure to weather extremes and air conditioning or after excessive use of diuretics and laxatives. It’s a very good idea to have a regular professional facial. certainly an occasional one, as a beauty therapist will be able to pinpoint our needs. Some have a skin scanner which uses UV light to detect conditions which are barely visible even to the pro­fessional’s naked eve.