Skin care is very important to avoid early appearance of wrinkles. To take proper care of your skin you need to know your skin type. This article discusses the types of skin and useful tips on skin care. Just read this article to know your skin type and avoid unwanted spots, blackheads and wrinkles by taking the right care of your skin.

1. Normal skin

* Soft and supple
* Clear and free of spots and blemishes
* Even texture and color

This is very rare, if not non-existent, expect on babies and young children and a few fortunate adults. If you are lucky enough to have inherited this skin type, remember it still needs to be looked after.

2. Oily skin

* Feels supple and elastic even after washing
* Looks shiny
* Often blackheads and/or spots present
* Can look sluggish, sallow
* Hair is often oily, too

Oily skin when properly looked after can be an advantage. It stays elastic and firm for longer and is less prone to wrinkles and fine lines than other skin types. However, it needs special attention to keep it free from spots and blackheads and can sometimes look rather dull and yellow.

3. Dry skin

* Feels tight after washing
* Dry, scaly or flaky to the touch
* Looks grey or pinkish
* Reacts adversely to harsh products

Dry skin is clear of spots and in younger years is fairly problem free. Because it is not well lubricated naturally, it ages more quickly, so extra care must be taken with moisturizers. It's a good idea to use a sunscreen all year round to reduce the harsh, drying effects of ultra violet rays.

4. Combination skin

* Spot/blemishes on nose, chin or forehead
* Blackheads on nose, chin or forehead
* Dry patches, particularly cheeks
* Cheeks feel tight after washing
* Shiny patches and flaky patches

Combination skin is the most common. It's important to treat the oily and dry areas differently as a product for oily skin can be damaging to the dryer, sensitive areas.

5. Hyper-sensitive skin

* Usually fair, freckly or prone to high color
* Burns easily in sunlight
* Flushes quickly
* Reacts to harsh substances quickly becoming itchy red and irritated.

This skin type is often found in blondes and redheads. Extra care must be taken when choosing skin care products so they protect and soothe, rather than irritate, this type of skin.

Still not sure which of the above applies to you? Try this simple test:

1. On waking (presuming you cleansed your face the night before and did not use a greasy night cream) take a paper tissue and separate its layers so you have just one ply.
2. Press this on to your face, touching all the contours.
3. Hold it up to the light. Any oily areas will show up on the tissue.

Results

No oil marks - Dry skin may be sensitive, too. Oil marks down centre of tissue - Combination skin Mainly oily - Oily skin. Look younger, healthier and more beautiful!