Lately, I've come to a realization that the focus on my face is not as much about makeup anymore. While it is fun to don up and play with colorful eye shadows, I now understand the value of having good skin. For years, my skin has been misbehaving and I wished to have a website that guided and taught me how to take care of my skin. Last year, I was invited to a webinar hosted by Dr. Leslie Baumann, the first cosmetic dermatologist in the U.S. Thanked to her, I was introduced to Skin Type Solutions, a free website where you can take the famous Baumann skin type test to determine your own skin type.
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| Front page of Skin Type Solutions |
First of all, I wished there was a website like this back when I was a teenager. Knowing your skin type does eliminate a lot of confusions in your life. Have you ever gone to the drugstore or department store and wondered which product you should use? I have. Many times over. During my teen and college years, my skin was very oily (and still do during the summer months.) I bought a whole bunch of stuff that not only did not work but also managed to dry out my skin. In my case, I could tell that I had oily skin. However, it is not that simple.
Back in the day, people used to (and some still) classify skin types as dry, normal, and oily. Recently, there are products targeted for sensitive skin. However, according to the Baumann skin typing, there are 16 types of skin. Dr Baumann used four parameters: hydration (dry vs. oily), sensitivity (sensitive vs. resistant), pigmentation (pigmented vs. non-pigmented), and tendency to form wrinkles (wrinkled vs. tight.)
In order to determine what your skin type is, you need to take the skin typing test, which is available right after you registered an account at Skin Type Solutions website. All the information is anonymous and the purpose of the quiz is to collect information for Dr. Baumann's research to decode the genes that play in skin appearance.
And now, here's an important question: Who should take the skin typing quiz?
Dr. Baumann suggested everyone, regardless of gender, to take this quiz. While some of the questions are more female oriented, the big bulk of this quiz is applicable to both genders. I asked Dr. Baumann how old should a person start taking this quiz and she recommended as soon as you reach puberty. Also, once you change your living location, you should retake the quiz to see if you still have the same skin condition or not.
I wished I knew about the last point about 5 years earlier. After moving from Maryland to Florida, my whole body went through a dramatic change. A lot of skincare and hair care products I loved when I was in Maryland went to the trash can because they were no longer applicable. I had to start from scratch to find the products that are more suitable for me in a new environment.
And now, here's my Baumann skin type result:
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| It's OSPT (Oily, Sensitive, Pigmented, Tight) or skin type number 5 |
Last but not least, the Skin Type Solutions website also contains a wealth of information in the "Library" section. It also has forums where you can post questions about your skin problems and other members with the same skin type will reply to you. Also, there is the "Product Review" section and a shop where you can get Dr. Baumann's "Skin Type Solutions" book.
Again, the test and website is free. The recommended products are not sponsored by companies and they are quite affordable. If you haven't taken the skin typing quiz yet, I urge you to do so. No matter how much makeup you apply, if you don't have good skin underneath, the makeup can't shine through.
What do you think about The Skin Type Solutions website? Please let me know in the comment section, ok?
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