Often the biggest frustration for those with combination skin is caring for it properly. Having both dry and oily skin areas on your face can make skin care seem almost impossible. There are, however, things that you can do to care for and keep your combination skin healthy and feeling good.
For one thing, some areas of your face may feel tight after you wash. This will typically be on the parts of your face not included in the T-zone area. These areas will likely also look flaky and dull and may feel rough.
First of all, make sure you are cleansing every day. Use a mild cleanser on your entire face. Use the cleanser twice a day, preferably before bed at night and after get up in the morning. These are the times your face most needs to be cleansed anyway, but if you have combination skin it is imperative.
Get a good moisturizer. Once you have identified which parts of your face are the dry parts, most likely these areas are not in the T-zone and this is the area you will treat. Use the moisturizer on those dry areas only. Using it in your oily T-zone will only make that area worse.
The goal when you have combination skin is to normalize it. Normalizing is trying to gain a balance between the oily and dry areas so that all your skin looks and feels the same. In order to accomplish this feat, you want to look for products that are made for such normalization. For instance, ones that contain alpha hydroxyl acids (fruit acids or AHA’s) or retinols will work best. Retinols are a vitamin A derivative. Such products should help you to gain more normal and even looking skin.
The reason AHA creams are so beneficial to your skin is that they area catalyst for skin cell regeneration. By burning off or removing the top layer of skin cells (or the too oily and too dry ones) they expose the healthier skin cells beneath them. These cells are more likely to absorb moisturizers. They also help improve skin elasticity through their water-binding properties. This can help with that “tight” feeling you may get in the dry areas with your combination skin. The only thing about which you need to be aware is that once you are using AHA’s, you need to continue using them. Once you stop, your cells will not regenerate at the rate they were with the AHA and will return to their original state very soon.
Combination is when part of your skin is oily, while the rest is dry. The oily part is usually the T-zone or the areas of the forehead, chin and nose; while the cheeks are usually dry. The problem with this type of skin is that a single cure will not suffice. Combination skin type usually entails combined skin-care procedures and acne treatments.
People who have combination skin usually have pimples on their T-zone; this, being the part that produces too much oil. In dealing with pimples in combination skin, having patience is as important as choosing the right cure since treating breakouts in this type of skin is not as straightforward as in other types. The first thing to be concerned about when you have combination skin is basic maintenance.
Even if you don't have pimples, caring for your skin is a must. After all, prevention is still the key. Keeping your skin clean is the first step that you should take. Use a foaming cleanser to keep your face clean and to prevent dirt from making a home there. At night, apply astringent to the oily parts and moisturize the dry areas. The T-zone should also be moisturized, but use an oil-free product or a milder moisturizer than the one you use on your cheeks. Despite being oily, the T-zone still needs to be moisturized to retain water and keep it smooth and healthy.
Another important ingredient in keeping a combination skin healthy is a skin toner. This type of skin is usually characterized by patches of oily and dry skin that appear in prominence particularly during the light of day. To even out the texture of skin, a mild toner dabbed on the oily part of the before you apply your moisturizer at night is necessary. If exposing yourself to the sun is inevitable, use a sunscreen.
Pimples or acne usually appear in the T-zone of combination skin. To get rid of this irritation, use a topical treatment like antibacterial skin creams with benzoyl peroxide. Dabbing the topical solution on the affected areas at least twice a day can help eliminate the bacteria that cause the zits. If you have to wear makeup, make sure that you choose those that are not heavy on perfume or those that do not contain too many chemicals. There are a number of natural product-based cosmetics available in the market today and these will serve you better than the heavy-formulated ones. If you can do without cosmetics, though, the better for your skin.
Acne treatments for combination skin will not work if you do not have the patience or the determination to use them where they are appropriate. Combination type of skin might be a little more difficult to maintain than other types, but if you persevere, the result will be worth it.
Both Dawn Keadic & Trevor Mulholland are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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