Bodé Spa - Men's Spa located in Ottawa, Ontario.

Skin Types: so what's yours?

DRY SKIN

The Signs to look for:

  • The skin can feel rough at times.
  • Elasticity is reduced.
  • Fine lines are appearing you may have reduced suppleness and overall the skin lacks glow.
  • Dryness is making shaving difficult.
  • Moisture loss is evident.
  • Stress, insufficient rest, pollution and environmental agents are some of the causes.

So what can I do?: Stop using cleaners that are too harsh or a moisturizer that's not rich enough for your skins needs. Maybe there are external stresses that are aggravating your skin such as you not getting enough rest or too much sun. Dry skin? Get help here!

SENSITIVE SKIN

The Signs to look for:

  • Fragile capillaries that can easily be stimulated.
  • Your skin has a tendency to redden due to hypersensitivity.
  • You have less natural defenses that can lead to broken capillaries and you may feel irritation at times.
  • You may find your skin to be thin with a fragile texture.

So what can I do?:. Use very gentle cleansers & lotions. The goal is to strengthen your skin internal workings. Vitamin C and Retinal (Vit A) serums, good sun protection and moisturizers that are designed for fragile skins are the best solution. Sensitive skin? Get help here!

OILY SKIN

The Signs to look for:

  • Acne breakouts.
  • Appearance of comedones (white heads) and a shiney appearance.
  • Residue of oil on your skin that can build up during the day.
  • Often the “T” zone of your face the nose and forehead produce the most oil.
  • At times this build up can even dry, especially on the forehead as your skin is trying to heal the spots where the oil was building up or blemishes drying.
  • Oily skin can be severe or moderate – these types HAVE to be treated differently.

Most adults have moderate issues. The sebaceous glands of the skin are producing too much oil. Sometimes you see red blemishes and seem to contain no oil (sebum) but are sore to touch and are commonly found close to the hair line and forehead. These are deep and thats why they hurt . Their has to be a balance and control of the bad bacterias that add to aggravating blemishes. Hormone levels and stress are the main causes of those days when you can't seem to get things under control.

So what can I do?:. Avoid Alcohol based products! They are often the main ingredient in cleansers especially the lotions or toners. Heavily laden detergent type soaps and alcohol are too harsh and will damage skin over time. Think of an oil spill? They don't throw alcohol into the sea but they do use products to absorb and hold the oil – that is the approach you need to follow. You still need to moisturize but not as much, and you need products that trap in the water and hold out the oil. Serums are excellent for treatment over a select number of weeks to build the acid mantle in the skin- therefore reversing oil production. Scrub your skin as well but not too frequently. You should wash your skin at least twice a day . Finally a little sun is a good thing. The sun can speed up healing, but moderation must be followed. Oily skin? Get help here!

NORMAL SKIN

The Signs to look for:

  • Balanced colour due to healthy metabolism.
  • Sometimes you feel a bit dry and perhaps you get the occasional blemish.
  • Your skin has an even texture.
  • You have probably noticed compared to others you know that your skin can take a bit more abuse with the sun, wind and cold... so you are lucky.

It's important that you care for this balance you have by making sure your skin is moisturized and cleaned properly. Vitamin based products are the best for your normal skins and can be found in many products. You may have to switch products to match the season. For example you may have to moisturize in the winter with something rich and something very light in the summer.

So what can I do?:. Well keep the balance as stated in the above paragraph. Beat the signs of aging by washing and moisturizing and toning. Protect your skin from aggressive external and internal (smoking) agents and keep living right... because genetics and health will help keep your normal skin normal. Keep it healthy here!

COMBINATION SKIN

The Signs to look for:

  • Combination skin is a tough one to place a finger on, because your skin is changing.
  • You may have dry cheeks and have a “T” zone that acts up with oil occasionally.
  • You may have various types of combinations of the skin types we have mentioned.

Try to study what aggressions if any could be causing the changes, for example the environment you work in or if you smoke occasionally.

So what can I do?:. Really keep in touch with your esthetic professional when the seasons change. They need to help you find the changes in the skin and how best to care for it. You may need to use two masks instead of one, or a combination of products to moisturize instead of one, even if you only do this at night. Get the balance restored in the skin. Perhaps an imbalance in part of your face geography is causing or aggravating the skin in another zone. Therefore if we can get one thing under control everything will fall back into a healthy place. The sun or cold may have been very harsh to a place on your face in childhood and now in adulthood it remains a weaker place and there is the combination you need to address. Combination skin? Get help here!