Understanding your skin type
Clear, radiant skin is one of today's most important beauty concerns. To keep your skin healthy, it's important to understand its structure and type, so you can provide the right care.
Did you know? The skin under our eyes and around our eyelids is the thinnest in the body, while the skin on the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet is the thickest.
Get to know your skin better!
Our skin is the body's largest organ, and its essential role is to protect the underlying organs, including muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels. It is the barrier that protects our body from all external aggressions.
So what is healthy skin? It's skin that's free of any visible signs of disease, infection or injury. It is generally characterized by a smooth, fine texture and a clear appearance. The skin is essentially made up of 3 layers: the epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis, running from the outside to the inside.
How is the skin nourished?
Our skin is nourished by nutrients and oxygen supplied by the blood. Nutrients are molecules derived from food, including proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. Our diet therefore plays a more important role than cosmetics and skincare products in maintaining healthy skin.
Skin color:
Whether light or dark, skin color is mainly due to melanin, a pigment produced by melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin color.
What about skin types?
Depending on the water-sebum balance, there are 4 different skin types.
Oily skin :
It's due to increased sebum production, which can be triggered by several factors: genetic, hormonal, stress or even the application of certain cosmetic products not adapted to your skin type.
Oily skin is prone to blackheads, whiteheads and various forms of acne. There are two types of oily skin:
- Oily skin with fluid seborrhea: shiny skin but few imperfections because sebum is fluid and flows freely over the skin's surface.
- Oily skin with retentional seborrhea: shine-free skin, but waxy sebum remains trapped in the pilar canal, obstructed by hyperkeratinization and causing imperfections.
This skin type is characterized by a shiny complexion, dilated pores, blackheads, thickened skin and delayed skin aging.
A skincare routine is recommended to tighten visible pores, purify and mattify the skin, regulate sebaceous secretion, reduce imperfections and even out skin tone.
Combination skin :
Combination skin is characterized by different skin types on the cheeks and T-zone (forehead, chin and nose).
In the T-zone, there is often superproduction of sebum, unlike in your cheeks, where there is a lack of sebum and a deficiency of lipids.
It's often linked to the location of the sebaceous glands, which are more numerous in the median zone. A skincare routine will regulate sebum secretion in the T-zone, to prevent the appearance of imperfections, and moisturize dry areas.
Dry skin :
Dry skin is characterized by a lack of moisture, which can translate into a lack of radiance and elasticity. It is also a skin that lacks sebum. This skin is prone to irritation and redness. If left untreated, it can become very dry and itchy, and may even suffer from mild desquamation.
In more scientific terms, dry skin is caused by..:
- A reduction in the lipid phase of the surface hydrolipidic film due to sebaceous hyposecretion.
- Decreased water concentration in the stratum corneum due to alteration of the hydrolipidic film, reduction of intercellular lipid components and slowing of synthesis of natural hydration factor components. These factors often include urea, uric acid and amino acids. They are located inside the corneocytes and on the epidermal surface, and their role is to bind water to the corneocytes.
These people tend to have thin skin, a dull complexion and often a feeling of discomfort.
A skincare routine is recommended to maintain moisture levels, provide comfort, nourish the skin and prevent premature skin aging.
Normal skin :
This is the ideal skin type, characterized by balanced sebum production.
The T-zone may be slightly oily, but overall the sebum/hydration balance is maintained.
Its essential features include good blood circulation, a soft, smooth texture and, above all, no imperfections. The complexion is therefore uniform, and the skin is elastic. Histologically, the epidermis is characterized by a homogeneous, thin, protective stratum corneum. The dermis ensures optimal elasticity, suppleness and hydration, while the hypodermis is responsible for facial firmness.
This type of skin often needs a routine that maintains optimum moisture levels, and protects the skin from external aggressions.
Did you know? the pH of normal skin is generally 5.5, while dry skin is slightly more acidic, with a pH of 5. Oily skin, on the other hand, is slightly more basic, with a pH of around 6.
The right ingredients for every skin!
Do you have combination or oily skin?
Myth: Don't include oils in your skincare routine for combination to oily skin! People with oily or combination skin tend to avoid using oils in their skincare routine because of their comedogenic properties.
However, there are several plant oils suitable for oily skin and capable of maintaining the water-sebum balance.
For combination to oily skin, we recommend jojoba oil, sesame oil and hazelnut oil. These oils have a composition close to that of the skin and are therefore able to regulate sebum production.
Top 4 ingredients for combination to oily skin:
1. Exfoliating Acids including Flower Acids Ideal for combination to oily skin, this is one of the best ingredients for fighting imperfections. They help regulate excess sebum and reduce the appearance of pores.
2. Niacinamide Niacinamide strengthens the skin barrier and stimulates natural collagen production. It boosts skin renewal and helps combat hyperpigmentation and dilated pores.
3. Retinol Long known for its anti-aging properties, retinol also acts on pores. It also reduces blemishes and pigmentation, and has anti-acne activity.
4. Vitamin C This antioxidant helps combat pigmentation problems, including acne pimples and dullness.
Do you have dry skin?
Top 4 for dry skin:
1. Aloe Vera
Restores skin elasticity. It can also soothe the skin and combat cutaneous inflammation.
2. Glycerin
Glycerin retains moisture in the epidermis, helping to combat skin dehydration. It also forms a protective layer around your skin.
3. Ceramides
Ceramides are lipids naturally present in your skin and are essential for maintaining the integrity of the cutaneous barrier. Their main action is to reinforce the skin's protective barrier.
4. Hyaluronic Acid
It is a humectant, retaining water in the skin. It is also a healing active ingredient that can combat dry skin. Among oils, argan oil and avocado oil are especially recommended for their nourishing properties, strengthening the epidermis and regenerating the skin.
Yodi tips!
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet: eat fruit, vegetables and cereal products, and avoid foods rich in fat and cholesterol.
- Eat balanced amounts of sugar and salt.
- Take part in regular sporting activities.
- Make sure you drink the right amount of water! Many skin problems are linked to a lack of water, and cracked lips are often due to dehydration. Yodi tip: You can calculate the amount of water your body needs by multiplying your weight in kg by 30ml, then dividing by 1000 to obtain the amount of water in liters you need to consume per day. A woman weighing 50 kg should therefore consume 1.5 L of water on average.
- And above all, use a skincare routine adapted to your skin type!