How To Treat Combination Skin And Achieve Balance

 

Dealing with combination skin, characterized by dry patches and oily zones, can feel like a constant struggle. If you have combination skin, you’ve certainly grappled with the challenge of finding the right skincare routine to balance it all out. It's a delicate dance—you can't treat oily areas the same way you treat dry patches, or you'll risk aggravating one or the other. But take comfort in knowing that you're not alone in this struggle! One of the most common questions dermatologists and estheticians get asked is how to treat combination skin. We’ve put together some of their best tips on how to achieve balance and harmony with combination skin.

 

 

What Are The Signs of Combination Skin?

Combination skin, like other skin types, is common but presents a unique challenge—it's oily in some areas and dry in others. The most typical version is if you have an oily T-zone and normal to dry cheeks. While combination skin isn't caused by any specific factor (it's largely genetic), it can fluctuate with hormonal changes and seasonal shifts. This combination of oily and dry areas can vary in appearance and intensity, often influenced by factors like weather, lifestyle, and stress.

By paying close attention, you can identify how your combination skin behaves. Signs of oiliness on the face may manifest as shiny skin, enlarged pores, or acne, while signs of dryness might include flaking, redness, or feelings of tightness or roughness.

 

 

The Best Skincare Ingredients For Combination Skin

• Hyaluronic acid: Ideal for facial hydration without greasiness, hyaluronic acid is suitable for all skin types.
• Salicylic acid: Regulates oil production and unclogs pores, beneficial for the oilier areas of your face.
• Lactic acid: Acts as a mild exfoliant, removing dead skin cells and clearing pores, particularly suitable for dry areas.
• Emollients: Include shea butter, jojoba oil, and squalene, which soften dry skin.
• Antioxidants: Protect from environmental damage; opt for Vitamin C for general skin health. Use with sunscreen during the day to shield skin from UV rays.

 

 

Tip 1: Simplify Your Routine

When dealing with combination skin, simplicity is essential. Applying multiple products across your face to target the issue can disrupt your skin's delicate balance, potentially worsening the problem. According to experts, a gentle, non-comedogenic cleanser that preserves your skin's moisture and oils, coupled with a moisturizer to maintain its equilibrium, are crucial for a healthy skin barrier. Beginning your routine with a pore-cleansing yet non-drying cleanser is recommended. After cleansing, moisturizing is vital to replenish the protective barrier, especially considering the natural decline in moisture factors as we age, coupled with increased water loss through the skin.

 

Tip 2: Use Different Products For Dry & Oily Areas

When using skincare products, you may notice that certain areas of your face improve while others worsen. Typically, the T-zone, comprising the forehead, nose, and chin, tends to be oilier due to the higher concentration of oil-producing glands. Try addressing the drier parts of your face with a moisturizing regimen, including a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and antioxidant. For oily areas, specific treatments can be applied separately, such as salicylic or glycolic acid to control blackheads and breakouts. Dermatologists also recommend incorporating nourishing formulations such as creams or emollients into drier areas. Applying these heavier creams in only dry areas provide the necessary moisture to balance the skin without causing any adverse effects in oily areas.

 

Tip 3: Use Multi-Tasking Products

Multi-tasking or hybrid products are a highly useful category within skincare. These innovative products combine two distinct formulations, offering multiple benefits in a single application. For example: hydrating gel-creams, hybrid toner/essences, exfoliating facial cleansers. Products that fulfill multiple functions and help you achieve is key in how to treat combination skin. Hybrid products like gel-creams are particularly beneficial for individuals prone to breakouts yet experiencing patchy dryness.

 

Tip 4: Cleanse The Right Amount

Experts recommend cleansing your face twice a day with a gentle but effective cleanser, and double cleansing at night if you wear makeup during the day. Sometimes, it might be tempting to over-cleanse in hot or humid weather. This is a mistake, because over-cleansing on a dry area could result in flakiness, dehydration, and broken skin. Under-cleansing can also cause problems, because not cleansing properly on oily areas could result in breakouts, blackheads and dead skin buildup.  

 

Tip 5: Don’t Skip Moisturizer

Avoiding moisturizer altogether can exacerbate combination skin issues, despite the oily parts of your face recoiling at the thought of applying any. Many dermatologists and estheticians dispel the myth that drying out acne is necessary, emphasizing the importance of maintaining skin hydration. This rings especially true for anyone learning how to treat combination skin. Applying lotions, creams, or oils generously across your face, with extra attention to dry areas, can help rebalance your skin and alleviate discomfort. For oilier areas, you can use a non-comedogenic / lighter moisturizer, or simply apply a much thinner layer of the product you’re applying on dry areas.

 

 

Our Best Products For Combination Skin

Epionce Renewal Lite Facial Lotion

Providing ultra light-weight hydration for combination or oily skin types, Renewal Lite Facial Lotion helps reduce the visible appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of skin aging. Expertly formulated to improve skin clarity and radiance for more healthy-looking skin.

 

Replenix Glycolic Acid Resurfacing Cleanser

Replenix Glycolic Acid Resurfacing Cleanser is an advanced, dermatologist-developed skin-resurfacing cleanser that effectively cleans skin removing impurities, dirt, and oil without stripping skin’s delicate moisture barrier while helping to refine skin’s texture and look of pores.

 

SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture

Daily Moisture is a lightweight face moisturizer for normal, combination, or oily skin that hydrates, nourishes, and helps reduce the appearance of pore size. Vitamin E, three nutrient-rich algae extracts, and a blend of seven botanical extracts protect and leave skin soft without a greasy residue. 

 

Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads

These gentle yet effective resurfacing pads deliver a measured dose of Lactic Acid, Probiotic Ferment Complex, and patented Tri-Enzyme Technology for smoother-looking skin. Used twice daily, these textured pads help reduce the look of dark spots, pores and uneven skin texture. They physically lift away dead cells and gently exfoliate, leaving the skin looking significantly smoother and brighter.

 

Isdin Eryfotona Actinica SPF 50

Eryfotona Actinica is a fast-absorbing, ultralight emulsion providing all-mineral broad spectrum sun protection. Perfect for combination or oily skin, its innovative formula contains Patented DNA Repairsomes, clinically proven to repair existing sun damage. Eryfotona Actinica is the perfect lightweight sunscreen for all day use, every day.