Combination skin, what is it?
Combination skin is the most common type of skin and also the most complex to treat. When you have combination skin, this means that you have oily areas (most often located on the T-zone including the forehead, nose and chin.) and dry areas, at the level of the cheeks. Potentially accompanied by redness, occasional tightness and rough skin texture, combination skin is a mixture of two skin types. The oily area is explained by a significant amount of sebum, while the dry areas (temples, cheeks) result from a lack of sebum and a deficiency in lipids (essential fatty acids).
What causes combination skin?
- A hormonal imbalance : the hormonal changes to which the body is exposed lead to various consequences characteristic of combination skin, such as a excess sebumof the black spots and buttons.
- Unsuitable cosmetic products : the use of inappropriate or allergenic cosmetic products risks modifying the condition of the skin. It is particularly preferable to avoid comedogenic cosmetics or too much rich in vegetable oils, which make it fatter. Similarly, excessive use of scrubs or to scrubsbecause “damaged” skin can react by producing more sebum.
- External factors, especially pollution or humidity.
How to treat combination skin?
To help your skin to become homogeneous, it is advisable to make a zoning : Use products for oily skin on the oily area, and products recommended for dry skin on the dry area.
For dry areas:
Use a moisturizing mask, natural lipids such as shea butter or argan oil, superfatted soap…
For oily areas:
A purifying mask with clay or containing purifying ingredients (essential oil of Tea tree, zinc, green tea, propolis, etc.), gentle products (neutral pH, etc.), slightly exfoliating.
You can also perform a gentle exfoliation once a week, emphasizing the T zone.
What solutions should be adopted to even out the skin?
- Avoid touching your skin too much, to avoid the transfer of bacteria to the face.
- Put on sunscreen every day, even when the weather is cloudy, to protect the skin from daily UV rays.
- Wash face daily with a mild cleanser.
- Never ignore hydration (ideally use two different moisturizers: a creamy one for the drier areas and a lighter water-based one for the oily part).
The expert’s tip:When asked which ingredients to avoid regardless of skin type, Laurent Pan avoids being too categorical: “Nothing is ever completely white or black, but for someone with hypersensitive skin and who cannot tolerate most of the ingredients contained in a cosmetic product, nothing is better than a vegetable oil.“He also advises against the regular use of essential oils, whose very strong action can”kill the good bacteria in the skin, which can unbalance the skin flora.“ |
Our expert:
Laurent Pan, skincare influencer @secretdepeau.
Co-author with Coralie Petermann Skin care – Objective beautiful skin
After several years with a leader in dermocosmetics, he has mastered the ingredients that are effective on all skin types.
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