Skin Types

Your skin type forms the basis for the sort of skincare regime you might wish to follow and for what sun protection you should use. It also affects, but is not solely responsible for, how your skin will stand the test of time.

Posted 05/18/2005

Woman on Beach Generally speaking, pale skin tends to wrinkle more rapidly than darker skin. This is largely because a darker skin tends to have more surface lipids to seal it against moisture loss, and more melanin to protect itself. On the other hand, the many wrinkles usually seen on fine, fair skin tend to be the light, crinkly variety while the thicker dermis and subcutis of the darker skin can sometimes mean its owner is more likely to develop fewer, but deeper, creases.

Wrinkles apart, other age-related changes affect the different skin types: age spots, or brown spots may not be prevalent in the paler skins that don't produce much melanin, but dark and numerous in an olive-skinned person who has been exposed regularly to the sun.

The thicker skin with a heavier subcutis may also be more prone to skin sag which might explain why an olive-skinned man can lose the definition of his jawline, while his Celtic wife's face, despite being traced with fine lines, remains firmly defined.

Skin Types
Type	How it Looks	How it Behaves
1	Celtic; Fine pored. Pale to very fair, red hair, possibly freckled.	High risk of skin cancers, will not tan, will freckle. Aging risk is very high.
2	Peaches and cream. Fair, fine pored	Moderately high risk for skin cancer, minimal tan, aging and wrinkle risk high.
3	Olive. Mid-European, Mediterranean, some Scandinavian	Low risk of skin cancer, high risk for brown patches, wrinkle risk moderate.
4	Light Asian/Indian, Hispanic, Asian, Southern Mediterranean.	Very low risk of skin cancer, high risk of brown patches, wrinkle risk moderate.
5	Far Eastern. Some Asian-Indian, Polynesian	Very low risk of skin cancer, pigment of brown patches high, wrinkle risk low.
6	Light black, African, African-American, West Indian.	Very low risk of skin cancer, pigment of brown patches high, wrinkle risk low.
7	Deep black, Central African, some Afro-Caribbean, Australian Aborigine	Extremely low risk of skin cancer, resistant to sun damage, wrinkle risk low.

What Is My Skin Type?

Many of you will already instinctively know what type of skin you have, or you will have been told by a beauty professional in the department store or salon. However, if you do get it wrong, or are wrongly advised, your skin can suffer - so too, can your pocket book as you waste money on products that hinder rather than help.

Combination Skin

If your complexion has some oily areas, such as the T-zone that runs across your forehead, down your nose and chin, but other areas of your face such as your cheeks and neck are normal to dry, you have this type of skin. About 40% of women have this skin type.

Oily Skin

If your skin usually feels greasy, is often shiny, can be prone to spots and has visible, open pores, you have this skin type.

Dry Skin

If your skin often feels tight and stretched, particularly after washing; if you never have greasy feeling areas, if you have flaky patches of skin or if you are very fair skinned, you probably have this skin type.

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