Caring for Combination Skin

Ask anyone who deals with oily or dry skin, and they’ll tell you about how challenging it is to keep everything in balance. With the former, you’re dealing with shine, frequent breakouts, and enlarged pores. With the latter, it’s itching, flaking, and redness. And while those issues seem bad enough on their own, living with combination skin means finding ways to battle the worst of both worlds. 

Combination skin typically comes with an oily T-zone and dry cheeks. That means that your nose, forehead, and chin are prone to acne and enlarged pores, while your cheeks look dull and flaky. Obviously, this comes with some confusing skincare conundrums. Using products for oily skin can leave your dry areas feeling tight and itchy, but using dry skin products can increase greasiness in the oily areas. 

As frustrating as these concerns can feel, it’s important to care for your skin, no matter which skin type you’re dealing with. Here are a few tips for keeping your combination skin in check:

Stick with Gentle Cleansers

Choosing the right cleanser can be a trial and error process, but there are some key features to look for.

Buy products that are mild, gently exfoliating, and packed with vitamins. Using cleansers that are too harsh can strip your skin of its natural oils, and while that might sound ideal for getting rid of the excess oil, it can make both areas of your skin worse. When you take away too much of your skin’s oils, your body responds by producing even more of it to keep the skin barrier intact. That means that your cheeks AND your T-zone are in trouble!

Revision Skincare’s Papaya Enzyme Cleanser lifts away impurities, gently polishes away dead skin cells, and deeply nourishes to leave your combination skin feeling soft, clean, and moisture-balanced. Best of all, it cleanses without stripping away any of your skin’s natural moisture. 

Create Two Different Care Regimens

Give each area of your face exactly what it needs by investing in a double-pronged approached to your skincare and cosmetics. In your oily areas, use lightweight products or clay masks that can mattify the skin.

Revision Skincare’s Black Mask is perfect for oily skin, as it is formulated with earth clays to unclog pores and absorb excess oil. It will leave your skin looking polished and smooth while helping to reduce the size of your pores. 

In dry areas, opt for rich emollient creams, toners, and moisturizers that will help hydrate the skin. 

NuCelle Rx Mandelic Toner is a concentrated liquid with rich marine extracts to drench the skin with moisture and protect against environmental elements that dry the skin. It’s perfect for replenishing moisture!

While it’s fine to apply your lightweight products all over the face, avoid your oily areas when it comes to products made for dry skin. These can increase sebum production and lead to breakouts. 

Moisturize Your Entire Face, Not Just the Dry Parts

In our recent article on oily skin, we discussed that it’s tempting to skip the moisturizer due to fears of increased oil production, but your skin can be dehydrated and oily at the same time. 

Like Revision Skincare’s Hydrating Serum, moisturizers built for combination skin were created to address both oily and dry areas. It is formulated with two forms of hyaluronic acid, plus a blend of powerful fruit extracts, antioxidants, and a peptide. It leaves skin feeling smooth and refreshed with its ultra-light, fast-absorbing texture. This makes it perfect for hydrating the T-zone without causing excessive oiliness. Plus, it alleviates tightness in dry areas without leaving the skin feeling sticky. 

Still not sure how you want to handle your combination skin? Stop in at Advanced Skin Therapeutics! Our providers will guide you to the products and treatments that leave your skin healthy, nurtured, and well-balanced.