What Is My Skin Type & How to Deal with Concerns?

Whenever you’re looking for a new skin care products or trying to determine if a skin care tool or treatment is right for you, the biggest consideration that should come into play is your skin type. Skin type refers to how your skin appears and behaves. Determining your skin type is the most important thing you can do to learn how to treat and maintain your skin to have a glowing, radiant complexion.

What are the different skin types? There are five main skin types: Normal, dry, oily, combination and sensitive. Those names were chosen to correlate to the amount of sebum (oil produced by the sebaceous glands) your skin produces and how your skin reacts.  You can ask your dermatologist or esthetician what skin type you have at your next appointment, but it’s also easy to determine your skin type on your own by learning their traits. After you determine your skin type, it’s easier to figure out the products that will suit your skin to add to your at-home skin care routine. We broke down each skin type and paired it with the best Skin Gym tools and products for you to get that coveted youthful, rejuvenated complexion.

Normal Skin

The name normal skin sums it up. If you have normal skin:

• The skin isn’t visibly dry or oily
• You rarely experience breakouts
• The pores are barely visible
• Your skin is firm and has elasticity
• The skin doesn’t appear red or irritated in any way

If your skin type is normal, you have a pass to the all-you-can-eat skin care buffet. Your skin plays well with almost all ingredients, so you can experiment with different products and tools. The Skin Gym Cryocicles Pink Facial Ice Globes are a fun addition to your skin care routine. The Cryocicles bring your facial massage game to the next level. The artisanal glass globes come straight from the freezer to bring a cool and refreshing feeling to your face, wake up tired, dull skin, and de-puffs and calms. They feel so good and leave your skin looking so refreshed it’s hard not to get addicted to this cool skin care treat. 

Dry Skin

Dry skin doesn’t produce as much sebum as the other skin types, so it doesn’t bring enough oil to the skin to keep it hydrated. If you have dry skin:

• The skin might feel itchy or tight
• The texture of your skin might appear rough or flaky
• Your skin might appear dull

Dry skin calls for one main thing- hydration! You want to nourish your skin with as many hydrating ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid and oils as possible. The Weekender Mask from Skin Gym is the perfect product to plump and hydrate your skin to get it back on track. The mask is packed with Hyaluronic Acid and Antioxidants (like Niacinamide, as well as Apple, Grape & Lemon Extracts). It also contains Camelia Oil which instantly boosts hydration. You can leave the mask on your skin for 5-10 minutes before wiping the excess away- or you can leave it on overnight if you really want to quench your skin’s thirst. 

Oily Skin

If you have oily skin, you have the opposite problem from those with dry skin. Oily skin results from overactive sebaceous glands and produces too much sebum. This is a case of having too much of a good thing. If you have oily skin:

• The skin appears greasy or oily
• Pores appear large and/or clogged
• You experience acne and frequent breakouts

One of the most effective ways help oily skin get on the path to a radiant complexion is to frequently detoxify your pores. A facial steamer, like Skin Gym’s Voda Facial Steamer, is one of the best tools to make this happen. The steam breaks down the sebum which makes it easier to wash away while cleansing. It also opens the pores to rid them of bacteria and other impurities that can cause breakouts when trapped in the skin by the sebum. Oily skin can handle steaming more frequently than other skin types so don’t be afraid to break this device out whenever you’re feeling a little shiny- plus it makes your skin care routine feel like a spa day. 

Combination Skin

Combination skin can be tricky. It can change based on the weather or other external factors but here are the main things you’ll notice if this is your skin type:

• Your T-Zone is oily
• Your cheeks, and the surrounding areas are dry
• Your pores in the T-Zone may appear larger and congested

Since combination skin is, well, complicated, it calls for a complex skin care device to keep it glowing. The Wrinklet Heart LED Mask is a one-stop shop for combination skin. The heart shaped shield mask is equipped with blue (for use on acne-prone skin), orange (for redness or anti-aging), and red (dull skin to help it glow) light therapies. You can choose the light that suits your skin care needs in the moment. Zap it with the blue light therapy when your T-Zone is acting up and appears greasy, then hit it with orange or red light therapy to help your skin look youthful and plump on days it’s under control. This is one mask you will voluntarily wear all the time.

Sensitive Skin 

Sensitive skin is irritated easily by products, tools, and the environment. If you have sensitive skin:

• Skin may appear red and/or inflamed
• Skin may itch or even burn

Those with sensitive skin need to be extra careful with the products and ingredients they put on their skin. The carefully selected ingredients are why Skin Gym’s Cryocool Face Mask is the perfect addition to a sensitive skin product shelf. The Cryocool Face mask mimics the effects of cold therapy (you can pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it down if you like) and is full of seaweed extract, which has properties known to calm the skin. These alleviate redness and are gentle enough to prevent a flare up. The mask also boasts ingredients like Collagen, Vitamin E, and Peptides to give your sin a youthful glow while keeping it calm.