Proper care of the skin depends on choosing quality skin care, anti aging and sun damage repair products that will suit your skin type. It follows that the effectiveness of your skin care regimen hinges on identifying the type of skin that you have.

While skin tends to differ a lot from person to person, skin types are commonly divided into the following main categories:

Normal

This is the ideal skin type. Normal skin always looks clear, smooth and healthy without many visible pores. It is neither too dry nor oily. It feels supple to the touch and needs minimum care.

Dry

Dry skin looks dull and is rough to the touch. It lacks moisture and tends to get flaky. There is tightness around the eyes and mouth. Dry skin needs thorough care as it can develop fine lines and wrinkles easily.

Oily

Oily skin has a shiny and greasy appearance. It looks thick and coarse with enlarged pores. It is constantly prone to acne breakouts, blackheads and blemishes and requires careful cleaning.

Combination

This kind of skin is oily on the forehead and nose (T zone) while the rest of the face (cheeks and around the eyes) is normal or dry. As combination skin has different types of patches, it requires a combination of care.

Sensitive

This is the most dreaded skin type as it is very prone to redness, itching, dryness and burning. Sensitive skin requires special care as it is very fragile.

You should be able to understand your skin type from the above descriptions. But if you are still in doubt, just take the simple tissue test. Blot your face with a clean piece of tissue as soon as you wake up in the morning and check the results.

If the tissue is clean and your skin feels normal, then you have normal skin

If the tissue is clean but your skin feels tight all over, then you have dry skin

If you find lot of oily spots all over the tissue, then you have oily skin

If the tissue only picks up oil in the T-zone, then you have combination skin

Sensitive skin will tend to look red and develops rashes or inflammation very easily.

There's more to skin type – your skin may be clogged with pores, acne prone, tired, sun damaged or prematurely aging. Therefore, you will need to use anti aging and sun damage repair products accordingly.

Another fact is that your skin tends to change with time. For instance, you may be blessed with normal skin, but it can become dry, oily or even sensitive due to age, weather, sun exposure, stress, hormonal changes, medications and so on.

In sum, identifying your skin type is essential for determining how to care for your skin, which products to use and how to treat skin problems. Only then will you be able to enjoy beautiful and glowing skin!