You may have already known that skin is our largest organ. However, something you probably were not taught in science class is how to actually take care of your skin. In fact, knowing how to keep your skin healthy is just as essential as a three-piece suit.
Our skin has all sorts of different functions that include managing body temperature, fighting off external bacteria and infection, and reducing the effects of UV radiation. But here comes the tricky part: not everyone can keep their skin healthy with the same routine.
Understanding your skin type is essential as it helps determine the skin care routine that’s best for you. For example, when it comes to selecting skin care products, you need to consider your skin’s unique needs and characteristics. Just because a product may work wonders on your best friend or relative does not mean that it is guaranteed to have the same effects on you.
So, what are the different skin types, and how do you determine yours? Today, MadeMan will discuss everything you need to know about skin types.
What Are the Different Types of Skin?
A person’s skin type is generally decided by their genetics. A variety of natural characteristics in your skin will play a role in determining your type.
One of these characteristics is the water content in your skin. Another characteristic is your skin’s oil factor. Your oil factor is based on how much sebum — your body’s natural oil — is secreted by your skin's sebaceous glands. This will influence the texture and feel of your skin.
A third characteristic is your skin’s natural moisturizing factor, which helps to keep the stratum corneum hydrated. The health of your skin barrier will influence its sensitivity level and whether it can defend against or tolerate external substances.
Let’s dive deeper into the different types of skin.
Dry Skin
Dry skin can be rough, flaky, and sometimes scaly. If your skin type is dry, it is more likely to feel itchy and tight, or become irritated. The tightness and dullness of dry skin may exacerbate the appearance of fine lines.
Oily Skin
Oily skin is shiny and may leave you with a greasy appearance. Overactive sebaceous glands cause those with oily skin types to produce excessive sebum, particularly on the forehead, chin, and nose, sometimes leading to enlarged pores and breakouts.
Combination Skin
Combination skin has the combined characteristics of both dry and oily skin types. Those with combination skin will usually find that their T-zone is packed with excess oil, while other areas of their skin are dry, flaky, and rough.
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin is more vulnerable to external substances than other skin types. If you have sensitive skin, you must be conscious of the ingredients you are putting on your skin. Without treatment, sensitive skin will appear red and may often have an itching or burning sensation.
Normal Skin
Men with normal skin tend to have a well-balanced amount of moisture and sebum. This skin type is neither dry nor oily and is less prone to irritation and breakouts, giving it a generally smooth texture.
External Factors That Can Affect Skin Type
While your skin type is mostly determined by genetics, external factors like lifestyle habits and the environment can affect your skin.
Changes in Weather
Changes in climate can wreak havoc on your skin’s moisture levels and texture. For instance, a warm, humid climate may cause your skin to become more oily, while your skin may dry out during the colder months.
Medications
Medications may also cause changes to your skin type. Whether you are using something topical or consuming an oral medication, you may experience sudden alterations to your skin. For example, popular skin care ingredients like certain sulfates, isotretinoin, and acids can all help address certain skin concerns, but may simultaneously make it dry.
Local Air Pollution
Another external factor that may influence your skin is exposure to pollution. Any sort of external pollutant, bacteria, or dust can irritate the skin. Whether or not your skin becomes dry or flaky will depend on different factors like the strength of your moisture barrier. However, it is more likely to become irritated by pollution if it is already sensitive.
Hormonal Changes
Hormonal changes to your body are also known to alter your skin. Regardless of what triggers a reaction in your body, there is a chance that your skin may be affected.
Age
As you age, your skin undergoes some changes. These changes will alter its state and redefine its needs. For instance, the amount of sebum produced by your glands will reduce as you age. This reduction can make your skin dry and, in turn, exacerbate the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
These various factors are what make it essential to pay more attention to your skin as it changes over time. To keep up with changes and find the appropriate skin care products that match, remember to check your skin type from time to time.
Determine What Skin Type You Have
To identify your skin type, you must analyze your skin and observe its various characteristics. The only thing that makes this tricky is that we do not live in a vacuum. Our goal is to assess our skin’s natural attributes with as little influence from outside factors as possible.
Bare Face Method
Start by cleaning your face with a quality cleanser to properly rid the surface of your skin of any external pollutants. Avoid adding any products to your face and let your skin air dry to prevent other substances from unintentionally getting onto your skin.
Wait at least 30 minutes to an hour in a room-temperature space. If you stay in a room that has air conditioning or heating, it will influence your skin and how it reacts.
Now, take a look at your skin and note what changes have occurred. If it feels tight, you have a dry skin type.
- If there is a clear shine on your T-zone area but dry skin on your cheeks, you may have combination skin.
- If your skin is shiny all around, then you have oily skin.
- If you observe that your skin has become red and feels itchy or uncomfortable, your skin is sensitive.
Blotting Method
When in doubt, use blotting paper to see if any oils appear after the first swipe.
Similarly, if you have normal skin, you must combine the oil test results with the observation of your features to come to a safe assertion. The oil test alone may not be enough, as the results will likely be similar to that of someone with dry skin.
That being said, though similar in terms of oil production, what separates oily skin from normal skin is that the latter does not typically struggle with flaking, tightness, and itchiness.
Choosing the Best Skincare Products for Men
When it comes to selecting the right products for your skin type, the ingredients can make all the difference in your desired results.
MadeMan is safe for all skin types, and our products are specially formulated to be used for men. Biologically speaking, men produce more sebum and collagen than women, resulting in thicker facial skin.
Cleanser
What makes The Resetter safe for every skin type to try is that the majority of our ingredients are either natural or naturally derived. While a few synthetic ingredients are incorporated into our products, they are free of coal tar, microbeads, parabens, formaldehyde, phthalate, triclosan, triclocarban, and harmful mineral oils.
Moisturizer
MadeMan’s all-in-one moisturizer, The Refresher, protects every skin type from pollution and digital light exposure while also minimizing skin imperfections and the appearance of pores. These are just the immediate benefits, but continued use will also help improve skin luminosity and texture while reducing redness and visible signs of aging.
The Refresher is strong enough to provide men’s skin with the nutrients it needs while simultaneously being gentle enough to do so safely. The unique formula cleanses, moisturizes, and helps to protect against environmental stressors.
How To Apply
Wash your hands to prevent bacteria from being transferred to your skin. Then, apply two pumps to your hand and evenly spread the product in small circles on your face.
The ingredients in our products include chicory root, castor seed oil, vitamin C, and Indian ginseng extract, which will absorb into your skin and leave it feeling refreshed, revitalized, and smooth.
Boost Collagen Production
Our carefully selected ingredients include promoting a long-term youthful look for your skin. It does so by increasing collagen production.
Collagen is the protein that acts as a building block in your skin and keeps your skin from sagging. Therefore, this increased production lifts and tightens your skin, providing you with a plump, wrinkle-free look.
Reduce Signs of Acne With Natural Ingredients
Another benefit of our moisturizer is that it can help you to prevent acne production. Several ingredients contain essential and natural fatty acids that can restore the skin’s natural moisture balance.
When hair follicles become clogged with excess sebum, dirt, and grime, they can become infected by bacteria resulting in irritation and acne breakouts.
Our moisturizer can also benefit your skin by treating and minimizing the appearance of marks and scars. There are several different ways for your spots to develop on your skin. They can result from acne, premature aging, or even sun damage.
While these marks can sometimes fade with time, the ingredients in our product can help brighten dull and blotchy skin, making unwanted spots less visible.
Healing Your Skin Through Hydration
If you have not been using the right products for your skin type and have accrued damage in the process, we suggest focusing on hydration to help your skin heal.
Staying hydrated is one of the easiest yet most effective ways to heal damaged skin. Moisturizing effects are essential for treating wounded skin and maintaining healthy skin. Proper hydration can strengthen your skin and provide it with the durability to repair itself.
The most direct way to improve your hydration levels is to up your water intake. While the obvious solution is to drink more water, there are a few different ways for you to do this.
Utilize the tried-and-true method of drinking more water as a means of maintaining healthy hydration levels, men should consume about 15.5 cups of fluids a day.
Eat Water-Rich Foods
The first step is to consume foods rich in water. Eating healthy and hydrating foods will improve the quality of your skin and provide your body with a variety of much-needed nutrients.
The following are foods with high water content that you can begin to incorporate into your diet:
- Cucumber: Cucumbers have a water content of 96.73%. As for additional benefits, cucumbers act as a source of magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium.
- Celery: Celery has a water content level of 95.43%. As for additional benefits, it is packed with fiber, rich in proteins, and low in calories.
- Tomatoes: Tomatoes have a water content level of 94.52%. As for additional benefits, tomatoes contain vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium.
- Watermelon: Watermelons have a water content of 91.45%. As for additional benefits, watermelons contain several different B vitamins plus beneficial minerals.
- Spinach: Spinach has a water content of 91.4%. As for additional benefits, spinach acts as a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Invest in Hydrating Skincare Products
The second is to apply products and ingredients to your skin that you know have hydrating effects. Hydrating skincare ingredients can immediately work to support your skin’s moisture levels if designed well. Be on the lookout for ingredients that are occlusives, emollients, and humectants and for products that contain them.
Occlusives are oils or waxes that work to form a layer on the skin. This layer is typically inert, meaning that it will not move. As a result, it will directly block water loss and interrupt the process in which water evaporates from the skin.
Emollients are, simply put, another term for moisturizers. These ingredients are used for lubricating, softening, and protecting the skin. The application of emollient should help improve your skin barrier and improve the texture of your skin.
Humectants are substances that bind water into the outermost layer of your skin. The central function of this substance is to keep things moist. In addition to attracting moisture from the air or deeper into the skin, humectants can retain your water content.
While on the topic, MadeMan’s products contain humectants that help your skin retain moisture, making them a good option for those in need of hydration. Both our cleanser, The Resetter, and our moisturizer, The Refresher, are formulated with humectants that moisturize the skin and improve the look and feel of your complexion in the process.
In Conclusion
Take the time to understand your skin type and what that means for adapting an effective skin care routine. Therefore, understanding your skin type is the first step to achieving all your other skin care goals.
At MadeMan, we believe it starts with your skin. Now’s the time to prioritize your skin just as you prioritize a healthy diet or exercise regime. Even if a proper skincare regimen has never been your priority before, we say now's the time to get started!
Sources
Know Your Skin Type Before Choosing Skin Care Products | ClevelandClinic
Water: How much should you drink every day? | Mayo Clinic
The Sebaceous Gland | PubMed
