What I Know About My Skin

For those of you who may not know, I have dermatitis. Specifically, I have eczema. There is a long story here that begins with 20-some years of flawless skin and then dives into 2 sudden years of the worst and most irritated skin I’ve ever seen. During this period my arms and legs were itchy, flaky and red and the skin on my breasts was… well, even worse. Put it this way: I had to wrap my chest in Glad Wrap before my shower each day just so it wouldn’t get even more irritated.

Long story short, right around the time things got to the lowest point I can remember, I finally got checked out by a doctor who could help me and two tubes of steroid cream and some months later, the rashes all cleared up and I ended up where I am now, 3 years on: a weird see-saw between dreading rashes and enjoying smooth skin. I do what I can to help my skin out, but sometimes rashes just break out for no discernible reason (usually in the winter), so I manage these as best I can. By and large, I’ve made my peace with it and I’m probably okay with where I am now because it’s at least not where I was 3 years ago.

It’s always been a self-esteem point for me; the part of my body that I hate most is my skin… and unfortunately, my skin also covers my entire body. But even as I spent short, cold, plastic-scented showers pondering my dermatologist’s query around whether I would ever be able to breastfeed a future child, there were still bright sides. I’ve always had (and probably never truly appreciated) fantastic skin on my face.

I have my mum to thank for that, for many reasons, but by and large I’ve enjoyed a smooth complexion and very few problems with breakouts. My only ever complaint has been a small rash above my upper lip (yes, it’s eczema) which comes and goes. And then, earlier this year (probably syncing with the time I decided to start this girly transformation), a new haircut with bangs led to pimple-like bumps all over my forehead.

While I know now that this is not an uncommon reaction to hair constantly hitting your forehead, at the time I freaked out and started searching for new products that could help. Friends gave me many, many recommendations, from Pevonia to Cetaphil, from Lush to NuSkin. And during my research into these products, my impatient ass walked into a store and committed a sin: I impulsively grabbed some stuff off a shelf and bought it because it was there, it was cheap, and I’d heard of it on TV.

A new facial cleanser, toner, and moisturizer that looked affordable and were all from the same brand and product line, all recommended for use on sensitive skin. Happily I went, using them liberally. Did I get results?

Nope. Quite the opposite. After a couple of months’ use my skin ended up rather red on the cheeks (something I’d never seen before) and had experienced a TON more breakouts than I was used to in a year, let alone a few months. I figured out later that these products weren’t strong enough on my oilier skin.

So, LESSON LEARNED: know what your skin needs! On consultation at a beauty salon (where I didn’t spend a cent, I just wandered in and asked about their products and I guess I have a habit of finding pretty helpful people), I found out that I’m most likely a combination skintype and to assume that because of my eczema I should, as much as possible, stick to products designed for sensitive skin.

And so the research began anew, only this time I was better informed. Why didn’t I just go back to my original cleanser (Lush’s Ultra Bland)? Good question. I think I wanted a change and I knew I could do more for my skin because in coming years (aaaaaage is a biiiiiiitch), it will need more care than I had been giving it.

For those curious, I now use a very affordable oil cleanser by an Australian company called Moogoo (yes, the name is hilarious, I know) and their moisturizers for my face and there’s been a marked improvement! Sah-weet. Let’s hope it continues!

TIPS AND TRICKS

While I’d say that nothing beats getting your skin fully checked out by a pro, there are some guidelines you can follow to ID your facial skintype and I share them with you now.

To figure out your skintype, wash your face with a cleanser ONLY (no toner, no moisturizer). Sit in front of a mirror in a well-lit area.

Oily: You tend to have large pores all over your face and your face gets oily within two hours after cleansing. You have fewer wrinkles as oily skin tends to resist age better. So basically: your larger pores allow your skin’s natural oils to rest on the surface of your skin, which is moisturising (hence age-resistant, woohoo!) but is also making your face super shiny and can cause breakouts.

Dry: Your pores are very small (almost invisible) all over your face. Your skin is flaky within two hours of cleansing and is prone to wrinkles and can feel rough to the touch. However, you don’t experience many breakouts, you lucky brat, you.

Combination: Your pores are generally small over most of your face except the T-zone (forehead, nose and around the nose, and chin), where your pores are noticeably larger. The T-zone also gets quite oily within two hours of cleansing but the rest of your face remains dry (ie, your cheeks and jawline). If you do breakout, breakouts generally occur in the T-zone.

Normal: A real misnomer, because this is the rarest skintype once you hit the 20+ age group. Your pores are small over all of your face and you do not become shiny or flaky two hours after cleansing. You seldom get acne, you do not have many lines on your face, and you generally enjoy a well-balanced face and it is likely all your friends hate you for it. I know I do.

Sensitive: This is not a classic skintype per se as you can be any of the above types and also be this one. It is often confused with dry skin, but take note: you can have oily skin and be sensitive, too. Sensitive skin is prone to redness, itching, and scaling. (These are not the same as flaking, apparently!) Regardless of pore size, your skin can feel quite thin and develops rashes very easily. No fun, because this really limits your options.

Again, these are just guidelines I found that were consistent across multiple online resources; you’re still better off talking to someone who can say for sure what skintype you are.

If you’re not nuts about walking into a salon or store and asking for a consultation (or just can’t afford one), here’s an excellent online resource for you:

http://www.skintypesolutions.com/home

Based Dr Leslie Baumann’s research on skintypes, this questionnaire is a heavily detailed questionnaire and answering it will require you to be very aware of how your skin behaves and reacts to things. If you get it right, though, it’s a pretty good resource and offers good ideas to inform you about your skintype and what’s good for it.

And hey, if you’re up for some reading material, you could consider checking our Dr Baumann’s book itself: The Skin Type Solution. I’m not going to pretend like I’ve read it but I will say that people I like who have read it have recommended it as an excellent resource for those who may be confused about skincare.