What are the concerns of combination skin?Updated a year ago
With any skin type, there are usually key concerns you might be worried about, whether you’re trying to correct something or prevent something from happening. It’s important to take note of these concerns since they’ll help direct you toward a goal-oriented skincare routine.
Plus, some skin concerns can also actually make it tougher to figure out your skin type.
- Acne: Those with combination skin often deal with some acne, which can sometimes even lead you to believe your skin is actually oily (hint: it probably isn’t). That said, you’ll want to treat your acne with spot treatments, exfoliants, or serums while still caring for the dry portions of your skin.
- Dehydration: Dehydration is what happens when the skin lacks water or struggles to retain it. It can make the skin feel tight and dry, and cause it to appear dull, rough, or flakey. It’s a confounding situation, and incredibly important to resolve through TEWL prevention.
- Pore size in T-zone: Visible pores are quite normal, but the right exfoliants and treatment serums can still help you refine your texture and potentially minimize the appearance of your pores.
- Sensitivity: Having sensitive skin isn’t mutually exclusive with having combination skin. Look out for signs that your combination skin is sensitive, such as redness, stinging, rashes, or irritation.
- Premature/photo-aging: Even when all is well with your combination skin, you might still be interested in either staving off or reversing concerns such as wrinkles, loss of tone, and hyperpigmentation.
Pay attention to your skin
Unlike other skin types, the diversity that’s possible within the “combination skin” category means that creating rigid rules is impossible, and even suggesting guidelines for how you should care for your skin is difficult.
Combination skin types, above all others, benefit the most from observant care. We often mention the importance of listening to your skin, but with combination skin, it’s doubly important.
This also means that the best way to figure out if products work for you is through trial and error (although the products you choose to try should be based on your individual skin goals and concerns). We created our SMOL set with that in mind.
This little kit contains a 30-day routine of the essential Protocol products: our Double AHA Cleanser, Enzyme-Active Retinol Serum, Vitamin C Superserum, and Hyaluronic Acid & Niacinamide Hydration Cream. If you think your skin is ready for a more advanced, balancing, and anti-aging routine, give it a try!