It’s important to note that combination skin is not dangerous, it is not an indication of a skin disease. But with that said, it could become a real challenge to take care of this type of skin, as the different parts of your face (or other parts of the body) need a specific treatment.
Combination skin and the T-zone
If you look at your face, you can draw an imaginary T: your eyes as the horizontal line, and the vertical line from your forehead, down to your nose and chin. This is known as the T-zone. It is a part of the face where combination skin is most common. Do you have (more) oily skin in the T-zone while other parts of your face, like your cheeks, seem dry or flaky? This means you have combination skin. But don’t worry! At least now you know that this is a common thing and that you can do something about it.
Causes of combination skin
The cause of a combination of skin lies in sebum production. Sebum is a (lightly yellow) substance that is oily and keeps the skin of your face moisturized. Sebum production is a natural thing and is perfectly healthy. But when this production is high, oily skin appears on the horizon. Both heat and humidity will have a direct impact on the appearance of sebum. That’s why in the summer, combination skin will be more visible. Also for people living in areas of the world with higher temperatures and humidity will see this skin type more often.
Treatment / skincare
So how do you take care of combination skin? Well, it basically comes down to taking good care of your skin – with more attention than other skin types might require. Let’s take a look at a skin routine you can implement:
- Gentle cleansing: Use a gentle face cleanser and moisturize each morning and evening. This will repair the balance of your skin. Take note that using aggressive skin products will make the dry parts of your skin even drier while using oily products might increase the oily part of your T-zone. Find something that brings balance.
- Sunscreen: No matter what skin type you have, sunscreen is essential. But with combination skin, it makes even more sense. UV exposure results in dehydration, something you need to avoid. On top of that, try to find shade as much as you can when the sun is at its strongest.
- Exfoliate: Again, the magic word is gentle. Using a gentle scrub can do magic for combination skin. A scrub will remove any dead skin cells while also unblock pores. For the oily sections of your skin you might be tempted to get aggressive when it comes to a scrub – but the removing of oil deep in the skin will make the skin produce even more oil. Resulting in more intense oily skin.
- Night cream: To complete your routine, try a nice natural night cream for waking up with glowing skin. But be cautious when it comes to moisturizer, as it will make your skin – so experiment with natural night creams to tend to be less oily. At nighttime, the skin will repair itself. And with a good night cream, you will stimulate this.
5 Essential Steps to Healthy Skin
Combination skin risk
Having combination skin does not mean a higher risk for any skin disease. But, as with any sensitive skin, your skin is more vulnerable for UV damage and therefore faces the (indirect) threat of skin cancer. Make sure to focus on taking care of your skin, and monitor any visible changes closely.
