Skin Types vs Skin Conditions

This is the single most common mistake in skincare, confusing what you are with what you're currently experiencing.

Skin types are genetic

You were born with your skin type. It's defined by sebum production rate and falls into roughly four categories:

• ·Oily, high sebum, larger pores, prone to congestion.
• ·Dry, low sebum, finer pores, prone to flaking.
• ·Combination, oily T-zone, normal/dry cheeks.
• ·Normal, balanced sebum, minimal issues.

Your type changes slowly, usually only with hormonal shifts (puberty, pregnancy, menopause).

Skin conditions are transient

Conditions are temporary states layered on top of your type. They include:

• ·Dehydration, low water, can happen on any type. Oily skin gets dehydrated often.
• ·Sensitization, temporarily reactive from over-treatment. Different from intrinsic sensitivity.
• ·Congestion, clogged pores, can occur on any type.
• ·Hyperpigmentation, pigment marks from sun, hormones, or inflammation.

Why the distinction matters

If you treat a condition like a type, you will fail. Common errors:

• ·An oily-skinned person assumes their tightness means they're "dry" and switches to a rich cream, clogs pores, breaks out.
• ·A dehydrated person assumes they need more oil, but they need water-binding humectants.
• ·A sensitized person assumes they have permanently sensitive skin, but it would resolve in 3 weeks of barrier repair.

How to diagnose correctly

• ·Type: look at your skin two hours after cleansing with nothing applied. Where is it shiny? Where is it tight?
• ·Condition: look at what's different now versus your baseline. Recent change is almost always condition, not type.

A skin diagnostic, like Skinlumis's, separates these two layers explicitly. That's the only way to build a protocol that solves the right problem.