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Skin conditions have three main categories. These conditions are comprised of oily, dry, and combination. They all affect us differently and it is best to know how to treat each one.

The Need to Know About Dry Skin

What causes dry skin is a lack of moisture in the outermost layer of the skin. This layer consists of a thin layer of natural lipids, or fatty substances. They keep in moisture thereby leaving the skin soft and supple. When this substance is removed and moisture escapes, common symptoms result in feelings of skin tightness, rough skin, fine lines or cracks, and in extreme cases deep fissures that can bleed.

The ways to prevent this from happening are shown through these helpful tips. First moisturize daily. After your shower pat yourself without rubbing too hard with the towel. Apply the moisturizer with upward strokes all over your face and neck when your skin is still damp. It is worth noting that short, lukewarm baths are much better for dry skin than long, hot ones that strip away the body's natural moisture barriers.

The Need to Know About Oily Skin

What causes oily skin are sebaceous glands producing an excessive amount of skin oils, or sebum. The neck, face, chest and back regions contain the most amount of these glands. These oils under normal levels are essential for healthy skin. It is when they are overproduced we get the oily skin symptoms of shininess, pimples and blemishes.

The right balance in treating oily skin is removing the excess oil while not scrubbing off those fatty acids that are the natural protectors of our skin. How to do this is through gentle cleansing. What to do here is avoid soap because this is what effectively removes the skin's natural oils. The right product should be a cleanser that has a low pH level and does not cause skin irritation. There is no reason to overdo it. Washing oily skin effectively can be done with just two cleansing sessions a day.

The Need to Know About Combination Skin

The third type of skin condition is called combination skin. As the name proclaims, this condition affects people who have a mixture of dry and oily skin on different parts of their body. Mainly this condition causes oily areas to be found along what's called the T-zone. The area this zone covers starts with the forehead and then runs down the nose, mouth and chin. These areas are most likely going to end up with characteristics of being shiny, feeling greasy, and consisting of pimples and blackheads. The remaining sections are characterized by a feeling of tightness after washing. They will appear flaky and have a rough texture.

How to treat this tricky skin condition? To begin with use a gentle, water-soluble cleanser that does not leave you with feelings of skin tightness or dryness. Mildly foaming or gel-based cleansers have been known to work best on combination skin. Avoid bar soaps at all costs. They overly dry your skin while also clogging the skin's pores. One should apply a sunscreen that has UVA-protecting ingredients on a daily basis. Using a skin treatment product such as a moisturizer loaded with antioxidants and containing ingredients that mimic the structure of healthy skin is the recommended way to tackle the dry sections. Oily skin products that are irritant-free and are pH-correct are best applied at least once daily. Facial skin products that contain benzoyl peroxide are advised to be applied topically if one gets blemishes as part of their combination condition.