Let’s investigate an ‘Oily’ skin type. Oily skin means you have overactive sebaceous glands that produce excess oil, which can lead to clogged pores, acne, and other skin issues. The difference, however, is the severity. Most of the time, the skin is compensating for a lack of hydration, and thus it causes the body to produce more oil to hydrate itself.

Targeted oily products are specific to removing excess oil, and a little shine won’t constitute having an Oily skin type. It will have negative benefits by stripping the skin, which further dehydrates you, which would further exacerbate the excess oil! You would consistently use target anti-oil products without any long-term benefit.

This is why a ‘Skin Instant®’ has such a different approach – it’s a snapshot of your skin at that moment. It considers all aspects of the skin. Firstly, by splitting the face into sections and looking at each section for signs of a particular skin, to see what concerns you would be suffering from – not just grouping all different kinds of oily skin into Oily. Different degrees of oil, severities of acne, and combinations should all be treated in different ways, which is why it is so important to truly understand your skin type.

Choosing the right routine for your skin isn’t always easy. When products are formulated to be specific to a certain skin type, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you because of the number of aspects you need to consider. Regeneration and hydration are equally as important as oil regulation and exfoliation for oily/acne skin, even for those who are severely oil

Let’s have a look at Dry skin – it is characterized by a lack of oil or sebum production in the skin. This can be caused by genetic factors, ageing, hormonal changes, environmental factors, lipid damage and even prolonged usage of clinical-grade retinol or tretinoin. Dry skin can feel tight and itchy, prone to flaking or feel rough. However, there are many different aspects to the type of dry skin. Not all dry skin needs a heavy, oil-based cream.

Considering flaking, thick, and dry skin, the surplus of dead cells on the skin might be due to the body’s lack of enzymatic process. The dry skin needs to be exfoliated off before restoring lipids so they can penetrate – unless paired with compromised, broken, or reactive skin due to allergies, reactions, or products like Retinol that the skin needs to acclimate to, which would then need to be healed and restored first.

Lipid damage refers to the process of oxidation or degradation of lipids in the skin due to factors such as UV radiation, pollution, stress, and other environmental factors. When damaged, lipids can become unstable and reactive, producing free radicals, which can cause further damage to nearby cells, leading to ageing and irritated skin.

Lipids play a crucial role in maintaining the skin’s barrier function and, when compromised, causes increased Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL), leading to dryness. To protect from damage caused by lipid oxidation, it’s important to incorporate antioxidants into a routine. Stressing again that not all targeted ‘Dry Skin’ ranges can benefit your skin.

Dehydrated skin, on the other hand, is one of the most common concerns, characterised by a lack of water within the skin, which many factors can cause, the most prevalent being pollution. Dehydration, however, shows itself in different forms on the skin – dullness, open pores, tightness, fine lines etc, which is why it is also important to consider different degrees of hydration and dehydration within the skin.

Not all hydration serum/water creams will be beneficial if your skin does not match the purpose of the formulation. It can even come down to using the incorrect cleanser for your skin. If you’re not setting the perfect base for your skin to accept the rest of the routine, it can be detrimental to the skin, causing more dehydration and even sensitivity by stripping the barrier functions of the skin away.

While dehydrated and dry skin share some similarities in their symptoms, they are caused by different factors and require different treatments, not to mention the differentiations between the causes of dryness and what other symptoms come alongside it. This is why the use of Skin Instant® is so important. It’s taking a snapshot of the skin as an entirety. Finding underlying causes of the issue means better treatment of the condition.

Understanding your ‘Skin Instant® ‘ is crucial in finding the right routine and achieving optimal skin health. By using the right routine ensures that you’re giving your skin the attention it needs to stay healthy, radiant, and beautiful. So, take time to get to know your skin again. Note what you see throughout the day and what changes occur depending on what products you use. Sometimes unlearning habits and relearning new ones will prove much more beneficial. Drop the skin types, and introduce Skin Instants® Instead!