What are the different skin types and how do I know where I fit in?
- Very pale/fair and can be freckled
- Often has blonde or red hair
- Incredibly sensitive to the rays of the sun, burns very easily and is likely to get severe sun damage from UV exposure if not protected properly
- Light or fair skinned
- Generally, has light hair and blue eyes
- Can develop a light tan but is more likely to get sunburnt
- Still very light skinned, however, slightly darker than those with skin types 1 and 2
- Can tan and become light bronze when exposed to the sun but still at high risk for skin cancers
- Olive skin tone
- Mostly dark hair and generally have brown eyes
- Tans easily and rarely burn, care should, however, still be taken in the sun
- Olive or dark skin tone including coloured, light skinned African, Indian and Middle Eastern skin tones
- Very rarely burns, care should, however, still be taken in the sun
- Dark skin tone
- Very rarely burns, care should, however, still be taken in the sun
Now that we know what the different skin types are, let’s have a look at the major concerns they face:
The main concerns that skin types 1 – 3 face are pre-mature ageing and pigmentation.
Pre-mature ageing can be addressed through injectables such as wrinkle reducing injections and dermal fillers, as well as regular skin conditioning treatments such as chemical peels and skin needling where collagen is stimulated.
The cause of pigmentation can either be through sun damage or hormonal. It is important to establish what the cause of your particular pigmentation is, as the treatment related to the different types varies. Once this has been established, treatments such as Fraxel Dual, Limelight Pulsed Light Therapy, chemical peels, skin needling, Carboxytherapy or a combination thereof can be done to treat pigmentation.
Skin types 4 and 5 often struggle with melasma and/or pigmentation.
As per skin types 1 – 3, it is important to note that the treatment of pigmentation and melasma is not a one size fits all solution, and with darker skins, in particular, it is essential to ensure that treatments are prescribed and administered by professionals who have sufficient knowledge and experience. Even though technology has evolved to lasers that are “colour blind” which are safe to use on darker skin types, such as the Laser Genesis and Fraxel Dual, it can still be dangerous if not administered correctly.
Skin type 6, which are the darker African skin types, generally need to address acne, acne scarring, and melasma.
Acne scarring often results from severe inflammatory nodulocystic acne that occurs deep in the skin, but scarring may also arise from more superficial inflamed lesions. Nevertheless, the only sure method of preventing or limiting the extent of acne scars is to treat acne early in its course, and as long as necessary. The more inflammation can be prevented or moderated, the more likely it is that scars can be prevented or minimised.
Treatments such as Carboxytherapy, skin needling, chemical peels, Pearl Rejuvenation or a combination thereof can be administered to treat acne scarring.