How to take care of your skin
Assessing Your Skin Type
First things first get to know your skin type: normal, oily, dry or combination. You always can consult with your dermatologist or beauty care expert, or try to assess your skin type by considering the following characteristics.
- NORMAL: Oil is evenly distributed and there is no extra shine. After cleansing the face, skin does not look dry or oily. Acne breakouts are less frequent.
- OILY: Skin that appears shiny or greasy up to two to three hours after cleansing the skin. Excess oil contributes to blackheads, blemishes, and enlarged pores.
- DRY: After cleansing the face, skin feels dry and tight and possibly even itchy. There also is the appearance of skin cells and flakiness, which may appear to look ashy.
- COMBINATION: A mixture of oily and dry skin types, with more blemishes and skin irritation frequenting the T-zone area. Oiliness can be more prevalent on the forehead and nose while cheeks are flaky and dry.
Top Skincare Concerns
In addition to understanding your skin type, it is important to recognize any unique problems your skin may have. Following are a few skin issues that are especially problematic for women of color.
- HYPERPIGMENTATION: Many common factors such as injury, acne, sunlight, skin disease and plucking unwanted hair, can trigger the production of excess melanin, resulting in dark marks on the skin. Melanin is a natural substance that gives color (pigment) to skin.
- BLACKHEADS AND BLEMISHES: These are skin bumps and dark spots that are caused by excess oil and clogged a pore - which is prevalent in adult acne. Blackheads and blemishes appear as a result of impurities embedded in pores and an improper cleansing regimen. For women of color, squeezing blackheads causes further disruption to the skin, leading to more blemishes.
- SENSITIVE SKIN: Half of African-Americans consider their skin to be sensitive, meaning that their skin reacts very easily to common irritants such as certain combinations of soaps, dyes, oils and fragrances. People with sensitive skin usually experience skin irritation, itchiness, and redness with the use of certain products and treatments.
Incorporating a Proper Skin Care Routine
It All Starts With Cleansing
Skin care begins with daily cleansing. A morning and evening routine is essential, and keeping skin clean reduces the incidence of pimples, blemishes, and blackheads that can take a toll on the youthful and even appearance of skin. When cleansing, it is important to use a warm, moist washcloth, which serves as a gentle exfoliator that softly removes dead skin cells; and be sure to cleanse both your face and neck. Facial bars such as AMBI® Cleansing Bar, AMBI® Cocoa Butter Bar, or AMBI® Black Soap are great options created especially for African-American women that fit the needs of women with oily, dry, combination, or normal skin.
Make Moisturizing a Must
Moisturizer is not just for dry and ashy skin. All skin types need some level of moisturizer to keep skin looking soft and supple, and you need a different moisturizer specifically designed for your face. A moisturizer should be selected based on the type of skin. If your facial skin is oily, use oil-free moisturizers that are noncomedogenic, meaning they will not clog pores. If your facial skin is dry select a cream or lotion that is designed for your skin type and use at least two times a day.
Everyone Needs Sunscreen
All women and all types of skin need sunscreen. While dark skin does have skin-protecting properties and melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, is less prevalent among African Americans as compared to Caucasians, going sans sunscreen still puts women of darker skin color at risk for developing skin cancer, and increases the effects of aging and the appearance of dark spots. Women of color should look for skin care and make-up products that contain sunscreen at least an SPF of 30 or should apply sunscreen as a base prior to make-up application. And remember, UV rays reach the Earth's surface so sunscreen should be worn throughout the year, rain or shine.
Dealing With Dark Marks
Most women of color are familiar with hyperpigmentation, although this term also is known as dark marks, blemishes, spots, or skin discolorations. Many common factors can lead to hyperpigmentation such as acne, plucking ingrown hairs due to shaving, skin disease, or hormonal changes. According to Dr. Downie, due to lack of knowledge or access to effective skin care treatments, women of color are more likely to feel the need to wear make-up to cover skin discolorations; however, excessive use of heavy cover-ups can have other unwanted side effects, such as pimples and breakouts. Women of color should use a fade cream. One option is AMBI® Skin Discoloration Fade Cream which safely and effectively fades dark spots. The key is to use it only on spots. In addition, women using fade cream on dark spots should protect their skin by staying out of the sun or using a sunscreen and wearing a hat if they are outside. To achieve maximum best results, fade cream should be used twice a day, after cleansing.
