Skin-Care Basics


A commitment to a regular program of basic skin care is one of the best steps you can take to improve your health. This post focuses on everyday care of the skin and includes information on developing a personal skin-care regimen and understanding the connection between skin health and the sun. Also included are tips on nutrition and fitness, information on stress and your skin, and ways to care for your skin as you work and travel.
Determine Your Skin Type

Finding out whether the skin on your face is normal, dry, oily, or a combination is the first step in creating a skin-care regimen that is going to work for you. Dermatologist Wilma F. Bergfeld, M.D., F.A.C.P., and Shelagh Ryan Masline, authors of A Woman Doctor's Guide to Skin Care, recommend avoiding the ''expertise" of the department store cosmetics counter in favor of this simple, inexpensive test.
First, wash and dry your face as you normally would, and do not apply any skin-care products. After one hour, press a tissue againstyour forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin. If the tissue comes away with no residue, you have normal skin. Skin particles on the tissueas well as visibly flaky skinindicate dry skin, and an oily residue on the tissue in all areas indicates oily skin. If your oily areas are limited to your forehead, nose, and chin (an area called the T-zone), you have combination skin.
The skin on the rest of your body may not have the same characteristics as your facial skin, so be alert for flaking or oily areas and treat them accordingly. In most people, because of the natural distribution of sebaceous glands, the chest and back are usually oily, while the legs and feet tend to be dry.

Everyone's skin is a little different, so assess what's normal for you. Once you have that status quo in mind, think of it whenever you make decisions about your skin careat the dermatologist's office, at the cosmetic counter, and while reading this post.

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