The most common skin conditions from my own personal experience are dehydrated and sensitive. So I’ll go into a bit of detail about those two first.
The skin’s condition is what changes regularly, depending on what’s going on in your life. All skin types can develop conditions – for example, oily skin can get dehydrated, or dry skin can develop pimples as a result of, perhaps, being under stress or suffering from an undiagnosed food intolerance. It can really confuse you if you haven’t yet worked out your skin type, as you could feel that your skin is different from one month to the next!
Dehydration
Dehydrated skin lacks water, rather than lacking natural oils as in the dry skin type. Any type of skin can become dehydrated – and it’s not always from such a simple cause as not drinking enough water. For example, every time I get ill with a cold or virus all the water just runs away from my skin! Even my oily T zone gets flaky, and my usually-dry cheeks get so tight it feels like someone’s pulling my skin! Eugh!
So what does dehydrated skin look like? Well there’s flaky areas to various degrees; you might just get a little bit of flakiness here and there or your skin might appear to be peeling (like mine is at the moment, I’ve just come out of the worst of a bad cold). Also look for the tell-tale signs – pick up that mirror again and have a good close look as you move your face. Open your mouth in a big long stretched ‘Oh’ and look at your cheeks near to the sides of your nose. See some fine lines pointing down, not across? That you couldn’t see before you stretched your face like that? Well they’re dehydration lines. Also you can see them if you put the side of your finger against your cheek and gently push upwards – you’ll see the lines going across the bit of your cheek above your finger.
What’s good about a skin condition is that it can be managed, minimised or even cured. So what do we do to get rid of dehydration? Well drinking more water is an obvious one but there are many other things you can do…
Give up the fizzy drinks! My skin used to be such a mess when I was living on 2 to 4 cans of Coca Cola per day (yes, really) but after a long struggle I’ve been indulging in it only at weekends, and in moderation (I love it too much to give it up completely!). My skin is so much better for it! Another thing you can do is eat water as well as drink it – that means more fruit and vegetables in your diet! Cucumber, tomatoes and kiwi fruit are particularly good, but be careful not to eat excessive amounts of citrus fruit as they will start to wear away your tooth enamel. Finally, you don’t have to drink just water – fruit and herbal tea will also do the trick, and a small amount of dilute drink in your water too.
Skincare-wise, there are plenty of products around aimed specifically at dehydration (serums are especially useful), so have a look online at what’s available or visit a brand’s counter in a department store to ask their advice. Don’t be scared – we are all fully trained and we won’t bite!
Skin condition: sensitive
The word sensitive is used liberally by most people who assume they have sensitive skin when they get a bit of redness now and then, or if it feels a bit dry sometimes. Here’s an example of a conversation that happens regularly on my counter:
Me: “So how does your skin generally feel?”
Customer: “Oh I have sensitive skin.”
Me (looking at customer’s clear, healthy-looking skin): “Ok, so is your skin reacting to something right now?”
Customer: “No.”
Me: “Alright, so do you often find that your skin’s red and sore, maybe a bit swollen in places, with a rash, maybe quite hot too?”
Customer: “No.”
Me: *resists the urge to yell ‘Well your skin’s not sensitive then is it?!*
Skin that can be truly classed as sensitive tends to have quite obvious symptoms, like the ones mentioned in my little conversation just now. It’s something that gets in the way of the person’s life, can be very painful, and extends to other areas of life as well, such as having an allergic reaction all over the body to a different washing powder than usual.
People like the one I described in the conversation above usually don’t have sensitive skin as such, but they might get a bit of a reaction occasionally to the odd product now and then. A bit of redness here, a bit of an itch there…
Let’s use the example of ‘Me’ again. I would never describe myself as having sensitive skin, although I do get a bit of a reaction to *some* products *some*times. It’s always random and can’t be predicted – I can have a reaction to just one product from a brand but be fine to use everything else in their range. I get itchy and rash-y all over my body from most washing powders/liquids so can only use products marked as suitable for sensitive skin. I’m never allergic to any makeup from any brand, and there’s only been the odd skincare product occasionally over the years that has made my face hot, red and with a burning sensation. So I wouldn’t describe my skin as sensitive because it’s so occasional that I get a reaction – I can use most things from most brands, most of the time.
But so many people would experience what I have described above and label themselves as having sensitive skin. And let’s face it, you would if you’d experienced those reactions, wouldn’t you?! It’s very confusing and difficult to know for sure.
So, do you often try out products that make your face feel like it’s starting to swell up, feels hot and ‘angry’, causes tears from your eyes, makes your skin red, and develop a rash or red bumps? In that case I think it’s pretty safe to assume you have sensitive skin!
Management: obviously you will need to avoid any triggers for your reactions (if you’ve been able to work out what they are) and use only good quality skincare specially developed for sensitive skin. You could also ask your doctor to be tested for any food allergies or intolerance if your reactions can be extreme, or visit a dermatologist to have your skin analysed to see what the triggers might be.
Other conditions
Dull, flat-looking skin is usually caused by dehydration (think of the appearance of a raisin, which is a dehydrated grape), but can also be a symptom of exhaustion (you’re not going to look bright and glowy if you’ve been burning the candle at both ends!), and also a symptom of stress. Let’s just look at that last comment in detail: if you’re under stress and living a bit of a hectic lifestyle at the moment, you’re not going to have time to consider what you’re eating and are more likely to grab quick convenient food on the go. This of course will build up toxins in the skin, then when you ad on top of that a layer of sweat from all the rushing around and pollution if you’re rushing around a city, you can imagine he build-up your skin will have to try to deal with. With all this congestion the light will not be able to penetrate the skin like it should, so will not shine out and give you that healthy glow.
Obviously, managing this condition will involve some major lifestyle changes – for example, slow down, take a few minutes for yourself each day, cut right down on caffeine (then cut it out), and increase your intake of skin-clearing fruit and vegetables. Oh and get some proper sleep!
Product-wise, the best thing to use for dull skin is currently Clarins’ ‘Vital Light’ range, because at the time of writing this they’re the only products on the market that boost skin elimination. Meaning the skin will clear out toxins more efficiently so the light can penetrate the skin better and therefore bounce back out more intensely, making you look very glowy, healthy and ‘awake’ (I’ve used the products, that’s how I know!).
Pimples/spots
Pimples are just the bane of our existence, aren’t they?! They can range from the odd one now and then (usually due to the hormone rush of that time of the month) to acne (for which you need to see your doctor and receive prescribed medication). In either case it’s a sign that the skin is congested and can’t eliminate the natural build-up of toxins effectively or quickly enough, so toxins are getting stuck as they try to exit each pore and then building up more behind that amount (and in surrounding pores) causing a ‘plug’ of yellow pus (with some dead skin cells mixed in because it’s being blocked from shedding them naturally).
What you would naturally think is to exfoliate (scrub) once a week, isn’t it? But wait right there! If you have acne, or a decent amount of pimples with yellow heads on them, step away from the scrub – the tine grains may break the surface of the pimple and spread the ‘contents’ around the face. Don’t want that! But a nice, deep cleanse once a week will help to clear things up for you – so how to do it…? Well, I know Clarins do exfoliators without grains in them (Gentle Peeling and Gentle Exfoliating Toner), so I assume other brands do too – have a chat to someone on one of the beauty counters to discuss your needs and see what they have to show you.
Management can be difficult for pimples – it’s not usually as cut-and-dried as ‘keep your skin clean’! They could be a symptom of a deeper problem that you will need to have diagnosed by a doctor, dermatologist or nutritionist (to investigate food intolerances).
Main thing is, though – don’t squeeze pimples! I know, everyone says this, but seriously…don’t. It’ll take them longer to heal if you do, and squeezing one is also likely to leave a scar. Which is worse than having the pimple in the first place, as a scar stays there.
Conclusion
So, what do you think? Have you been able to work out your skin type and any possible condition now? Let me know how you get on! Also, feel free to ask me anything and I’ll do my best to help you out 
– find me on twitter: @velvetfur
ARTICLE: by Vikki Velvetfur
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