Types of Skin and factors affecting skin type

Your skin is the largest organ of you body. It protects your body from external influences, senses the environment with nerves and hair, eliminates toxins and helps control internal temperature through sweat.

The most common Skin types are:

Normal, Oily, Acne, Dry, Damaged, Mature, Sensitive and Combination

• Dry: Small pores and dull finish, forms expression lines, especially around eyes and mouth, easier than other types.
• Normal: Healthy looking texture with smooth finish and small pores. It is not easily irritated and blemishes are rare.
• Combination: Healthy looking skin with smooth texture. Usually t-zone is oily and the cheeks are dry. This is the most common skin type. Products that balance the complexion are recommended to use.
• Oily: Shiny appearance and larger pores than other skin types, more prone to blemishes and clogged pores. Less wrinkles are formed than other skin types.
• Sensitive Skin: This type of skin may be easily irritated by soaps, touch, or other substances in the environment. It may be thin, dry, with fine pores. It may become red and damaged easily, while appearing blotchy and irritated. Broken capillaries and vessels beneath the surface may be apparent

Factors that Influence Skin Type

Climate/Weather - Cold, warm, humid or dry weather will all affect your skin. Cold/Dry environments will takeaway moisture from the skin causing it to be dry and vitamin deficient, whereas humid environments will cause sweating and excess body moisture leading to oily/acne prone skin.

Water- The type of water you use to bathe and wash your face does affect your skin. If you live in the city you will likely use chlorine treated water. This type of water dries and depletes the skin. Whereas, those with water softeners will have water with a high salt ratio and usually no harsh chemicals added.

Sun Exposure - Every person needs a little sun in their daily life to create valuable Vitamin D. Most can achieve this with about 5 to 15 minutes a day of sun exposure. But lots of sun exposure can damage the skin.

Hormones - Women and men have hormonal fluctuations that will definitely change their skin. At puberty the body goes through radical changes and it is common for excess sebum and acne to appear.

Genetic predisposition - Every person is likely to have an inclination to one type of skin or another. Fair (light) skin tends to be drier, shows age and freckles/burns easily. Darker skin has more natural sun protection, ages gracefully, but has a higher sebum production.

Smoking –Smoking actually causes external and internal damage. Smoking depletes the body's nutrients and hinders the immune system. Toxins build within the body which will be apparent in the skin.

Diet/Nutrition - You've likely heard the expression 'You are what you eat.' This simple fact will be apparent in your skin. Eating unhealthy foods like those high in sugar, carbohydrates and fats, as well as those with artificial ingredients will lead to toxins building up within the body.

Courtesy

FRUIT soufflés for the SKIN

Spas are going back to nature and offering all-natural, preservative-free skin food made fresh in their kitchens, and sourced locally

   

 Back in the day, spa treatments revolved around using expensive body creams from Europe, or treatments which made use of exotic ingredients from faraway places. This trend, however, is changing as spa owners realise that there are equally refreshing spa treatments they can offer their customers. Spas are now integrating farm-tospa fruits into treatments and offering massages that will ensure you the relaxation you deserve, while supporting the local farmers at the same time.
FACE DESSERT
    Home run services, using ingredients like fruit and vegetables that have all been sourced from local farms are very much in vogue today. Natural beauty products are ideal for the skin and since they’re all made indigenously, their freshness is guaranteed.
    So, women today are undergoing skin treatments with spa products good enough to eat — for instance, papaya cleanser, mango mousse cream, honey and oat scrub and an avocado face pack. Apart from these ‘face desserts’, clay treatments and acupressure massages are also available.
OUT OF THE BOTTLE
    “With the growing pollution we are inevitably exposed to in any Indian metropolis, our skin is becoming more and more sensitive. So why feed our skin with more synthetics out of a bottle on a daily basis?” says Diya Dembla, who is qualified from the International Dermal Institute in Boston
INDIGENOUS VERSUS INSTA-BEAUTY
    Moreover, if the idea of wending your way through rush hour traffic to make it to a spa treatment, don’t fret. Some of these spas are now willing to come to your doorstep, where trained therapists will visit you with a spa kit including a portable massage bed, indigenous products, disposable spa attire, candle diffuser and essential oils. They collect fresh and natural ayurvedic ingredients from the all over India to provide you with Ayurvedic treatments. For instance, the apricots for the apricot body scrub are sourced directly from the farmers in Uttarakhand.
    Start your first session with a skin consultation, so your treatment is devised especially for you. You are then guided to specific treatments, depending on your problems and the results you desire. “Skin food is freshly cooked, completely natural and absolutely preservative-free. Your skin will make an instant connection,” adds Diya.
    Try a body scrub with products you can eat as dessert, that use fresh fruits like banana, apple, papaya and oatmeal. These are mixed in the spa's laboratory with other special herbs and carried in an ice box, to give you the freshest and most refreshing natural spa. Time to put the fruit where your face is.
   

 WHAT SUITS YOUR SKIN?
    Opt for treatments with these foods
    depending on your skin type: NORMAL: Avocado, papaya, strawberry DRY SKIN:Banana, chickoo, unpasteurised full fat milk, honey OILY SKIN: Orange, tangerine, lemon, tomato, doodhi COMBINATION SKIN: Strawberry, aloe vera, lemon MATURE SKIN:Banana, primrose, crushed egg shells or egg whites