What's my Skin Type? Sydney

Knowing your skin type is the first step in skin maintenance and improvement. There are different ways to determine skin type, each based on slightly different skin characteristics.  

Your skin type, relevant medical conditions and medications, and skin history - sun exposure, current skin care regime, etc - all need to be taken into account when deciding which treatments and products will give you the best results.  Your basic skin type determines which products will be best for you  and your Photo skin type tells us which treatments will be safe and effective for you.

Basic Skin Types

There are five basic skin  types: Oily, combination, sensitive, dry and sun-damaged.  

Here's a simple skin test that will help you work out which skin type you have.

Wash your face, pat it dry, then take a few pieces of rice paper or tissue paper and press on different spots on your face. If your skin is oily, the paper will stick, pick up oily spots and become translucent. If the paper doesn't stick or pick up any oily spots, your skin is dry. If it sticks in your t-zone (forehead, nose and chin) then you have combination (or normal) skin. About 70 percent of women have combination skin.

• Type 1: Oily

  Oily skin tends to be shiny with enlarged pores, and to be prone to blackheads and blemishes.

• Type 2: Combination/normal

  This skin type has medium pores, a smooth and even texture, good circulation, healthy color, may tend toward dryness on the cheeks while being oily in the t-zone.

• Type 3: Sensitive

  Sensitive skin tends to be thin and delicate with fine pores. It flushes easily, is prone to broken capillaries, is frequently allergic and easily irritated. Some people are born with sensitive skin, others acquire it as part of conditions such as rosacea, eczema or dermatitis.

• Type 4: Dry

  Dry skin feels tight, especially after cleansing. It has a tendency towards fine wrinkles, flaking and red patches. In women of color, skin may appear ashy or dull from dead skin build up.

• Type 5: Aging or sun-damaged

  This skin also feels tight with visible wrinkles, slack skin tone -- especially around the cheeks and jawline -- with leathery texture,  broken capillaries and varying degrees of abnormal pigmentation.

Photo Skin Types

The classification of skin typing is known as the Fitzpatrick skin type. It places emphasis on the amount of melanin/colour in the skin and how it reacts to the sun.  Pale or white skin burns easily and tans slowly and poorly: it needs more protection against sun exposure. Darker skin burns less and tans more easily. It is also more prone to develop abnormal pigmentation after injury (brown marks).

Depending on the answers to the determination questions, most people fit into one of  six photo-skin categories, usually labeled with roman numerals I-VI. .

This skin classification system is used to determine suitability  for a variety of medical and cosmetic applications, particularly for  laser treatments. Skin types  V-VI are usually prone to an overactive production of melanin following laser skin or hair treatments. This can lead to permanent discoloration or scarring of the skin, and most experts agree that people with V-VI type skin should undertake any laser treatment with extreme caution.

On the other end of the scale, people with skin type I, II or III are usually pale and though prone to more severe sun damage, are usually good candidates for laser and light based treatments.

Type 1

Type 3

Type 4