Whether your skin type is dry and sensitive or on the oilier side, whether you struggle with pigmentation or are running the rosacea gauntlet, knowledge is power.
Whatever your skin type or condition, if it concerns you, it concerns us. So, here’s what you need to know in terms of info and what to add to your cart – and your calendar – in terms of products and treatments.
First, let’s figure out your skin type…
There are four primary skin types: oily, dry, normal, and combination. Each has its own set of unique characteristics that affect how your complexion looks and feels. Your skin type doesn’t determine your ability to face the world, but how you care for, treat, and protect it—reactively now and proactively for the future—can make a real, confidence-boosting difference.
Your skin type is based on the amount of sebum (oil) your skin produces. This oiliness can change over time, influenced by your age and stage of life and other factors such as stress, genetics, hormones, and humidity.
Skin Type 1: Oily Skin
Oily skin produces an excess of sebum that causes it to appear shiny and feel greasy, particularly across the T-zone—forehead, nose, and chin. The advantage of this skin type? Fewer wrinkles as the number of candles on your birthday cake adds up. The disadvantage? More enlarged pores, blackheads, whiteheads, blemishes, and a propensity to experience acne.
It's important to recognise that while oily skin produces more natural oils, it still requires as much moisture as other skin types, but the type of moisture (products) you choose is key. You want to nourish and hydrate without clogging your pores or triggering breakouts, which is why you’ll want to include these in your routine:
- A gentle, foaming cleanser that effectively removes dirt, excess oil, and other impurities; and
- A lightweight, oil-free, and non-comedogenic moisturiser that provides your oily skin with the essential hydration it needs.
Skin Type 2: Dry Skin
Dry skin generally produces less natural oils than other types of skin, causing your complexion to appear dull and rough in texture, prone to flaking and feeling “tight”. As this skin type tends to not only feel dehydrated but be dehydrated, it’s more likely to become home to visible fine lines sooner than expected and can regularly feel itchy or appear irritated. If you have this skin type, you want to figure out a skincare routine that includes gentle, soothing, and hydrating ingredients that work with, not against, your skin’s moisture-protecting barrier.
Seriously consider products that contain ceramides, which are important for retaining your skin's moisture and preventing the entry of germs into your body. Avoid excessively long, hot showers, and moisturise multiple times per day with fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, and alcohol-free products.
If sensitivity is at the top of your list of skin woes, consider adding SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Masque to your cart. Containing botanical extracts with high concentration levels and calming Dipeptide and Hyaluronic Acid, this facial mask (which cools on contact) intensively soothes and replenishes temporary skin reactivity while restoring natural radiance and smoothness.
On the treatments front, chat with your medically-trained therapist or Skin Renewal doctor about the MCCM Eye Peel Treatment is a cutting-edge solution to address fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles, and puffiness, effectively revitalising the delicate skin around your eyes, achieving and maintaining a rejuvenated, youthful gaze.
Skin Type 3: Normal Skin
Because normal skin types can typically get away with a pretty simple routine (cleanser, serum, moisturiser, SPF), consider splurging on one really top-drawer product like Lamelle RFM Elixir Cream – the ultimate moisturiser for rejuvenation, featuring a superstar active ingredient, Stem Cell Conditioned Media (SCCM) which contains active growth factors, anti-inflammatory cytokines, potent antioxidants, collagen-encouraging peptides, and stem cell-derived exosomes for a powerful anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and
pigment-inhibiting powerhouse. Suitable for all skin types concerned with ageing and rejuvenation. Feeling neither too dry nor too oily, normal skin is balanced and unfamiliar with breakouts or flakiness. This skin type has smaller pores, a generally smooth texture, and doesn’t struggle with sensitivity. But just because it’s seemingly low maintenance on the skin “admin” front, it still needs a proper, disciplined skincare routine to keep looking and feeling its best. You’ll want to support your skin’s protective barrier by prioritising maintaining hydration and picking products that lock in that moisture.
Skin Type 4: Combination Skin
The best (or worst) of both worlds depending on how well-versed you are in what your skin needs and stocking up your bathroom cabinet accordingly, combination skin typically has an oily T-zone and dry or normal cheeks and can become drier or more oily based on the time of the year seasonally and shifts in stress and hormone levels. The key to managing this skin type is balancing effective cleansing with thirst-quenching hydration.
Because this skin type changes and isn’t a case of applying the same products all over the face (and neck) all year round, consider adding NeoStrata Bionic Face Serum 10 PHA to your skincare arsenal. An active serum for daily use when your skin needs it and occasional use – for example, post-procedure – this serum restores skin radiance; amplifies the benefits of other anti-ageing products; treats fine lines, wrinkles, pore size, laxity, and mottled pigmentation; and can be applied as an all-over facial treatment or to target the areas around the eyes and/or mouth. It’s also as effective when used alone or layered under other products, which we love!
Let’s talk sensitive skin…
It’s often referred to as a skin type, but not really a type because all skin types – oily, dry, normal and combination – can experience sensitivity, which presents as redness, feeling abnormally dry, a burning sensation, or irritating itching. A number of factors can cause sensitivity, from external irritants and certain ingredients to environmental factors. The trick to treating and managing sensitivity is figuring out what’s triggering it so you can avoid it. Avoiding cleansers, moisturisers, or other products that contain possibly triggering ingredients is the first (and easier to implement) step, but you may need to figure out how to avoid exposure to triggering agents in your environment, too.
Let’s talk pigmentation…
Much like sensitivity, pigmentation can be a cause for concern, whatever your skin type. To successfully treat pigmentation, it is essential to exfoliate the skin without causing any irritation. Lamelle Correctives Brighter Serum—a lipid-based serum suitable for all skin types—is specifically formulated to inhibit melanin production without damaging cells, causing skin irritation, or increasing sun sensitivity, and delivering anti-inflammatory and soothing effects.
We recommend Skin Renewal Brightening Cream With Vitamin A for those struggling with stubborn pigmentation marks. This product gently exfoliates your skin, improving cellular turnover. It reduces the appearance of stubborn pigmentation while preventing more pigmentation from forming. It hydrates your skin (reducing any sensitivity or inflammation) and improves the rate at which your body produces new and healthy skin cells.
Let’s talk Rosacea…
Rosacea is an inflammatory skin disease that causes facial redness and sensitivity. Its characteristics—small, red, pus-filled bumps or pustules—are often mistaken for acne. In fact, rosacea has been called adult acne or acne rosacea, but the disease has little to do with the pimples and blackheads that commonly afflict teenagers.
Similarly to auto-immune diseases, Rosacea will flare up and subside as inflammatory triggers in the body increase and decrease. This condition affects mostly adults, usually people with fair skin, between the ages of 30 and 60, and left untreated, rosacea tends to be progressive, which means it gets worse over time.
The good news? Once diagnosed correctly, Rosacea is quite treatable but requires ongoing management to keep it under control and a 3-level treatment approach:
- In-clinic treatments to actively target the condition, for example, Limelight, Laser Genesis, PDT, RF needling with Secret RF, Azelic Acid Peel Treatments, and Transdermal Mesotherapy.
- Products to maintain treatment results and manage the condition, such as Skin Renewal Couperosis Cream, specifically formulated for Rosacea and sensitive skin types to reduce redness and inflammation.
- Oral supplementation can actively lower inflammation in the body and skin. For example, Meriva, a natural anti-inflammatory, is ideal for treating any acute or chronic condition that has an inflammatory aspect.