Skin Analysis and Skin Types
Skin Analysis and Skin Types tests whether you can separate a client's inherited skin type from temporary conditions, gather objective data with lamps and palpation, and choose products that actually match.
Type versus condition
- Type is inherited and largely fixed: normal, dry, oily, combination (oily T-zone, drier cheeks).
- A condition is changeable: dehydration, sensitivity, aging, hyperpigmentation, breakouts, sun damage. Estheticians describe and treat appearance; they never diagnose disease.
How to analyze
- Cleanse, let skin rest 5–10 minutes, then assess under a magnifying lamp (about 5x) and a Wood's lamp in a darkened room.
- Record pore size, shine pattern, texture, lesion type and distribution, vascularity and pigmentation.
- Wood's lamp readings: yellow-white fluorescence = sebum; light violet = dehydration; brown = melanin pigment; blue-white = thickened stratum corneum; coral-pink = porphyrins from acne bacteria.
Fitzpatrick scale
Types I–VI rate sun reactivity; Type I always burns, Type VI never burns. Types IV–VI carry a much higher risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation after peels, waxing and extractions, so reduce intensity and insist on daily sunscreen.
Worked example
A client shows shine and visible pores across the nose and forehead but tight, finely flaking cheeks. Reasoning: oily T-zone plus dehydration - combination skin with a compromised barrier. Choose a gentle gel cleanser, a light humectant moisturizer and SPF; avoid a heavy oil or a full-face clay mask.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating oily and hydrated as the same measurement.
- Listing sensitive skin as a type rather than a condition.
- Reading a Wood's lamp on skin that still has cleanser or makeup residue.
- Ignoring Fitzpatrick type when choosing peel strength or wax temperature.