The Term "Skin Type" Refers to two things: how much sebum your skin produces, and where this sebum is most heavily produced. To find out your skins type, you can do the tissue test: Simply wash your face with a gentle cleanser, wait 15 to 30 minutes, and then hold a facial tissue against your face for 5 seconds.

Different skin types

If you have oily skin, you're probably aware of it already, but if you need confirmation, do the tissue test. Oily skin will cause obvious oil stains on most of the tissue. This type of skin is the result of too much sebum being produced. The constant flow of sebum stretches pores, so the skin may also have large pores. The complexion often looks shiny, and because excess sebum can mix with makeup and dirt to clog pores, oily skin is vulnerable to breakouts.

Normal skin is the ideal. It produces enough sebum to keep skin supple, but not so much that skin looks slick. If you have normal skin, the tissue test may produce light oil stains, but nothing more.

As we get older, our skin naturally produces less sebum, which is why more mature skin is so often dry. Yet young skin can also be dry if it doesn't produce enough oil to keep the epidermis moist. Depending on how dry the skin is, it may have a rough texture or be prone to flaking. And because not a lot of sebum travels through pores, the pores will probably be small. If you have dry skin, the tissue test will show no oily stains.

Combination skin

Quite a few of us have large pores and lots of oil around the nose, chin, and perhaps forehead. But we also have normal or dry skin under the eyes and on the cheeks. This is known as combination skin. If you have it, the tissue test will show oil stains in your oily areas, but will remain dry elsewhere. To treat combination skin, address the two zones separately, giving the oily bits the sebum-absorbing care they need, and moisturizing the dry or normal bits.